What are the Top Predictions and Priorities for HR Executives in 2024?
Each year we publish our annual Priorities & Predictions report which captures the experiences and insights of some of the top human capital leaders in the world who collectively serve on i4cp’s executive boards.
Our 2024 report features 4 predictions that the human capital industry can expect to encounter in the coming year, and how organizations can prepare for what’s next. The report also features the top priorities, trends, challenges, and risks facing the human capital industry from the expert perspective of members from several i4cp Boards, including Chief HR Officers, Chief Diversity Officers, Chief Learning & Talent Officers, Heads of Talent Acquisition, People Analytics, and Total Rewards.
This year’s report delves deeply into a single priority—one that was universally named by every i4cp Board—Generative AI. Each HR function predicted it will be significantly reshaped by AI in 2024 to varying degrees.
There’s no escaping the magnitude of GenAI’s anticipated—and current—impact on the field of HR. In addition to being the top priority, most of the executives on our boards also listed generative AI skills as the biggest current weakness in their organizations.
It was also one of their greatest concerns for the coming year as most predicted disruption to their current work processes, pressure from senior leadership to do more with AI, and even concern about reduction of jobs. More optimistically, many also expect AI to improve productivity within their teams, address areas of labor shortages, and have a positive influence on the overall employee experience.
While predictions on AI vary, one thing is crystal clear: it’s the most dominant topic in organizations today.
There are many other important topics discussed in this year’s report, and I invite you to download your copy of the 2024 Priorities and Predictions here, and share this link with your fellow HR and business colleagues. Please also consider joining us this year at the top conference for HR Executives, i4cp’s Next Practices Now, where we’ll explore these issues and a myriad of cutting-edge next practices to future-proof your workforce in 2024 and beyond.
Kevin Oakes
CEO, i4cp
Kevin is CEO and co-founder of the Institute for Corporate Productivity (i4cp), the world’s leading human capital research firm focusing on people practices that drive high performance. i4cp conducts more research in the field of HR than any other organization on the planet, highlighting next practices that organizations and HR executives should consider adopting.
Kevin is also the author of Culture Renovation®, an Amazon bestseller which debuted as the #1 new release in a dozen Amazon book categories. Drawing on data from one of the largest studies ever conducted on corporate culture, Culture Renovation™ details how high-performance organizations such as Microsoft, T-Mobile, 3M, AbbVie, Mastercard and many more have successfully changed organizational culture.
Kevin is currently on the board of Performitiv, and on the advisory boards of Guild Education and Sanctuary. Kevin was previously on the board of directors of KnowledgeAdvisors, a provider of human capital analytics software, which was purchased by Corporate Executive Board in March of 2014. Kevin was also the Chairman of Jambok, a social learning start-up company which was founded at Sun Microsystems and was purchased by SuccessFactors in March 2011. Additionally, Kevin served on the boards of Workforce Insight and Koru prior to their sales.
Kevin is on the board of Best Buddies Washington and helped establish the first office for Best Buddies in the state in 2019. Best Buddies is a nonprofit organization dedicated to establishing a global volunteer movement that creates opportunities for one-to-one friendships, integrated employment, leadership development, and inclusive living for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD).
Kevin was previously the Founder and the President of SumTotal Systems (NASDAQ: SUMT) which he helped create in 2003 by merging Click2learn (NASDAQ: CLKS) with Docent (NASDAQ: DCNT). The merger won Frost & Sullivan's Competitive Strategy Award in 2004.
Prior to the formation of SumTotal, Kevin was the Chairman & CEO of Click2learn, which was founded by Paul Allen, co-founder of Microsoft. Kevin helped take Click2learn public and engineered over a dozen acquisitions post-IPO. Prior to joining Click2learn, Kevin was president and founder of Oakes Interactive in Needham, MA. Oakes Interactive was purchased by Click2learn (then called Asymetrix) in 1997, prior to going public a year later.