Introducing The Edge of Work Report: Priorities, Perspectives & Possibilities
In my work with organizations, I’ve spent extensive time talking with talent and learning leaders about career development, leadership development, internal mobility, the future of work, artificial intelligence (AI), and change enablement. Across these conversations, one question consistently surfaced:
“What are other organizations like ours doing?”
Through client engagements, hosting The Edge of Work podcast, and countless one-on-one discussions, I noticed two truths. First, the volume of insights was immense and often hard to capture in one place. Second, nearly every leader I spoke with was navigating extraordinary levels of change and complexity, comparable to the most turbulent shifts happening anywhere in business today.
This report distills those realities in a structured way. It reflects findings from a listening tour and 40 qualitative interviews with senior talent and learning leaders across Fortune 1000 companies and peer organizations in the U.S. My goal was straightforward: to illuminate what leaders are focused on today, what they’re preparing for tomorrow, and how they believe the profession must evolve.
The report is organized into three core themes:
- Priorities: What’s top of mind for talent and learning leaders right now? How are they responding to current market and organizational pressures?
- Perspectives: How are leaders engaging with AI adoption, enablement, and experimentation—and what impact do they anticipate on talent and learning?
- Possibilities: What must the functions of talent and learning look like in the next 3–5 years to remain relevant and impactful?
Key Insights
The Two Timelines: Talent and learning leaders are stretched across two competing timelines. On one hand, they must deliver foundational, day-to-day work that keeps organizations running. On the other, they are tasked with preparing for a radically different future shaped by AI, intelligent agents, task reinvention, and human–machine collaboration. The challenge isn’t just managing both timelines, but balancing time, energy, and resources across them without losing sight of either. (IT leaders faced a similar tension a decade ago.)
Change as Context, Not an Event: Leaders emphasized that change is no longer episodic; it’s the permanent backdrop of today’s workplace. They distinguished between acute change (disruptions demanding immediate response) and chronic change (longer-term structural shifts). Navigating both requires a new playbook, one that fosters agility in the moment while building organizational resilience over time.
AI as Change Management: Nearly every leader reported involvement in AI initiatives, often multiple at once. We identified five primary ways leaders are engaging with AI, with two takeaways: most AI projects are fundamentally change management initiatives, and while progress is being made, results remain uneven. The organizations advancing most effectively were both intentional and precise in their efforts, with strong alignment among leaders and stakeholders.
The Barbell Future of the Profession. When asked about the most critical roles for the future of talent and learning, leaders consistently pointed to a dual focus:
-
Technology fluency. skills in AI, data, and digital platforms, including roles like product managers for people systems, proactive analytics and foresight, and orchestrators of human–machine collaboration.
-
Human-centered expertise. the ability to facilitate connection, create immersive experiences (not just learning), and enable lasting behavior change.
Download the Report:
If these findings resonate with you, I invite you to download the full report by filling out the form below so you can receive a free copy via email. I’d love to hear what you think