HR-in-the-Age-of-AI-Embracing-an-Experimentation-Mindset-In-Conversation-with-Shannon-Teixeira
/

HR in the Age of AI: Embracing an Experimentation Mindset | In Conversation with Shannon Teixeira

“I believe there is a frontier of unimaginable opportunity where human intelligence and artificial intelligence complement each other, lifting our collective consciousness to new heights and possibilities.”

Keeping up with the constant evolution of work—new methods, changing dynamics, fresh ideas—has been a lot. When it comes to navigating these shifts, who do organizational leaders turn to for solutions? Who was expected to figure out how to transition entire teams to remote work during the pandemic in a matter of days? And after that, handle return-to-office mandates or design new hybrid work models?

That’s right—HR and People teams.

I recently came across an article by Shannon Teixeira, an HR professional with 10+ years of experience; The Rise of Workplace Experimentation, which explores a practical approach to fostering experimentation at work. Given how relevant this is, especially with the rise of AI tools, trends, and evolving regulations, I had to dive deeper into the conversation.



Q: Can you explain why you believe HR must embrace experimentation at work?

I believe that having insight into what’s possible is at the heart of experimentation. When we talk about ideating to address business challenges or opportunities, creativity is always central to the process. For me, experimentation is about both creation and working through hypotheses and considerations of what outcomes might be possible.

I approach our work with a mindset centered on possibilities. The process starts by identifying what we’re solving for and then exploring mechanisms we might not have considered. It’s about going through an iterative process of ideation to generate different possibilities.

When addressing something like talent acquisition, for example, if job postings aren’t gaining traction, the initial thought might be to expand where we’re posting or tweak headlines. However, true experimentation involves digging deeper—asking what we haven’t considered and testing those new ideas. I think of it as A/B testing: A is trying what we know, and B is exploring uncharted territory.

It’s essential to experiment with new approaches, measure their success, and keep those that work in our toolkit. But we must be cautious not to rely solely on past methods. The goal is to continue forward, innovating and ideating, so we don’t get stuck in repeating what we’ve always done.

Q: How can HR professionals address and overcome resistance from management when introducing new experiments at work?

We’re definitely moving into a space where forward-thinking is essential. As an HR leader, the first step is understanding your leader’s readiness and perspective. 

Are they more structured and less open to new ideas, or are they more flexible? 

There are different strategies for connecting, influencing, and ultimately gaining buy-in based on their mindset. For me, one constant in this process, especially in the current climate, is focusing on the ROI

  1. The first step is determining what the cost will be, if any—whether it’s labor, financial, or another type of expense. 
  2. Then, you have to identify the intended ROI. Even with an experiment, you need to define what your hypothesis is and what outcomes you expect. 
  3. Identify what kind of benefits these outcomes will lead to. When speaking to anyone in the C-suite, it’s essential to ensure there’s a clear sense of financial stewardship, whether that’s in monetary terms or through organizational value. Constantly leaning into that baseline when discussing and requesting resources—or even just seeking acceptance for the experimentation—is crucial.

Let’s try to understand better with an example of employee engagement. At its core, measuring ROI, especially around something like engagement, can still be challenging. When it comes to measuring engagement, of course, there are standard ways to assess, measure, and quantify it, depending on the mechanism an organization decides to use. In the organizations I’ve worked with, it’s often customized to some degree—fit for purpose for that particular organization.

Traditionally, engagement has been tied to performance and productivity. So when we think about ROI, we need to tie it back to those elements.

Q: And to flip this – how can we overcome resistance from employees when introducing new experiments as an HR leader?

One of the first things I always consider, or even challenge myself on, is that one size doesn’t fit all. When we’re designing programs or solutions, there’s often a temptation to create a blanket approach. 

For me, using design thinking, understanding user experience, and applying empathy—understanding where people are at—is the starting point. While you can’t always create solutions for individuals, you can begin to design for the collective workforce and understand the different segments. 

When you think about engagement and getting employees excited about experimentation or creation, it really comes back to mindset and readiness. The approach you take with someone who might be resistant to change, or who doesn’t have a natural inclination toward creativity, is going to be very different from how you engage someone who thrives in that space and loves spending 90% of their time there.

Doing this work upfront takes effort, but it helps accelerate the process and overcome potential barriers to change. Instead of directing people and saying, “Here’s what we need you to do,” I prefer to flip that around and ask, “Where do you want to contribute? How do you want to show up in this? What makes sense for you?” 

Q: How do you see AI playing a role in this? Can you provide some examples (maybe prompts?) of how AI can be used by HRs to drive innovative workplace practices?

In my view, AI is going to be an accelerant in the evolving role of HR. 

