AI-powered HR transformation redefines employee engagement by turning workforce anxieties about artificial intelligence into enthusiasm and accelerated adoption.

Companies that effectively integrate artificial intelligence into their workflows are discovering that involving employees early in the AI-powered HR transformation journey significantly boosts adoption and engagement, according to Jill Goldstein (pictured), global managing partner of HR and talent transformation at IBM Corp. As businesses increasingly pivot toward AI-driven processes, fostering a workforce that can adeptly navigate both technical and functional roles is emerging as a crucial advantage.

IBM’s Jill Goldstein talks with theCUBE’s Dave Vellante about Big Blue’s innovative approach to AI skills and employee engagement, as well as the importance of executive support in adopting new technologies.

“I’ll tell you that the workforce is actually really excited about the idea of leaning in and helping to rethink the way that business is accepting technology, specifically AI,” Goldstein told theCUBE. “The most successful organizations are those that are asking the workforce to be part of rethinking ways of working and being part of the change.”

Goldstein spoke with theCUBE Research’s Dave Vellante at the “AI-Powered Business Operations: Strategies for End-to-End Transformation” event, during an exclusive broadcast on theCUBE, SiliconANGLE Media’s livestreaming studio. They discussed IBM’s innovative approach to AI skills and employee engagement, as well as the importance of executive support in adopting new technologies.               (* Disclosure below.)

Maximizing investments in AI-powered HR transformation

Organizations that excel in digital transformation are those that not only invest in powerful AI tools, but also strategically integrate these technologies with their existing platforms, according to Goldstein. Companies can unlock unprecedented efficiencies and enhanced employee experiences by aligning functional and technical expertise. IBM’s proactive approach illustrates this strategy, encouraging its workforce to actively participate in hackathons designed to explore AI’s practical applications in daily work tasks.

“Inside of IBM, one of the first things that we did when generative AI really became very popular is [that] we challenged our workforce to opt into a workforce challenge, an old-school hackathon,” Goldstein said. “We asked them to roll up their sleeves and reimagine how they would work with a digital buddy, with generative AI helping them in their day-to-day activities.”

IBM’s strategy underscores a broader industry trend toward democratizing AI skills — a key component of AI-powered HR transformation — aiming to produce employees uniquely equipped to understand and leverage technology across various business functions. This cross-pollination approach fosters faster, deeper adoption of AI technologies throughout the enterprise.

“One of the things that our IBM HR department did very early on was to take some of our functional experts [and] teach them technical stuff so that we could create what I call purple squirrels, those people who have a unique set of skills that may be unavailable in the marketplace more generally so that they can speak ‘function’ and then turn around and speak ‘technical,'” Goldstein said. “By doing that, we’ve been able to … accelerate our digital transformation journey … powered by AI. In our particular case, it’s watsonx Orchestrate.”

Accelerating workforce adoption through strategic engagement

Introducing advanced technologies such as AI into an organization often sparks initial concern among employees. However, proactive communication and transparency can significantly mitigate these anxieties, according to Goldstein. IBM’s successful approach demonstrates the importance of combining executive involvement with agile practices to address employee concerns and improve user experience quickly.

“It was super stressful, but the team hopped right on it,” Goldstein said. “They were super agile. They spent time understanding content [and] understanding feedback and would introduce improvements within 24 hours rather than waiting for traditional quarterly releases. Little by little, [the] net promoter score went up, and I think the team would share with you right now that we are dangerously close to pivoting over 80 on our NPS.”

The effectiveness of IBM’s AI-powered HR transformation is largely credited to strong executive support and hands-on leadership participation, according to Goldstein. Employees are more likely to embrace new technology when leadership demonstrates a personal commitment, effectively modeling the adoption process and highlighting the technology’s practical benefits firsthand.

“When I tell you we have executive sponsorship, our famous ghost shopper is our chief executive officer and chairman,” Goldstein said. “It is not unusual for Arvin [Krisha] to go on to AskHR and be self-sufficient, actually testing the same access channels that the workforce uses on a regular basis. When you know the chairman may actually be part of the NPS pool, there’s special attention paid.”

Here’s the complete video interview, part of SiliconANGLE’s and theCUBE’s coverage of the “AI-Powered Business Operations: Strategies for End-to-End Transformation” event:

Plus, don’t miss the event entire episode:

(* Disclosure: TheCUBE is a paid media partner for the “AI-Powered Business Operations: Strategies for End-to-End Transformation” event. Neither IBM Corp., the sponsor of theCUBE’s event coverage, nor other sponsors have editorial control over content on theCUBE or SiliconANGLE.)

Photo: SiliconANGLE