Shows
Workplace Stories by RedThread ResearchStop Guessing: How J&J Gets Precise About Skills w/ Bas DebbinkMost organizations claim to care about employee development, but upon closer examination, their approach to skills is often vague, subjective, or downright confusing. They might assume people will simply "figure it out" on the job or resort to one-size-fits-all training. If you've ever wondered why your learning investments don’t seem to translate into impact, it might be because you’re still guessing when it comes to skills.Today, you’ll hear how Johnson & Johnson’s tech organization stopped playing the guessing game. With clear processes to identify, assess, and verify skills, both digital and power skills, they’re not jus...2025-06-1136 min
Workplace Stories by RedThread ResearchLeadership as a System, Not a Trait, with Cher MurphyIn this episode of Workplace Stories, Dani Johnson talks with Cher Murphy, Partner, Head of People+Talent Practice at ON Partner, founder of The Murphy Advisory, and faculty member at Pepperdine and the University of Michigan. Drawing from her deep experience in executive coaching and leadership development, Cher shares how leadership is evolving in response to rapid technological, political, and organizational change. She emphasizes that while AI and data can enhance decision-making, human traits like discernment, empathy, and the ability to communicate clearly remain irreplaceable. Leaders today must move from a mindset of control to one of clarity, especially as s...2025-06-0444 min
Workplace Stories by RedThread ResearchWhy Your Strategic Plan Might Be Trapping You, with Lisa Kay Solomon and Jeffrey RogersMost leadership development still clings to certainty, quarterly goals, strategic plans, official futures etched in stone. But what if that mindset isn’t just outdated, it’s dangerous? In this episode, Dani Johnson and Stacia Garr sit down with futurists and experience designers Lisa Kay Solomon and Jeff Rogers, two minds helping rewire how leaders think about the future, not as a distant unknown, but as a daily design challenge. What unfolds is a conversation that’s as practical as it is provocative, revealing how our obsession with predictability might be blinding us to the signals we most need to see.2025-05-2048 min
Workplace Stories by RedThread Research“Wait, We’re Still Guessing?” Why HR Needs Better Data - NOWHR teams have more data than ever, but many still rely on guesswork when it comes to people decisions. In this episode, we unpack the rapid growth of the people analytics tech market, which ballooned from $1.7B in 2019 to $8.1B by last summer.Hosts Dani Johnson, Stacia Garr, and Priyanka Mehrotra walk through how this market has evolved, what’s driving investment, and why the demand for better-connected, more useful insights keeps rising.We also dig into what’s not working, like customer frustration, disappointing ROI, and the reality that AI in these tools often overpromises and...2025-04-1742 min
Workplace Stories by RedThread ResearchThe Art of Finding and Growing Niche Skills with Cari BohleyCari Bohley, Vice President of Talent Management at Peraton, talks about solving real workplace problems by focusing on skills. From finding highly specialized talent in competitive markets to helping employees see clear career paths, Cari explains how tools like AI are changing the game. She shares what it takes to turn skills into a practical solution for hiring, retention, and engagement—especially in an industry where the stakes are high. Her story offers actionable insights for tackling challenges in hiring and L&D while proving the value of these efforts to leadership. You will want to hear this epi...2024-12-2742 min
Workplace Stories by RedThread ResearchThe Existential Crisis of L&D with Albertsons’ Michelle KayWhat happens to an organization when learning and development disappears? It’s a question more leaders are facing as L&D teams shrink or are deprioritized, even as the demand for a skilled workforce grows. Michelle Kay, Head of Learning and Development at Albertsons, has a clear answer: the unique expertise of L&D is irreplaceable. Managing learning for over 355,000 associates across one of the nation’s largest grocery chains, Michelle demonstrates how L&D can be a driving force behind business success, even in the face of change and uncertainty.Michelle’s perspective blends optimism and rea...2024-12-2341 min
Workplace Stories by RedThread ResearchAI And Data Governance with Nick HudgellWe had an incredible conversation with Nick Hudgell, Global Head of People Insights at Sanofi, about the transformative power of data governance and AI in HR. Nick shared how his team has built an infrastructure that connects disparate systems, improves data quality, and uses machine learning to unlock insights that genuinely improve employee experiences. From rethinking engagement surveys to launching AI-powered tools like the Sanofi Concierge, Nick made the case for why data is the backbone of innovation in people management.Nick also shared thought-provoking stories about breaking down resistance to change, balancing data privacy with innovation, and n...2024-12-1855 min
Workplace Stories by RedThread ResearchFrom Efficiency to Impact: Don Taylor and Eglė Vinauskaitė on AI in L&DWe had an incredible conversation with Don Taylor and Eglė Vinauskaitė about their report, AI and L&D: Intention and Reality. Their research goes deep into how AI is reshaping learning and development, from streamlining tasks like content creation to enabling strategic integration across organizations. Don and Eglė talked about the fact that AI’s potential goes far beyond efficiency—it’s about solving meaningful business challenges and driving innovation through smarter decision-making.A standout idea was their “immaturity model,” which challenges the notion of linear AI adoption. They explained that success relies on factors like leadership mind...2024-12-0451 min
Workplace Stories by RedThread ResearchThe Biggest Mistakes Companies are Making with AI with Christopher LindWhat happens when AI moves faster than the people who implement it? Christopher Lind, executive advisor and industry expert, shares stories of organizations that got it wrong—sometimes with devastating consequences.From replacing entire teams with AI to accelerating broken processes, the conversation reveals how quickly things can unravel when technology outpaces understanding. At the same time, there’s tremendous opportunity if AI is handled with care.We explored what it takes to keep humans at the center of the work while letting AI handle repetitive tasks. This isn’t about avoiding AI—it’s about unde...2024-11-2048 min
