The Gartner Talent Angle

Questions of fairness and equity in the workplace have a renewed urgency, given the transition to hybrid work and the more human relationship between employees and employers. Workplace fairness--either perceived or actual--has real consequences on an organization’s performance and retention. Gartner’s Chief of HR Research Brian Kropp joins the Gartner Talent Angle to discuss strategies that organizations can apply to ensure employees are heard to bolster fairness. Brian Kropp is Gartner’s Chief of HR Research. He oversees Gartner’s research, tools, services and support for CHROs and their leadership teams. Before joining Gartner, he worked in a variety of roles, conducting different types of economic analyses to drive critical business outcomes. He holds a B.S. and M.S. in Economics from Clemson University and a Ph.D. in Public Policy and Applied Economics from the University of North Carolina. Peter Aykens is a Practice Vice President in Gartner's Human Resources practice. He is responsible for building and leading research teams within the practice addressing client's key initiatives. In prior roles at Gartner, he spent over 25 years leading research teams focused on banking and financial services strategy producing numerous studies that addressed business strategy, channel, marketing, customer experience and product challenges. He holds a B.A. in Political Science from St. Olaf College; a MSc.(Econ) degree in International Politics from the University College of Wales, Aberystwyth; and a MA and Ph.D. in Political Science from Brown University. *This episode is an excerpt taken from our 2021 interview.

Ronald Schellekens, PepsiCo CHRO, and Ceree Eberly, former Coca-Cola Company chief people officer, join the Gartner Talent Angle to discuss how HR leaders can serve as role models for the business to manage through sustained uncertainty. Schellekens and Eberly share their perspectives for navigating ongoing changes to the talent landscape and preparing for long-term volatility. They draw on their experiences as HR leaders to share advice for attracting external candidates, developing a strong internal talent market and boosting employee engagement. Ronald Schellekens is Executive Vice President and Chief Human Resources Officer of PepsiCo. Ronald joined PepsiCo in 2018 and oversees the company’s global HR function, which leads talent management and acquisition, leadership development, learning and capability building, compensation and benefits, organizational effectiveness, and HR operations. Ronald and his team also partner with PepsiCo’s Sectors and business units to advance culture, as well as diversity, inclusion and engagement. Prior to joining PepsiCo, Ronald served as Chief Human Resources Officer at Vodafone for 10 years. Ronald holds a Bachelor’s degree in Human Resources and a Master’s degree in Management and Organization from TIAS Business School in the Netherlands and has completed the Program for Management Development (PMD) at Harvard Business School. Ceree Eberly serves as Chair for the CHRO Global Leadership Board, a network of HR executives working with Gartner to share best practices and influence cutting-edge thinking to guide the next generation of HR leaders. In March 2018, Ceree retired as SVP and Chief People Officer for Coca-Cola after 28 years with the company. She led significant improvements in Coca-Cola’s people and talent processes, leaving a lasting legacy at the organization Ceree is also a member of Women Corporate Directors global organization and has been involved with numerous Human Resources Global Leadership organizations. Ceree has a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Tennessee, graduating with high honors.

Inflation, supply chain risks and a tightening labor market are placing a squeeze on organizations, forcing leaders to make difficult tradeoffs. These macroeconomic conditions create challenges and opportunities for HR leaders to guide their organizations through an environment most leaders haven’t experienced before. Chris Scalia, Hershey CHRO, and Ceree Eberly, former Chief People Officer at the Coca-Cola Company, join the Talent Angle to share how HR leaders can thrive during periods of volatility. Drawing on their experiences as HR leaders, Chris Scalia and Ceree Eberly offer guidance for making tough decisions in an uncertain environment, outline approaches to making enterprise level changes amid disruption and provide tangible advice to help HR leaders model behaviors that make organizations excel. Chris Scalia is The Hershey Company’s Chief Human Resources Officer and leads Hershey’s human resources function with accountability for Workforce Planning, Listening and Analytics, Total Rewards, Inclusion, Equity, Diversity, Talent Management, HR Service Delivery, and Strategic Business Partnering.  Central to Hershey’s vision of becoming a snacking powerhouse are capabilities brought to life through outstanding talent.  An energized workforce and people-centric culture striving to make a positive impact in communities where we live and work is fundamental to how Hershey leads in the marketplace. Chris has held several leadership roles in legal and HR across the spectrum of manufacturing, labor relations, employment law, business partnering, and all of talent. Ceree Eberly serves as Chair for the CHRO Global Leadership Board, a network of HR executives working with Gartner to share best practices and influence cutting-edge thinking to guide the next generation of HR leaders. In March 2018, Ceree retired as SVP and Chief People Officer for Coca-Cola after 28 years with the company. She led significant improvements in Coca-Cola’s people and talent processes, leaving a lasting legacy at the organization Ceree is also a member of Women Corporate Directors global organization and has been involved with numerous Human Resources Global Leadership organizations. Ceree has a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Tennessee, graduating with high honors.

