HBS Managing the Future of Work Wells Fargo's Bei Ling on culture change and learning agility
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Nov 19, 2025 Bei Ling, Senior Vice President and Head of HR at Wells Fargo, brings her vast experience from top banks to discuss transformative culture change. She highlights the importance of restoring psychological safety and trust while navigating a turnaround. With a focus on talent strategy and AI integration, she emphasizes reskilling employees and adapting to a multigenerational workforce. Bei shares insights on attracting external talent and implementing responsible AI, showcasing innovative practices that align with the bank's growth ambitions.
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Joining For Transparency And Turnaround
- Bei Ling joined Wells Fargo partly because of the leadership's extreme transparency and the chance to be part of a major turnaround.
- She found the reality even more challenging once she 'lifted the hood' and saw the scope of change required.
Overused Strength Became A Liability
- Wells Fargo over-relied on internal promotion and tenure, which became an overused strength turning into a weakness.
- Rebuilding required changing roughly 75% of the top two levels to bring fresh perspectives and capability.
Prioritize Risk Discipline Relentlessly
- Make regulatory and risk discipline the non-negotiable first priority and review progress frequently at the highest levels.
- Embed that rigor so it cascades through the organization and becomes operational habit.