Workplace Stories by RedThread ResearchPeople Analytics & AI’s Real-World Impact at FedEx with Cole NapperCole Napper, FedEx’s Global Head of People Analytics, joined us to explore the real versus ideal roles of AI in HR and people analytics, focusing on practical application and real-world impact. Cole highlighted AI’s current limitations, especially the problem of “anti-productive work,” where technology demands extra effort rather than reducing it. His perspective emphasizes the need for critical thinking in analytics to ensure AI truly serves organizational goals.Cole also talked about the structural improvements required to enhance data quality and discussed how people analytics teams need to evolve for AI to make a meaningful difference. His prag...2024-11-0649 min
Workplace Stories by RedThread ResearchWhy Social Network Perspective Matters with Greg PryorCould your network be the key to your career success and organizational growth? In this episode of Workplace Stories, we chat with Greg Pryor, author of the upcoming book, “The Social Capital Imperative.” Greg explains how social capital—our connections and relationships—drives business outcomes, sparks innovation, and boosts career growth. With the pandemic reshaping work, he argues that shifting from internal networks to open, cross-functional ones is crucial for success today.Greg shares practical strategies for making network-building accessible to individuals, teams, and organizations.He highlights how AI and technology can help unlock the potential of networ...2024-10-2347 min
Workplace Stories by RedThread ResearchRedefining Learning and Development at McKinsey: Lisa ChristensenWhat if your L&D team could shift from merely delivering training to truly driving your company’s strategic goals? In this conversation, we talk with Lisa Christensen, McKinsey’s Director of Learning and Innovation. Lisa takes a refreshingly strategic approach, asking not just how L&D can support learning but “To what end?” She shares how her focus on outcomes over output has reshaped McKinsey’s approach to everything from people analytics to building a strong feedback culture.We also talk about why L&D should embrace experimentation, moving far beyond traditional course delivery to tackle big organizati...2024-10-0946 min
Workplace Stories by RedThread ResearchMitchel MacNair: Crown Castle - Making Employee Development StrategicHow do you turn a skeptical organization into a believer in the power of Learning & Development? We interviewed Mitchel MacNair, Director of Talent Development and Learning at Crown Castle to find out. Mitchel takes us on a journey from his unconventional background in nuclear engineering and the Navy to leading transformational change in L&D. He tells us how he reshaped Crown Castle’s learning function by aligning it with business strategy, building credibility through data-driven results, and elevating its impact across the organization. You will want to hear this episode if you are interested in...How Mitchel’s back...2024-09-2544 min
Workplace Stories by RedThread ResearchHR, Workforce Automation, and GenAI at Merck: Jeremy Shapiro & Chris ShultzJeremy Shapiro, AVP of Human Resources and Workforce Analytics, and Chris Shultz, Director of HR Intelligent Automation and Gen AI at Merck join us in this forward-thinking conversation. Learn how (and why) Merck is embracing AI to streamline HR processes, support innovation, and maintain ethical considerations. This was hugely educational for us and we hope you get a glimpse into the future of HR tech.You will want to hear this episode if you are interested in...What does the future of HR look like in an AI-driven world? [1:17]How can AI serve as a translator and...2024-09-1142 min
Workplace Stories by RedThread ResearchThe Critical Role Data Plays in Skills Development: MetLife’s Emily Hacker and Dan WeissSkills data can be used to raise the bar in talent acquisition, implement data-driven learning, make strategic workforce planning decisions, help employees reach career aspirations, and much more. Too many organizations are so glued to the idea of perfection that they won’t implement imperfect programs to gather skills data. Dan Weiss and Emily Hacker believe that this mindset is useless.Your skills data won’t be perfect—but it can still be useful and helpful to employees. They share exactly why in this episode of Workplace Stories. You will want to hear this episode if you are interest...2024-08-2846 min
Workplace Stories by RedThread ResearchOperationalizing AI Experimentation: Harvard Business Publishing’s Angela Cheng-CiminiGenerative AI is taking the world by storm, and the realm of HR is no exception. The use of AI will change a business and it will impact teams. That’s why Angela Cheng-Cimini seeks to answer the question, “How do you make sure your teams are positively impacted by AI?”A lot of the conversation starts with mitigating the fear that surrounds AI. Angela believes one of the ways you can get people to run toward generative AI is to create a safe environment where they can play with it and be amazed by its capabilities. Then, they’ll want to integ...2024-08-1443 min
Workplace Stories by RedThread ResearchDebunking the Proposed Half-Life of a Skill: Guild Education’s Matthew DanielMatthew Daniel—the Senior Principal for Talent Strategy and Mobility at Guild Education—believes that, in a workplace context, skills are the things we know, can do, and the ways of thinking that help us deliver on business strategy. They are rich, deep, complex, and meaningful.Matthew believes that the “Half-life” statistic that’s been perpetuated about workplace skills is garbage. In this conversation, he details exactly why the half-life of a skill being 2 ½ to 5 years is faulty logic and how we should view skills differently. You will want to hear this episode if you are interested in...How to join the...2024-07-3145 min
Workplace Stories by RedThread ResearchThe Problem with Change: Author Ashley GoodallAshley Goodall has spent 20 years in various roles in HR, covering everything from performance management to leadership. He spent six years at Cisco as the SVP of HR. He left Cisco to write his book, “The Problem with Change,” which was just released. In it, he addresses the problems that accompany change. To write his book, Ashley interviewed people around the world, asking them to tell their stories of organizational change. Many people told miserable stories, stories of unending change propelled by mergers, new leadership, new strategies, and much more—much of it unnecessary. What was the result?2024-07-1755 min