Using findings from her two books — “Collective Genius” and “Being the Boss” — Harvard Business School professor Linda Hill reflects on the elements of leadership that produce innovation. She argues for a view of leaders as social architects, tasked with building cultures and capabilities necessary for their teams to do their best and most creative work. For organizations looking to learn from her leadership playbook, she counsels focusing on creative abrasion, creative agility and creative resolution. *This episode is an excerpt taken from our 2021 interview.

Humans are hardwired to add rather than subtract. Across various contexts ー whether biological, cultural or economic ー we often default towards more. Professor Leidy Klotz, author of “Subtract: The Untapped Science of Less, ” argues we pay a price for the belief that more is better. In this Gartner Talent Angle interview, Klotz makes the case for the untapped potential of less, exploring subtraction as an overlooked strategy to achieve business results. *This episode is an excerpt taken from our 2021 interview.

While technology such as instant messaging and videoconferencing have driven digital productivity, leaders and managers are struggling to effectively communicate with their teams using these tools. Entrepreneur Joe Freed joins the Gartner Talent Angle to share how technologies will reduce cognitive load and enhance culture initiatives. He also shares seven markers of digital interactions to assess the health of your organizational culture in the hybrid world. Joe Freed is the Co-founder and CEO of Cultivate, a technology company providing a leadership development platform for the digital workforce. He has led several startups focused on online learning and HR technology, and lectures at UC Berkeley Extension. *This episode is an excerpt taken from our 2021 interview.

The significance of understanding employee physical and mental health and wellbeing has increased substantially in the hybrid world. Organizations are rethinking the importance of trust and autonomy in the employee experience to develop healthy, resilient and productive workforces for the long-term. Judith Wiese, chief people and sustainability officer at Siemens, joins the Talent Angle to discuss employee wellbeing and its implications for organizations. She highlights how Siemens’ commitment to wellbeing and empowerment drives positive talent outcomes and positions the organization for sustainable success. Judith Wiese has been a member of the Managing Board of Siemens AG since October 1, 2020. She is the Chief People and Sustainability Officer as well as Labor Director for Siemens AG. In addition, Judith is responsible for Global Business Services (GBS) at Siemens. Judith has more than two decades of international experience in various HR fields. From 2017 to 2020, she was Chief Human Resources Officer at DSM, a Dutch company specializing in health, nutrition, and sustainable living. Before that, she worked for the U.S. food company Mars Inc., most recently as Head of People & Organization.

In this Gartner Talent Angle podcast, labor market expert Martha Ross explores how non-college-educated talent can excel at organizations with the right on-the-job learning opportunities. She offers tactics for organizations seeking to diversify their recruitment strategies and improve sourcing of underrepresented talent. Martha Ross is a senior fellow at the Brookings Metropolitan Policy Program. Ross researches and writes about workers and the labor market, with a focus on low-wage and underemployed workers, the education and employment experiences of 18- to 24-year-olds, pathways to good jobs for young adults, and COVID-19’s disproportionate impact on these talent segments. She has a master’s degree from the University of Chicago’s School of Social Service Administration and a bachelor’s degree from Colorado College. *This episode is an excerpt taken from our 2021 interview.

Women of color are one of the fastest-growing segments in the corporate workforce, yet often underrepresented in their teams, department or company. In “The First, The Few, The Only,” author and corporate inclusion leader Deepa Purushothaman offers a call to action for women of color to advocate for a new corporate environment where they feel belonging and acceptance.  On this episode of the Gartner Talent Angle, Deepa provides a roadmap for women of color to initiate change in the workplace, and outlines how organizations can ensure all of their employees are heard, respected and valued. Deepa Purushothaman is the co-founder of nFormation which provides brave, safe, new space for professional women of color and a Women and Public Policy Program Leader in Practice at the Harvard Kennedy School. Prior to this, Deepa spent more than 20 years at Deloitte and was the first Indian American woman to become a partner in the company’s history. Deepa was also Deloitte’s national Women’s Initiative leader, the firm’s renowned program to recruit, retain, and advance women. Deepa has degrees from Wellesley College, Harvard Kennedy School, and the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE). Deepa is an Aspen Fellow and speaks extensively on women and leadership. She has been featured at national conferences and in publications including Bloomberg BusinessWeek and Harvard Business Review.

Hear Jeff Kavanaugh, author of The Live Enterprise, discuss how to transform your organization into an ever-evolving, continuously learning industry leader. He provides a clear path to transform large and complex businesses into agile ecosystems that evolve with changing market needs. *This episode is an excerpt taken from our 2021 interview.