- \n
- The sheer volume of people I met\u2014HR leaders, tech innovators, service-providers, start-ups\u2014both from the Netherlands and around the world. Real potential meaningful conversations.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- A rich programme of sessions: workshops, masterclasses, main stage talks, innovation showcases. For example, the \u201cSkills Summit\u201d and workshops on workforce planning, talent marketplaces, task-based work, AI agents for HR. (muchskills.com<\/a>)<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- The exhibitor floor wasn\u2019t just surface-level: I got strong insight into the landscape & competition for 8vance<\/a> \u2014what vendors are doing, start-ups pushing boundaries, how established players are responding.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- The vibe: a healthy blend of tech + human. It reminded me strongly that while the technology is magnificent, the differentiator remains how we integrate it\u2014culture, leadership, change-management.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
What I heard and learned: key trends<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
- \n
- From jobs to tasks \/ matching<\/strong>: This came up repeatedly. Rather than filling job-titles, HR is shifting toward matching tasks, micro-work, modules of work based on skills and outcomes.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- AI agents for all HR processes<\/strong>: It\u2019s no longer \u201csome HR tech uses AI\u201d but \u201cAI-agents\u201d embedded across recruiting, onboarding, learning, talent marketplaces, internal mobility.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Talent marketplaces, Strategic Workforce Planning and Skilling with AI<\/strong> are booming topics. Organisations are increasingly treating talent as a fluid marketplace, not static hierarchies. Skills are becoming the operating system.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- But adoption strategy remains the key: technology without adoption, culture, leadership, measurement is at risk. As Josh\u202fBersin emphasised: 2025 is about business reinvention\u2014not just incremental tech implementation. (UNLEASH<\/a>)<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Also: People analytics and data were foundational \u2013 many sessions underscored that HR still has work to do on leveraging data for strategic decision-making.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
Insights from Josh Bersin\u2019s keynote and research<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Josh launched his new report \u201cThe Rise of the Supermanager\u201d at the conference, where he argues that AI isn\u2019t replacing managers\u2014it\u2019s up-levelling them. He reminded us: \u201cWe are in the most disruptive period for HR we\u2019ve ever seen,\u201d and the question isn\u2019t if<\/em> but how fast<\/em> we reinvent. From his perspective:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
- \n
- The concept of the \u201csuperworker\u201d (someone who uses AI to significantly boost productivity, creativity and value) is real.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- More importantly, the \u201csupermanager\u201d who guides, enables and unleashes teams with AI is pivotal.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- HR\u2019s mandate is shifting: it\u2019s not just about systems or processes but about workforce architecture, dynamic roles, skills-based design.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- AI adoption isn\u2019t plug-and-play: culture, leadership, change-management, and skills development are the differentiators.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
What wasn\u2019t discussed \u2014 but should be<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Interestingly, one topic was missing<\/em> from most conversations: credentials and portability of skills and identity<\/strong>. No one really talked about how we could create a more trusted, blockchain-like system to anchor what someone can<\/em> do and who<\/em> they are \u2014 so that verified skills and credentials can travel with the person.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Today, HR systems are still designed around organisational silos. Profiles don\u2019t \u201ctravel\u201d when you move from one employer to another. That means people keep rebuilding their history, skills, and achievements again and again. There was also almost no discussion about cross-organisational talent mobility<\/strong> \u2014 the ability to exchange people, projects or capabilities between companies in a trusted way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
From my perspective, the candidate and employee viewpoint<\/strong> still gets too little attention. If we truly want to make the future of work more dynamic and fair, we have to start designing for the individual journey<\/em>, not just the company process. That\u2019s where the next big innovation will need to happen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
My takeaways for 8vance and our community<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
- \n
- We must continue to invest in people + platform<\/strong>: the tech enables scale, data, automation\u2014but the human lens, the experience, the change-journey is what drives adoption.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Our talent strategy must evolve: from \u201chire more\u201d to \u201cenable more\u201d. That means internal mobility, skills-mapping, matching tasks not just jobs, marketplaces inside organisations.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- HR\u2019s role is shifting from \u201cservice provider\u201d to \u201cstrategic architect of the future of work\u201d. Tech gives us platform, but meaning, human connection and purpose remain our differentiator.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- As we evaluate vendors, start-ups and competitive landscape: what differentiates is how they support adoption, enable skills-first-design, help build marketplaces\u2014not just show flash tech.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Networking pays off: the leads and conversations I had in Paris\u2014from both Dutch and international players\u2014will help us at 8vance sharpen our direction, identify partnerships, and accelerate execution.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
Looking ahead<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
I come back from Paris with a renewed conviction: this is a moment of opportunity. For organisations, for HR, for people. If you are working in talent, learning, HR tech, culture, workforce planning\u2014this isn\u2019t peripheral. This is core. I\u2019m excited to bring what I\u2019ve learned at 8vance into practice. To iterate quickly, try new things, measure hard, scale what works. And to surround ourselves with partners and explorers who aren\u2019t just following tech\u2014they\u2019re shaping what work will mean tomorrow. To everyone in my network: if you get the chance to attend UNLEASH next time\u2014take it. The perspectives you\u2019ll gain will shift your thinking and your action.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
#FutureOfWork #HRTech #TalentStrategy #Innovation<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
What a fantastic couple of days at UNLEASH World in Paris\u2014now back on the train, a bit weary from all the conversations, but absolutely buzzing with new ideas. Hands down one of the best HR events I\u2019ve attended this year. Why it stood out What I heard and learned: key trends Insights from Josh Bersin\u2019s […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1875,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/laurenswaling.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1876"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/laurenswaling.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/laurenswaling.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/laurenswaling.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/laurenswaling.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1876"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/laurenswaling.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1876\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1877,"href":"https:\/\/laurenswaling.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1876\/revisions\/1877"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/laurenswaling.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/1875"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/laurenswaling.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1876"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/laurenswaling.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1876"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/laurenswaling.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1876"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
- We must continue to invest in people + platform<\/strong>: the tech enables scale, data, automation\u2014but the human lens, the experience, the change-journey is what drives adoption.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- AI agents for all HR processes<\/strong>: It\u2019s no longer \u201csome HR tech uses AI\u201d but \u201cAI-agents\u201d embedded across recruiting, onboarding, learning, talent marketplaces, internal mobility.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- The exhibitor floor wasn\u2019t just surface-level: I got strong insight into the landscape & competition for 8vance<\/a> \u2014what vendors are doing, start-ups pushing boundaries, how established players are responding.<\/li>\n\n\n\n