Workplace Stories by RedThread Research

What 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 organizational challenges. Lisa makes the case for L&D to collaborate closely with People Analytics and Legal to ensure that learning initiatives aren’t just reactive but strategically positioned for future growth. Her “no regrets” actions offer useful, bold steps for L&D leaders, inspiring us to see the function as a driver of both human and organizational transformation.You will want to hear this episode if you are interested in...Why McKinsey's L&D team always starts with the question, "To what end?" [1:00]The risk of L&D focusing only on short-term skill needs [15:00]Collaboration with People Analytics transforming L&D's impact [18:00]L&D teams losing their value by sticking to outdated metrics [20:00]What it means for L&D to have an experimental mindset [31:00]How L&D leaders can ensure their department's stability and credibility [37:00]The “no regrets” actions every L&D team should consider right now [43:00]Resources & People MentionedOliver Wyman Report on Workforce FutureMcKinsey’s Learning & Innovation Center of ExcellenceConnect with Lisa ChristensenConnect with Lisa Christensen on LinkedInConnect With Red Thread ResearchWebsite: Red Thread ResearchOn LinkedInOn FacebookOn TwitterSubscribe to WORKPLACE STORIES

How 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 background in the Navy prepared him for L&D leadership [4:35]Handling the loss of 50% of the L&D team within Mitchel’s first six months [6:20]How organizational chaos impacts strategic L&D changes at Crown Castle [9:29]Transforming L&D from "order takers" to strategic business partners [10:58]The role of the principal designer in Crown Castle’s L&D success [13:20]Collaborating with other functions to focus on outcomes [15:10]Why obtaining business performance data early is critical for L&D success [18:17]Demonstrating a 192% increase in services sold through L&D programs [23:00]How Crown Castle developed their AI policies [35:10]L&D’s role in Crown Castle's skills strategy and future talent planning [41:00]Resources & People MentionedIs Your Genius at Work by Dick RichardsNick Shackleton-Jones (LinkedIn Thought Leader)Connect with Mitchel MacNairMitchel MacNair on LinkedInConnect With Red Thread ResearchWebsite: Red Thread ResearchOn LinkedInOn FacebookOn TwitterSubscribe to WORKPLACE STORIES

Join Jeremy Shapiro, an HR and Workforce Analytics leader, and Chris Shultz, an expert in HR Intelligent Automation and GenAI at Merck, as they delve into the future of HR in an AI-driven landscape. They discuss how Merck leverages AI for efficiency and ethical considerations, exploring the balance of in-house development versus vendor partnerships. The conversation also highlights the significance of supporting mental well-being for AI engineers and strategic priorities for HR leaders to embrace innovative technologies.

Skills 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 interested in...Join the RedThread Research Community! [2:53] Learning more about Dan Weiss and Emily Hacker [3:35] Transforming culture before building infrastructure [9:07] How the MetLife culture championed the process [13:23] Their current pilot and the vision for the future [16:40] The lightning round [25:46] How to get buy-in from leadership [30:09]The critical role data plays in skills development [33:09] Their data sources and how they’re using them [36:43] Where does the data live? [40:43] The biggest thing Emily and Dan have learned [43:35] Why Emily and Dan do the work they do [44:26] Resources & People MentionedJoin the RedThread Research Community! Employee Benefits Trends Study Connect with Emily Hacker and Dan WeissConnect with Emily on LinkedInConnect with Dan on LinkedInConnect With Red Thread ResearchWebsite: Red Thread ResearchOn LinkedInOn FacebookOn TwitterSubscribe to WORKPLACE STORIES

Angela Cheng-Cimini, the CHRO at Harvard Business Publishing, focuses on integrating AI into workplace teams and addressing its impact on human resources. She discusses the importance of creating a safe environment for employees to experiment with generative AI, transforming fear into curiosity. Angela emphasizes that AI won't replace humans, but those who embrace AI will thrive. She also shares insights on ethical AI use, enhancing employee experiences, and how HR can play a pivotal role in fostering a culture of innovation.

Matthew Daniel, Senior Principal for Talent Strategy and Mobility at Guild Education, challenges the myth of the 'half-life' of workplace skills. He outlines why this statistic, claiming skills fade in 2 ½ to 5 years, is flawed. Matthew emphasizes the need for continuous learning and critical thinking in skill development. He also discusses the distinction between durable and perishable skills, advocating for a strategic approach to skill investment in organizations to promote equity and career mobility.