Workplace Stories by RedThread ResearchUsing a Skills Framework to Empower Employees: Microsoft’s Shweta Srivastava and John MighellThe mission of Microsoft is to empower every person in every organization to achieve more. An enterprise-wide skills focus is one way they’re fulfilling their mission.It’s about moving beyond job titles and fixed roles to give freedom and flexibility to apply skills and expertise where they matter the most. And it’s all in service of creating an environment where growing one’s career is the top reason to join and stay at Microsoft.They’re using human verification to give the individual control over the data that’s included, who it’s shared with, a...2024-05-2952 min
Workplace Stories by RedThread ResearchWhy Skills are like Oxygen: Ericsson’s Vidya Krishnan + Peter Sheppard“Skills are like oxygen, invisible but necessary.” This mindset shift is the brainchild of Vidya Krishnan, the Chief Learning Officer, and Peter Sheppard, the Head of the Global L&D Ecosystem at Ericsson.Much of their job is identifying the oxygen and making it visible so they can do something with it. To do this, they’re taking a top-down and bottom-up approach. They’ve worked with senior leadership to define seven key skills they think everyone in the organization needs. They also work with the job leaders who own the skills to make sure their skills ta...2024-05-081h 05
Workplace Stories by RedThread ResearchSkills Management: What is the Secret Sauce? GP Strategies’ Matt DonovanHow do we define work and the skills needed to do the work? The way we view and assess skills is often through assessing and appraising someone’s output. But the problem is that most organizations aren’t capturing the right data and using it to gain insight.According to Matt Donovan—the Chief Learning and Innovation Officer at GP Strategies—Job descriptions and skills in general describe the baseline. They are not what makes someone great at what they do. So how do we define the work and the skills needed to do the work? How can w...2024-04-0356 min
Workplace Stories by RedThread ResearchGenerating Value from People Data: GSK’s Angela Le MathonGSK is a global biopharma company with a purpose to unite science, technology, and talent to get ahead of disease together. They aim to positively impact the health of 2.5 billion people by the end of 2030. In her role as the VP of People Data & Analytics, Angela is responsible for generating value from their people data. She has the opportunity to shape thinking and inform strategy. Her job is to translate skills so that everyone can do what they need to with the data.She shares more about GSK’s scientific approach, how they’re using AI to g...2024-03-2045 min
Workplace Stories by RedThread ResearchSkills: Yes, the Juice Is Worth the Squeeze: EPAM’s Sandra LoughlinSandra Loughlin is the Chief Learning Officer and the Global Head of Talent Enablement and Transformation at EPAM, a software engineering and consulting firm. Unlike many of the organizations we’ve spoken about, EPAM has been on a skills journey since its inception over 30 years ago. Building a skills-based organization has been the backbone of everything they do. In this conversation, Sandra shares why the juice is indeed “Worth the squeeze.”2024-03-0650 min
Workplace Stories by RedThread ResearchWhen Digital Transformation Drives Skills Transformation: Booking.com’s Oliver DruryWhen Oliver (Ollie) Drury joined Booking.com, they dove into digital transformation by simplifying their tech stack—and reducing variables—using a middleware to stitch everything together. That enabled them to have a simpler set of variables from which to create their skills ecosystem. Their driving goal was to solve skills for the entire organization. In this conversation, Ollie shares how they’re working to accomplish a skills-based transformation by first focusing on digital transformation. You will want to hear this episode if you are interested in...Join the RedThread Research Community [5:01]Learn more about Ollie Drury and his wo...2024-02-2151 min
Workplace Stories by RedThread ResearchCompany Culture is the Foundation for Skills Readiness: Executive Networks’ Gina JenerouxAccording to Gina Jeneroux, company culture sets the foundation for skills readiness. If a company culture isn’t supportive of innovation and creativity, is it ready to support an initiative to focus on skills? Skills should be infused into everything you do in your organization and supported from the top down. Gina has spent almost 40 years in the financial services and learning industries. She spent the last few years running BMO’s corporate university and serving as Chief Learning Officer. In this conversation, she shares why a focus on skills is necessary, why company culture plays an important role, and how...2024-02-0753 min
Workplace Stories by RedThread ResearchThe Skills Odyssey IV: Opening ArgumentsWelcome to the newest season of Workplace Stories. It will come as no surprise that we’re devoting season 11 to continuing our conversation around skills. Why? Because there are still questions to be answered. In these opening arguments, we’ll share the questions we’re being asked, what we’re looking forward to, and we’ll give you a sneak-peak of some of the amazing guests we’ll be having conversations with.Connect With Red Thread ResearchWebsite: Red Thread ResearchOn LinkedInOn FacebookOn TwitterSubscribe to WORKPLACE STORIES2024-02-0610 min
Workplace Stories by RedThread ResearchA Skills Approach for the Present and Future: IEEE’s Jennifer RogersJennifer Rogers is the Executive Officer in the Learning Technology Standards Committee at the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), which has 427,000+ members in over 190 countries. The IEEE is the world’s largest trade organization and the professional home for engineering and technology communities worldwide. Jennifer is an unrelenting advocate for the potential that exists in others, which is why she’s a perfect fit at IEEE. IEEE is working together to figure out skills across an industry. They’re also focused on skills development and education at all levels through college and a professional career. In this conversation, Jennif...2023-12-0656 min
Workplace Stories by RedThread ResearchLeveraging Generative AI to Efficiently Utilize Skills Data: McKinsey & Company’s Yelena Mammadova, Ed.DAccording to Yelena Mammadova, Ed.D—the Associate Director of Learning, Skills Transformation Initiative at McKinsey—McKinsey seeks to bring impact to clients and create an organization where they attract, excite, and retain exceptional people. The primary goal of her department is to accelerate talent development. Yelena strives to connect human development and technology in her role. She is one our first guests who’s talked about generative AI and how it’s embedded into their skills effort. They’re using AI to connect and map skills information. Secondly, they’re integrating skills with their people analytics teams. They’re star...2023-11-2248 min
