Cultivating a Culture of Curiosity: How HR Can Lead in the AI Era

HR has a unique opportunity to lead the transformation of organizations driven by generative AI (GenAI), says Kameshwari Rao, Global Chief People Officer of Publicis Sapient. The key to success? Creating an environment where a culture of curiosity thrives, learning is encouraged, and leadership is focused on continuous innovation—all while keeping people at the center.

With GenAI entering the business equation, we are witnessing a massive transformation. It is not just a technical upgrade. It is a completely new way of looking at work, talent, skills and leadership.

This transformation is affecting every corner of the business landscape, and HR has a unique opportunity to take the lead. Ultimately, technology should serve people, not the other way around, and HR is in a position to lead this change from a technology-centric approach to a human-centric one.

For HR leaders, it’s not just about adapting, but also ensuring that their employees are equipped with the tools and skills to thrive in the new era. However, the step from understanding to implementing AI can be daunting – we’re talking about one of the biggest transformations since the invention of the internet. It’s about creating an environment where a culture of curiosity reigns, learning is encouraged, and leadership is aligned to drive constant innovation.

Creating a culture of curiosity and engagement

Curiosity is the engine of learning and a powerful tool for personal and organizational success. When fostered in the work environment, it serves as a foundation upon which bold ideas can take shape and people feel psychologically safe to take risks, experiment, and voice their ideas without fear of judgment or failure. On this basis, active engagement is required. Platforms that enable the free exchange of knowledge provide fertile ground for collaboration and idea generation.

In this context, it is important to change the narrative around GenAI. Rather than fearing job displacement, it is crucial to emphasize its role as an enabler that augments human capabilities. This realignment opens up the possibility of seeing GenAI as a tool for increasing productivity and efficiency in organizations.

Once this attitude is established, effective implementation is the next logical step. Tailoring learning opportunities to individual abilities and desires accelerates employee development. Transparent performance assessments, facilitated by GenAI, provide valuable insights for growth, while real-time support tools like chatbots enable rapid adaptation to new technologies. This fosters a culture of curiosity and innovation that positions organizations for success in a rapidly changing landscape.

Establish structured learning and knowledge sharing initiatives

Understanding that failure is part of growth is essential for progress in any organization. Constructive participation in discussions of failures helps create a transparent environment where everyone can learn from these experiences. This transparency not only benefits employees, but also fosters a culture of continuous learning in which teams work together to find solutions to avoid similar pitfalls in the future while saving valuable time and resources.

Similarly, sharing successes is crucial to continuous learning and adaptation. When successful strategies are communicated in a timely manner, it is possible to analyze what worked well and why. This way, valuable insights can be gained that can be used to optimize resources and improve future projects. Sharing successes and analyzing failures is key to gaining insights that drive innovation through collective growth and problem-solving.

Furthermore, AI can be used to gain insights into individual needs, enabling organizations to develop structured programs and learning paths based on those needs. By analyzing data on learning preferences, performance metrics, and feedback, AI systems can customize learning content, suggest relevant resources, and even adjust the pace of learning. This personalized approach ensures that each learner’s individual strengths and areas for improvement are addressed, resulting in more effective and meaningful learning outcomes.

Supporting and empowering leaders to innovate

Business leaders are at the heart of GenAI integration. It is essential that they lead by example and evolve to promote ethical and effective implementation. This starts with understanding GenAI’s vast potential. Leaders create a strategic roadmap by identifying high-value areas and aligning them with overall business objectives. When used wisely, AI can mitigate bias in existing processes, promote fairness, and maximize benefit. This blueprint aims not only at efficiency but is grounded in strong ethics and governance that ensure responsible use of AI.

The commitment to continuous development should start at the top of the organization, with leaders demonstrating that they are integrating new technologies such as generative AI into their own roles. This forward-thinking approach to leadership not only future-proofs the organization, but also unlocks the potential for innovation and progress that AI offers.

Looking to the future

HR has a unique opportunity to reimagine its role and evolve from a traditional function to a driving force for organizational change. It is becoming a stronger and more insightful partner within the organization, unlocking new capabilities and ambitious goals for the entire team. As the HR function adapts to this change, new positions such as GenAI Transformation Champions will emerge, focusing on managing and leading integration efforts on multiple fronts.

Implementing GenAI is not just about establishing new technologies, but also about redesigning work to enhance human capabilities. With strategic learning and leadership grounded in ethics and adaptability, human resources can drive meaningful change through GenAI, transforming challenges into opportunities and ensuring that the workforce is equipped for the future.

Please also read the following articles:

• Unleash Potential: Three High-Impact Levers for a Thriving Learning Culture
• Self-Learning Organization: Empowering IT Talent Through Personal Growth
• Mapping the Future of Work: Four Imaginary Scenarios

Kameshwari Rao

Kameshwari Rao is the Chief People Officer at Publicis Sapient and leads the People Success function (Human Resources) globally – Publicis Sapient employs over 20,000 people across the world. In her C-Suite position, Kameshwari is part of the company’s executive leadership team and is in charge of creating the strategic direction for the company’s global people agenda.

Since joining Publicis Sapient in 2001, Kameshwari has made a significant contribution in creating a work environment that promotes diversity, equity, and inclusion, as well as building a distinct culture that prioritizes people's mental health and happiness.

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