Ashley 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?People were struggling to do their jobs because of the constant change. Yet organizations are rewarding leaders to do things that make it hard for their employees to do their work! That’s a problem, right? So, what should we do instead?We have to understand the conditions of human performance to understand how we can “do” change better. Ashley begins to dissect that complicated yet fascinating topic in this episode of Workplace Stories.You will want to hear this episode if you are interested in...Join the RedThread Community [1:34]Why you should listen to Ashley Goodall [4:49] What is the problem with change? [7:09]Why Ashley wrote another book about change [10:34]The problems that accompany change [12:45] Looking at meaning and purpose differently [18:53] The story of Alexander the Great [23:38] The connection between meaning and ritual [25:29] We need to stop treating humans like “SKUmans” [29:10]The lightning round [33:08]Getting good at stability management [36:38] What we can learn from “the pistols” [39:59]How to create belonging on your team [44:21]Focusing on your teams to create stability [45:43] Learning how to radicalize HR [48:53] Ashley’s biggest takeaway from writing a book [53:11] The problems that accompany change Ashley addresses five core problem areas that accompany change: UncertaintyLack of control Lack of belonging DisplacementLoss of meaningThe feeling of belonging is intuitive. Humans form social groups. Those groups are massively important to psychological health, sense of identity, and cognitive processes. The way we think is socially mediated. A team gives you a sense of belonging. It’s a source of massive stability. Teammates complement each other so together they can meet a goal that couldn’t be achieved alone. When reorganization happens, all of the social groups at work are upended. In his book, Ashley also dove into the science of “place attachment.” People get attached to places. Place is a thing strongly tied to work. But there’s also a connection between ritual and place.Our habits are a mechanism by which we grow attached to a place. Habits and rituals tied to place have people saying “It’s where I do this” or “It’s where we do this.” When offices are changed or people are moved, you disrupt the rituals attached to that place.Those places are a source of stability. And for people to do their best work, they need stability. All of these facets of a human—certainty, control, social groups, sense of place, ritual—are the foundation of showing up at work and being useful. Everyone wants to be useful. How we design the workplace hinges on these things.Ashley is clear: “Sooner or later you have to ask people what they want and listen to what they tell you.”How Ashley looks at meaning differentlyAshley points out that the world around us must make sense. You can’t be uplifted by the mission of an organization if you can’t figure out what the mission is. Science tells us that the coherence of our world is so important that when it’s taken away in one place, we find it in another.There are two ingredients to meaning:Things have to make sense (which is shredded when things are changed)You need to find your own purpose. Someone can’t tell you what your purpose is We encounter the world and question, “Do I understand what’s going on here? Is this something that speaks to me?” If it does and someone asks if your work has meaning, you’ll say “yes.” Unfortunately, people think everyone around them has to have the same meaning. It doesn’t work like that. As much as they dislike it, employers aren’t massively important to someone’s purpose.We need to stop treating humans like “SKUmans”What characteristics of humans do we capture in our technology at work? How does that inform how we think about people at work? We track the “cogs in a machine” stuff. We record names, date of birth, someone’s role, their certifications and experience, etc. but we don’t record what amuses someone, what makes them smile, and the weird things they love to do. Maybe they’re always late for meetings, love to bake, or love creating spreadsheets.If you think humans are interchangeable and emotionless beings, how would you describe them? As a “SKU” number. SKUs are stock-keeping units. They track what something costs, where it is in the store, what the margin is, etc. We’ve been doing the same to humans. And that’s massively inhuman. We can’t capture human work this way. How might we capture a human at work?Ashley argues for getting better at understanding what people are like at work. It’s about asking questions like, “How are you offering your best to other humans? Why did you show up today?”Now that we’ve covered the problems with change, how do we address them? Ashley shares how stability management just might be the key (and how to navigate it) in this episode.Resources & People MentionedJoin the RedThread Community!Connect with Ashley GoodallThe Problem with Change: And the Essential Nature of Human PerformanceConnect on LinkedInConnect With Red Thread ResearchWebsite: Red Thread ResearchOn LinkedInOn FacebookOn TwitterSubscribe to WORKPLACE STORIES

Microsoft employees Shweta Srivastava and John Mighell discuss how the company is implementing a skills framework, moving beyond job titles to focus on skills and expertise, empowering employees. They talk about human verification of skills data, creating a career-focused environment, and democratizing opportunities through a skills-based approach.

Vidya Krishnan and Peter Sheppard from Ericsson discuss the importance of skills in the workplace, their systematic approach to skill development, and the shift towards a skills-based organization. They emphasize the connection between skills and corporate strategy, the evolution of skill requirements, and the significance of recognizing unique skills for individual success.

How 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 we capture a high-performer’s secret sauce? What are they doing that’s making it a successful experience versus what’s written in the job description?We dive into a fascinating conversation about where we are now, how AI is going to both help and disrupt organizations, and what the future of skills assessment could look like.