Workplace Stories by RedThread ResearchNarrowing Scope & Purpose to Ease the Transition to a Skills-Based Organization: HPE's Kaye Slay and Vandana BhagtaniTransitioning a large company like Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE) to a skills-based organization could be a daunting task. That’s why focusing on scope and purpose was an important place to start for Vandana Bhagtani and Kaye Slay. In this conversation, Vandana—The Director of Technical Talent Management—and Kaye—The User Experience and Adoption Lead for Talent and Learning Systems—share how they’ve worked together to develop a strategy for transitioning HPE to a skills-based organization. They also share why they chose to focus on a particular group and narrowed their scope further to talent acquisition and people development...2023-11-0849 min
Workplace Stories by RedThread ResearchPartnerships Focused on Learning Equity: Ingka Group’s Shannon CustardShannon Custard—the Global Competence Development Manager at Ingka Group—is responsible for leading their global learning organization consisting of over 177,000 workers across 30+ countries globally. As they began the transition from a competence-based to a skills-based organization, Shannon wanted to focus first and foremost on frontline populations. They believe that frontline population learning equity is important and often neglected. So they focused on solving the skills problems for the frontline employees to then extrapolate to the corporate population.Through the process, they almost completely scrapped and redesigned their onboarding process to make sure the frontline team memb...2023-10-2548 min
Workplace Stories by RedThread ResearchCreating a Job Architecture from Scratch: Megan BickleMegan Bickle is the Director of Culture, Employee Engagement and Employee Listening at Western Digital. In Megan’s experience, roles can be viewed as a collection of skills. Viewing roles this way allows organizations to be more responsive to the evolving needs of the business in terms of the skills needed for development and hiring. Megan believes that job architecture is essential to becoming a skills-based organization. Skills were a part of their overall integrated talent management strategy, infused throughout the organization. Capability models and job structures were built in tandem. In this conversation, Megan shares her experience building a sk...2023-10-1149 min
Workplace Stories by RedThread ResearchDeveloping Skills to Reach Business Outcomes: Learning Forum’s Brian Hackett and Richardson Consulting’s Brian RichardsonThe importance of creating skills-based organizations is no longer a theoretical discussion: it’s now a practical reality. To ensure that businesses reach their desired outcomes, it is necessary to ensure that their workforce has the skills needed to get the job done.Brian Richardson and Brian Hackett are deeply entrenched in helping business leaders discuss and develop the skills initiatives needed to improve their organizations’ metrics.In this in-the-weeds discussion, we learn from both Brians’ breadth of experience to hear what it takes for businesses to bring skill building to the forefront.Connect with Brian...2023-09-2752 min
Workplace Stories by RedThread ResearchThe Skills Odyssey III: Opening ArgumentsThe world of skills is evolving rapidly thanks to technology and data which is why we are devoting yet another season to the skills odyssey. In these opening arguments, you’ll hear how we’ll shape the season, why we’re focusing on skills again, who you can expect to listen to, and what we are most looking forward to. Press play to start a new season of Workplace Stories. Connect With Red Thread ResearchWebsite: Red Thread ResearchOn LinkedInOn FacebookOn TwitterSubscribe to WORKPLACE STORIES2023-09-2716 min
Workplace Stories by RedThread ResearchTransitioning from a Training Culture to a Learning Culture: Sobeys’ Peter TulumelloPeter Tulumello is changing the culture at one of Canada’s largest grocery retailers. As a grocery chain, Sobeys has a large segment of frontline workers and with it, their own unique pain points.To understand the problems that the frontline faces, Peter recognized that he needed to get into the stores to understand frontline workers’ day-to-day roles. Listen to this interview to hear how Peter identified major problems and came up with valuable solutions. Connect with Peter TulumelloPeter on LinkedInConnect With Red Thread Research2023-08-2347 min
Workplace Stories by RedThread ResearchDeveloping the Frontline: General Mills’ Valerie DigmanWhat happens when a mechanical engineer tackles an L&D problem? A completely redesigned learning environment.On this episode of Workplace Stories, we interview General Mills’ Valerie Digman. Valerie describes how she helped solve a frontline training problem and improved efficiency by 5%.If you’re interested in improving efficiency and rethinking traditional training methods, you won’t want to miss this interview. Press play to learn from Valerie’s experience at General Mills.You will want to hear this episode if you are interested in...The work she does [4:32]The difference between [6:15]Problem-solving [9:48]Process of problem...2023-08-0945 min
Workplace Stories by RedThread ResearchListening to Frontliners Through Business and Cultural Change: Acuity Brands John BrothersWe’re all humans, so the needs of workers are similar across the board. John Brothers has learned this from his time as VP of Talent at Acuity.On today’s episode of Workplace Stories, John recounts his experience working through Acuity’s cultural and business mindset shift and how that has affected the frontline workforce and beyond.Connect with John BrothersJohn on LinkedInConnect With Red Thread ResearchWebsite: Red Thread ResearchOn LinkedInOn FacebookOn TwitterSubscribe to WORKPLACE STORIES2023-07-2638 min
Workplace Stories by RedThread ResearchImproving the Employee Experience with Different Types of Frontline Workers: Rotana’s Andrew WolhuterImproving the employee experience starts with data. Rotana’s Andrew Wolhunter understands that and uses Rotana’s qualitative data to retain frontline workers in a competitive market.Andrew has an enthusiasm and infectious energy that he not only shares with his coworkers at Rotana, but he also shares this excitement with us on today’s episode. Listen in to learn how Andrew is using data to lead the change in the employee experience at Rotana.Connect with Andrew WolhunterAndrew on LinkedInConnect With Red Thread ResearchWebsite: Red Thread ResearchOn LinkedInOn FacebookOn TwitterSubscribe to WOR...2023-07-1253 min