I see us as being more integrated, truly consulting with the business. We’re in a phase where HR is catching up and finding congruence with ongoing digitalization, globalization, and other external factors like well-being, and purpose. AI, in particular, positions HR as a center of innovation in forward-thinking organizations. 

So, in response to your question, I see HR at the forefront of unlocking innovation through experimenting with new ways of working, systems, and structures within the organization that drive both business and human-centric outcomes. AI is a tool in this process—a mechanism to unlock untapped potential within the organization. 

While prompts and AI tools are valuable, they still require us to ask, “What are we trying to solve for?” Rather – we need to partner with AI to dive deeper into the ideas we’re considering, collaborating with other stakeholders to generate solutions we’ve not yet imagined. I believe there are unimaginable opportunities where human intelligence and artificial intelligence complement each other, lifting our collective consciousness to new heights and possibilities.

Q: How has your experience been experimenting with AI tools?

I’m always experimenting with different platforms, and the exciting thing about AI today is how integrated it is into existing tools, really accelerating product delivery. 

I’ve been experimenting with platforms like 

  • Copy AI, which is interesting because it utilizes voice to help create content. 
  • Of course, there’s ChatGPT
  • and I also use Copilot
  • Presentation.ai has been fun to experiment with. It helps me align my presentation ideas with what I intend to communicate.

From a productivity standpoint, AI is a huge accelerator. While you still need to be the author behind what you’re producing, AI tools help speed up the process and can even serve as thought partners.

Q: How can HR leaders deal with the overwhelm of understanding and keeping up with the different AI applications and tools popping up every other day?

“You have to be agile, aware of what’s out there, and recognize that at some point, there will be more solutions than you can possibly consume.”

I always remind myself to step back, take a breath, and assess why something is energizing me in the first place. It’s crucial to stay above water, as I call it, and keep the end goal in mind—what are we trying to solve?

Years ago, when HR started digitizing and HRIS was all the rage, there were also performance management tools, engagement tools, and survey tools popping up. The same thing is happening now with AI. It’s important to understand what you’re solving for and then identify the architecture needed to support your organization.

And in these cases is where it can become necessary to experiment. For example, within my team, we experimented with different project management tools when we were rolling out a new way of working. We gathered feedback, assessed what was working, and iterated as needed. 

You have to be agile, aware of what’s out there, and recognize that at some point, there will be more solutions than you can possibly consume. The key is to determine which tools fit your architecture and help you achieve your business goals. 

Over time, you’ll need to adapt and adopt, just as we’ve seen with technology over the past 20 years.

Q: Which trend do you think holds the most potential for positive change in the workplace?

Organizational Design

I strongly believe that organizational design will be front and center moving forward. 

Organizational design will continue to gain importance as a strategic focus. HR is going to evolve into what I might call “innovation activators.” Instead of focusing solely on performance management, we should think about performance activation—how HR can activate and unlock the potential of talent within organizations. We’re shifting from a one-dimensional, tactical, transactional approach to a more multi-dimensional one that involves synthesizing, measuring, and considering solutions we haven’t even thought of yet.

Reimagining the role of leadership

As we look ahead, I believe we’re on the horizon of reimagining the role of leadership. The question of who owns culture often falls back to HR, but I think the idea of shared leadership is crucial. We are all leaders, and the responsibility for talent development and activation is a shared one. HR will play a significant role in shaping the future, but it will be HR-enabled, leader-led, and shared across the organization.

So, when you have people focused not just on culture and talent management, but also on leadership effectiveness and organizational design, ensuring that organizational and functional strategies are interwoven, you essentially have what I’d call a functional architect. Imagine the value that HR—or whatever title this role may take—will bring going forward. It will guide, shape, and shift the organization through both ideation and experimentation to reach its goals.

Automated AI Solutions

I’m also excited about the growing number of AI solutions that automate low-value, transactional work. This shift allows us to focus more on high-value activities like collaboration, co-creation, and innovation. By reducing the time spent on mundane tasks, we can tap into our human potential for imagination and creativity. I believe that as humans, we thrive more in that space, finding more purpose in our work and making a more meaningful impact. This transition from transactional to relational work enables us to experiment, innovate, and create in ways that we haven’t fully explored before.

Mariam Mushtaq

I'm a Content Writer at Springworks. Drawing from my early career experience in HR, I bring a unique, insider's perspective. Driven by a passion for the People and HR function, I research and write about topics such as employee engagement and the future of work.

Previous Story

Decoding Employee Onboarding Surveys

The-Shape-of-Work-AI-x-HR-playbook-May-2024
Next Story

The Shape of Work: AI x HR playbook | May 2024 [Recap]