Workplace Stories by RedThread ResearchGaining Insightful Feedback from Frontline Workers: Cargill’s Tabatha CroninFrontline workers face unique challenges so organizations are making changes to empower them. On this season of Workplace Stories, we’re exploring the unique challenges and positive situations happening on the frontline. On this episode, we chat with Tabatha Cronin to learn how Cargill is supporting its massive frontline labor force. Listen in to learn how Cargill dug in to understand the motivations driving their employees. You won’t want to miss how this changed the way the company approached its solutions.Resources & People MentionedReThinking - Adam Grant’s podcastBOOK - Think Again by Ada...2023-06-2848 min
Workplace Stories by RedThread ResearchThe Frontline: Opening ArgumentsWelcome back to our ninth season! We are excited about these upcoming episodes. In this season, Stacia and I focus on the frontline by discussing frontline workers with thought leaders from many organizations across various industries.Frontline workers have typically been a part of the workforce that has been swept under the rug, but during the pandemic, they were thrust to the forefront of people’s minds.In this season, we’ll discuss how to define a frontline worker, how to lead them, how to engage with them, and how to help them plan their career path...2023-06-1417 min
Workplace Stories by RedThread ResearchCreating Purposeful, Collaborative, Tactical Work on the Frontline: SAP’s Steve HuntFrontline workers can have an outsized influence on the success of an organization. They are often the only interface our customers have with a brand. At RedThread Research, we have been diving into how to support frontline workers more holistically which is why this season we are focusing on the unique challenges that frontline workers face. We’ll also explore the changes organizations are making to empower them, as well as the good things happening on the frontline and how organizations can adapt those practices more broadly.In this episode, we welcome Steve Hunt from SAP. Steve has a unique pe...2023-06-1450 min
Workplace Stories by RedThread ResearchCreating Intentional Leadership: AAFP’s Paula MatthewsA lot has changed for managers and organizations over the last three years. So, what can be done to successfully navigate those changes so that managers can be successful and organizations can continue to thrive?The American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP) is designing a new framework for their managers to help them better understand what they can be doing to intentionally lead their staff.This inspiring conversation with Paula Matthews from AAFP is a fantastic way to wrap up our Making Managing Manageable series.If you are just wrapping up season eight, now...2023-04-1144 min
Workplace Stories by RedThread ResearchQuestioning Convention in the Workplace: Moderna’s Noah Rabinowitz and Nkiruka OgbuchiekweIn this episode of Workplace Stories we talked to Moderna’s Noah Rabinowitz and Nkiruka Ogbuchiekwe. We explore ways that managers and other leaders can question conventionality by recognizing and thinking through false dichotomies. Listen in to hear how Moderna is building its systems by putting its company culture first and by constantly questioning traditional ways of doing things. Learn moreEnd-of-Season WebinarDon't miss our season recap, where we will summarize key themes, share critical insights and anecdotes, and identify our questions on how to make managing mo...2023-03-2853 min
Workplace Stories by RedThread ResearchHow Organizations Can Make Data-Driven Changes that Benefit Everyone: Affirm’s Kaitlyn MathewsOn this episode of Workplace Stories, Affirm’s Feedback and Development Lead, Kaitlyn Mathews, describes how her organization uses its data to drive changes within the company. Kaitlyn also touches on their delivery systems, the HR relationship with managers, using tech to strategize, and how she uses her role to help others realize their capabilities. Learn moreEnd-of-Season WebinarDon't miss our season recap, where we will summarize key themes, share critical insights and anecdotes, and identify our questions on how to make managing more manageable.Register today2023-03-1454 min
Workplace Stories by RedThread ResearchBuilding Connection and Community Through Leadership: WGU’s Sara ReedIn this conversation, we speak to Sara Reed, Vice President of People and Talent at Western Governors University. We discuss what struck her about what senior leadership is doing to support managers within her organization, how building connections and community actually helps to support accountability, and why it is important to analyze the reasons that people choose to lead.Learn moreEnd-of-Season WebinarDon't miss our season recap, where we will summarize key themes, share critical insights and anecdotes, and identify our questions on how to make managing more manageable.2023-02-2847 min
Workplace Stories by RedThread ResearchHow to Build Systems to Enhance the Manager Experience: Morningstar’s Mary SlaughterMary brings years of experience to Morningstar and on this episode of Workplace Stories, she explains how the manager and employee experiences are tied together. As you listen, you’ll be fascinated by the way that Morningstar conducted research to identify and define concrete sentiments that would improve the employee experience. Learn MoreEnd-of-Season WebinarDon't miss our season recap, where we will summarize key themes, share critical insights and anecdotes, and identify our questions on how to make managing more manageable.Register today2023-02-1444 min
Workplace Stories by RedThread ResearchMaking Managing Manageable: Opening ArgumentsA scene-setter for our latest set of Workplace Stories—listen as we focus on what it actually means to be a manager in 2023.Learn moreEnd-of-Season WebinarDon't miss our season recap, where we will summarize key themes, share critical insights and anecdotes, and identify our questions on how to make managing more manageable.Register todayResources & People MentionedBOOK – Creating Meaningful Change by Clint KoffordConnect With Red Thread ResearchWebsite: Red Thread ResearchOn Link...2023-01-3113 min
Workplace Stories by RedThread ResearchInnovative Ways to Support Managers So They Can Lead Effectively: NVA's Clint KoffordClint Kofford, the Vice President of Talent with National Veterinary Associates, has a unique perspective on what it means to be a leader in today’s changing landscape. With extensive experience in numerous multinational companies, Clint is a thought leader in this space. His fascinating viewpoints caused us both to stop and think and even changed our minds about certain issues. Press play to hear what they are and to see if his views might broaden your perspective. Learn moreEnd-of-Season WebinarDon't miss our season recap, where we will su...2023-01-3151 min
Workplace Stories by RedThread ResearchIf You Don’t Have The Data, You Can’t Do The EX: Workday’s Phil WillburnPhil Willburn—our Season Sponsor Workday’s Vice President, People Analytics—makes a very welcome second appearance on ‘Workplace Stories,’ where he shares genuinely useful EX best practice. Does he have the definitive answer to our question, Evolution or Revolution? Listen to decide.2022-12-2759 min
Workplace Stories by RedThread ResearchYes, Even EX Has To Be Systematized: Marriott International's Jessica LeeJessica Lee, SVP of Global Talent Development at Marriott International & The Ritz-Carlton Leadership Center, shares her insights into how to create a consistent and supportive EX across the hotel giant’s 30-plus brands.2022-12-131h 05
Workplace Stories by RedThread ResearchWhy We Need to Rip Out and Replace the Employee Experience: Meta’s Kelly MonahanIf Meta wants us all to work at least some of the time in a Metaverse, it probably wants to figure out what the right Employee Experience is to get there. Kelly Monahan's making sure that happens.2022-11-2953 min
Workplace Stories by RedThread ResearchWhy Both Little ‘E’ and Big ‘E’ Employee Experience Count: Eskalera’s Dane HolmesFormer Goldman CPO Dane Holmes wants to remind us all of a huge truth: processes may end—but people don’t (you don’t stop learning once you’ve completed your module). So why don’t we look at Employee Experience that way?2022-11-1552 min
Workplace Stories by RedThread ResearchWhy Learning Is the Engine of Employee Experience: Walmart’s Brandon CarsonFor Vice President of Learning and Leadership at Walmart Brandon Carson, the systems we put in place ARE the employee experience. And if we want to change that, we need to help not just the cognitive worker, but that often-neglected other constituency in the EX debate—their physical worker equivalents.2022-11-0142 min
Workplace Stories by RedThread ResearchYou Can't Change EX Without Understanding People: Author Ashley GoodallFor leadership expert and author Ashley Goodall, we get the employee experience consistently wrong because we just don’t want to look at the way humans really are out-of-the-box. Is he right?2022-10-1854 min
Workplace Stories by RedThread ResearchThe Employee Experience (R)evolution: Opening ArgumentsA scene-setter for our latest set of Workplace Stories—a deep dive into where we really are with EX right now.2022-10-1815 min
Workplace Stories by RedThread ResearchIf We Don’t Connect, The Work Will Get Done—But It'll Never Be Great: Pretaa's Michael MadonWith a unique combination of experience across the worlds of the military, non-profit, government and commercial sector, mobile health entrepreneur Michael Madon shares what years of trying to make connection happen in organizations has taught him.2022-09-2750 min
Workplace Stories by RedThread ResearchUsing Connection To Build Successful Cultures: Udemy’s Melissa DaimlerIn this episode, CLO at online education leader Udemy Melissa Daimler—who recently published a new book on making workplace reconnection work, ‘ReCulturing’—sits down with Chris and Stacia to detail practical steps on making our new complex workplaces human once again.2022-09-2754 min
Workplace Stories by RedThread ResearchThe Power of Connection: Thinker, Professor Dave UlrichIt’s our special pleasure to share a conversation with renowned HR strategist Dave Ulrich around the importance of Connection and the practical steps leaders need to be making now to make it happen.2022-09-1359 min
Workplace Stories by RedThread ResearchFiring Up Connection From Pre-Hire: Service Express's Gretchen MurphyThis week we sat down with Gretchen Murphy, CHRO of data center services specialist Service Express, to hear how only ever adding people who fit your culture but then constantly supporting them through conscious Reconnecting techniques really delivers.2022-08-3050 min
Workplace Stories by RedThread ResearchUnsucking The Workplace Through Connection: Airtable’s Jessica AmorteguiBased out of San Francisco, Airtable is a fast-growing software product company with a mission to democratize software creation. It says it’s doing that by enabling anyone to build the tools that meet their needs, but is that focus on openness and collaboration talk or walk? In this next debate on how to make reconnecting real, we find out from a great conversation with the company’s Global Talent Development Leader, Jessica Amortegui, who has a lot to say about walking the walk—from the way her company is really taking on the problem of connection at the in...2022-08-1652 min
Workplace Stories by RedThread ResearchReconnecting Via Purpose And Continual Career Conversations: UCHealth’s Matt GosneyFor our second conversation about The Great Reconnection, we sat down with Matt Gosney, Vice President, Organizational Development at UCHealth, a major Denver-based healthcare provider that’s grown rapidly in the past few years. To make that growth work, the organization has been consciously doing as much as it can to enable connection and growth. We wanted to know more, so got Matt on to hear why connection and growth are now seen as critical to UC Health's employment value proposition, and also a significantly contributor to recruiting and retention. We also talk about how some of UC Health's previous ta...2022-08-0248 min
Workplace Stories by RedThread ResearchReconnecting Without Being Bad-Bossy: HR Thinker Liz WisemanWe start our new S6 of Workplace Stories with an overview of the theme of the Season, how it links to the previous five, then talk to Liz Wiseman, CEO of the Wiseman Group and author of New York Times bestseller about how leaders can build connections to and between people, and more broadly to the organization, 'Multipliers.' As we hear, Liz’s purpose is to make work better for everyone by creating organizations where great leaders multiply intelligence, rather than draining it from the organization. What inspires Liz is working with and watching senior leaders to learn what go...2022-07-191h 14
Workplace Stories by RedThread ResearchThe Power of Connection: Thinker, Professor Dave UlrichThis is a special early access episode - go to www.redthreadresearch.com/podcast on how to unlock this episode early an become a RedThread Insider. In this episode we get, as Chris says, not just a podcast but a masterclass with leadership thinker Dave Ulrich, Professor at the Ross School of Business at the University of Michigan and the founder of the RBL Group, and whose models and thinking on leadership and people practices are widely used in organizations across the globe. This was an incredibly rich discussion, starting from Dave’s own journey, trust and its im...2022-07-1959 min
Workplace Stories by RedThread ResearchForget Balanced Work-Life And Think More Integrated: Panasonic's Lydia WuIn this, our final episode for the Adventures in Hybrid Work Season, we end strong with a great sit-down with people analytics innovator and Head of Talent Analytics & Transformation at Panasonic USA, Lydia Wu. It’s the right last conversation for now on this important topic, we think, as Lydia gives us so much frontline reporting on the key issues we’ve identified in our conversations, like the importance of data and really listening to what your workforce actually wants in terms of return to office instead of what you think they want, which we’ve heard from others—but also top...2022-06-2850 min
Workplace Stories by RedThread ResearchIs Mentoring The Key To Hybrid? WM’s Phil RhodesIn February last year, this week’s guest, Phil Rhodes, Head of Learning & Leadership Development at WM--which you may now better as Waste Management, and who are the very helpful people who handled your garbage all the way through Lockdown—was not long in post when his suggestion of a coaching program was met with the observation, ‘Phil, trash companies don’t do coaching.’ Well, maybe they should all start, as the first rollout got a 96% approval rating with either ‘life-changing’ or ‘valuable’ level ratings. And as you’ll discover on this episode, mentoring and coaching, at multiple levels, for both truck driver an...2022-06-1453 min
Workplace Stories by RedThread ResearchFrom Human To Social Capital: formerly AWS & GM's Michael ArenaThis week’s guest is Michael Arena, who brings the unique perspective of leading talent development and management for not just major New Economy global brands like Amazon Web Services, but also stalwart Old Economy blue chips like General Motors and Bank of America. Along the way, he’s also done serious research and training in network analysis and the power of social science to truly understand what’s happening with today’s corporations. That combination of frontline management and crisis response and a lens for viewing all our recent challenges in people practices, gives him, we’d argue, the right to b...2022-05-3154 min
Workplace Stories by RedThread ResearchDoubling Down On Trust: Uber's RJ MilnorIf there’s one word that sums up this week’s episode, it’s conscious listening. Yes, that’s two. But it’s actually the on-ramp to the real word we mean, and which is fast emerging as the theme of this Season 5 of Workplace Stories as it evolves: intentionality. That’s because our guest--RJ Milnor, Global Head of People Analytics and Chief People Data Officer at Uber--says it was conscious listening and thinking by he and his team about the WHY of his company was asking people to work for them, as opposed to where, that helped him craft a working Hy...2022-05-1753 min
Workplace Stories by RedThread ResearchRestoring Work-Life Balance Through Hybrid: Microsoft's Dawn KlinghofferToday, we hear from an HR leader at the absolute heart of the Hybrid evolution, Dawn Klinghoffer, Vice President of the HR Business Insights team at Microsoft. Dawn’s really helping set the agenda of what gets called in the show the ‘Pandora’s Box’ of workplace change the pandemic is sparking--which she sees, not as a source of trouble and confusion, as in the Greek myth, but as a way to get energy, meaning and empowerment placed at the center of every employee’s experience. Pandora-like, though, the changes Dawn wants to see can spark fear and disruption--fears which she discus...2022-05-0356 min
Workplace Stories by RedThread ResearchAdventures in Hybrid Work: Opening ArgumentsWe've completed one sort of Odyssey (at least for now). Now, it's time for an Adventure. That's the message from our customary opening new Workplace Stories from RedThread Research Season scene-setter this week, where the guys reveal that our next set of engagements and learning from experts and practitioners in the world of HR and the future of work is the current supernova-hot topic of Hybrid Work. If you really are just out of your COVID bunker, we refer, of course, to the idea of how we might re-orient ourselves to a workplace where employee expectations about ‘presenteeism’ have...2022-04-1939 min
Workplace Stories by RedThread ResearchA New Work Operating System: Thinker John BoudreauIs it time to retire the concept of a job? Is it holding us all back—especially if we really want to make Hybrid Work a success? That’s a new, and we think highly useful, concept from today’s guest, author, academic and futurist John Boudreau. In the episode, John tells us how we want to move away from thinking about work as one job and job holder at a time and one degree at a time, to a system that allows the parts to freely connect, so tasks and projects can connect to atomized or deconstructed worker capabilities like S...2022-04-191h 00
Workplace Stories by RedThread ResearchSPECIAL BONUS EPISODE: GE Healthcare's David SperlIn the Ancient Greece of Homeric times and mores, the concept of gifting, or gift-friendship, ξενία (‘xenia’) was central. Assuming your fellow Greeks would observe xenia allowed you to travel in the hope you’d be good for food and shelter for the night from strangers on your Odyssey; in exchange, travelers would leave a parting gift in thanks. At many points in The Odyssey, we see xenia in action, like when Eumaeus the Swineherd shows it to the disguised Odysseus, noting guests always come under the protection of Zeus. Well, we’ve reached the end of our own Skills Odyssey here, and so...2022-04-0553 min
Workplace Stories by RedThread ResearchDelivering a Skills Marketplace: Deutsche Post DHL's Meredith WellardSomething’s happened to this week’s guest, Meredith Wellard. And it’s actually something quite wonderful; you can hear it in her voice, animating and energizing her. It’s a mix of excitement at possibility--and almost relief that a lot of checks she’s been trying to cash all her years in HR, L&D and talent management can finally be honored. Her secret? It’s the immediate impact on her organization, Deutsche Post DHL Group (she’s an Australian living and working in Bonn, Germany), she’s getting from a new machine learning and data analytics-powered approach to Skills. She and...2022-03-2948 min
Workplace Stories by RedThread ResearchPrecision Development At Scale: Deloitte's Eric DinglerDeloitte is different. It’s different for, of course, its unique approach to solving customer problems, as well as its sheer size and scale. But in the context of a Skills Odyssey, it’s also pretty unique for having a) an ‘agency’ structure that makes it peculiarly receptive to new ways of organizing around Skills, and b) an openness to try new things. It’s also full, of course, of very smart people… we’d know, as both Stacia and Dani are alumni! But today’s guest, Chief Learning Officer of Deloitte’s US operation, Eric Dingler, isn’t interested in the past. In fact...2022-03-1544 min
Workplace Stories by RedThread ResearchDesigning A Future That Loves Us All: AstraZeneka's Manisha SinghManisha Singh is a leading voice in everything from HR technology to people analytics, AI ethics to doing practical work on the future of work. And as someone who built what may well have been one of the very first ever talent marketplaces during her years at global energy equipment giant Schneider Electric, she’s also got incredible street cred for any Skills discussion. If that wasn’t enough, her years moving through the HR ranks at places like Tata and AXA would also mark her out as someone worth a conversation with… but now she’s capping all of her achi...2022-03-011h 00
Workplace Stories by RedThread ResearchBuilding Planes with Cake Decorators: Boeing's Guillermo MirandaWe came off this recording session thinking, Have we just literally seen the future of work? A world where how Skills has become the core to everything, and instead of performance management, we do performance enablement? And where the employee is the one that triggers the conversation, and salary is never just based on what I did last year but for the future of what I can do for you? And where the very praxis of making stuff is not about one company’s team coming together, but many actors and partners and even ‘employees,’ but in a very different sense...2022-02-1545 min
Workplace Stories by RedThread ResearchPaying for Skills and Much More with "Trustworthy AI," IBM's Anshul SheopuriThis week, it’s all about numbers, scale, and achievement. In terms of numbers, how about a Skills-based, AI-enhanced framework that is keeping 250,000 employees happy and appropriately paid? And which saves the company an estimated $100m per year, money avoided by avoiding expensive churn and not paying beyond market rate—even for scare capability? And as for the achievement, the spotlight in this episode is on Anshul Sheopuri, Vice President & CTO, Data & AI At ‘IBM Workforce,’ Big Blue’s immense global HR function, where he’s led the work on using Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, and lots of data to improve hiri...2022-02-0154 min
Workplace Stories by RedThread ResearchThe Skills Odyssey II: Opening ArgumentsWell… we’re still not home. The fabled Ithaca of Skills nirvana is still somewhere in the distance. This journey we’re on—this Skills Odyssey—continues. But we still are getting help on the voyage from Dani, Stacia and Chris Pirie from The Learning Futures Group, who are going to share another set of conversations with metaphorical sailors, explorers and other mythical characters also trying to work out how to avoid the workplace Sirens, tired Cyclops ideas and unhelpful Circe tech that might not help us. This week, dive in yourself to get set up with what the trio of plucky...2022-01-1826 min
Workplace Stories by RedThread ResearchHow Do You Build Things That Are Reversible? Sun Life's Robert Carlyle“We really just almost assume that, self-evidently, Skills matter--and then went to try to build a Skills library. It is only then that we start to think… what for?” Talk for any length of time with this week’s ‘Skills Odyssey II’ guest, Sun Life’s Robert (Rob) Carlyle, and these kind of zingers just keep on coming through… along with solid thinking about why doing anything with Skills that isn’t ‘wholesale’ (think, ‘big’) and at scale is a waste of everyone’s time, why it really doesn’t matter if you want to say ‘competency’ versus ‘Skill,’ and many others. You get all this in this...2022-01-1859 min
Workplace Stories by RedThread ResearchA Peek Inside a Skills Transformation: Novartis's Tim DickinsonA lot of people we talk to are hesitant about starting their Skills Odyssey. They’ve got a good reason: they feel there’s just too much ocean out there between them and getting to the good place of Ithaca/success. But if you don’t start somewhere, you won’t get anywhere, so you kind of have to dive in. That’s the view, at least, from our guest today, Tim Dickinson, Global Head of Learning Systems & Innovation at European life sciences firm Novartis, a global healthcare company based in Switzerland that provides solutions to address the evolving needs of patient...2021-12-1449 min
Workplace Stories by RedThread ResearchThe Soup Cube Skills Methodology: ABN AMRO’s Patrick Coolen“How you are able, as an organization, to reconfigure resources like Skills and have the ability to allocate the right talents in your organization at the right time-- I think it's also a competitive advantage.” So says our guest this week, Patrick Coolen, Global Head of People Analytics, HR intelligence & Organizational Design, and we don’t think many people would disagree with him. But how to allocate? Based in Amsterdam, Patrick is leading the charge on Skills at ABN AMRO, a large Dutch-headquartered bank, to do just that—make Skills a competitive resource for his enterprise—so he has some ideas and...2021-11-3049 min
Workplace Stories by RedThread ResearchBuilding the Skills Plane While Flying: Citi's Christopher FunkSetting up this week’s conversation, Dani promises that this one’s a “must-listen for anyone who's trying to figure out how to make Skills work in their organization.” Bold claim? Not when you realize we’re talking about what a 200,000 person, multi-billion-dollar financial services leader is trying to do with Skills both operationally--and with the help of tech from HR system market leaders like Degreed and Workday. That’s the project as far as our guest, Christopher Funk, Senior Vice President - Talent and Performance Management Platforms over at Citi, is concerned, for sure. It’s a very honest, very detailed...2021-11-1642 min
Workplace Stories by RedThread ResearchExploring the build vs buy conundrum: Fidelity's Mike GroesserToday’s guest, Mike Groesser, is not just a VP at his employer, Fidelity Investments. He’s also something called a Learning Squad Leader—terminology that may clue at least some of you that we’re dealing with an organization that’s embraced Agile pretty hard. But this isn’t a conversation about that interesting development methodology. It’s actually one (with many rewarding twists and turns) more about the main topic of the Season: Skills—and more specifically, what it looks like when you decide to pay its people more if they can prove they’ve built them, what that looks like at...2021-11-0254 min
Workplace Stories by RedThread ResearchThe Skills Odyssey: Opening ArgumentsFor ten tough years, the king of Ithaca tried to find his way back home from the war--and along the way, he had quite a few obstacles to face down. The good news is he got there in the end: and in a similar way, we think many HR practitioners out there also feel they are on a long journey, full of perils and set-backs and detours, but driven by a similar mission to get ‘home,’ when it comes to really making Skills a tractable thing for their organization’s own ‘Odyssey’ into the future. Hence the driving design principle for this...2021-10-1935 min