Issue 304 of Talent Edge Weekly

Here is an abridged version of issue 304—The Best of June 2025 of Talent Edge Weekly. The abridged version:

• only includes links and brief descriptions of the 18 resources

• does not include my in-depth review

• does not include bonus resources

• is for those who just want easy access to the 18 resources

You can access the full version of issue 304 HERE at any time!

Brian

I. Unlocking Workforce Capacity 

Explores how organizations can improve effectiveness and free up capacity by eliminating low-value work, redesigning workflows, addressing hidden performance barriers, and managing the cumulative toll of organizational change.

• Breaking Down the Infinite Workday | Microsoft Worklab Special Work Trend Index Report | A new report that shows how fragmented focus, constant interruptions, and excessive meetings are eroding productivity—and why rethinking how work is structured is critical to unlocking AI’s full potential.

• Beyond Hiring: Freeing Up Workforce Capacity Through More Effective Ways of Working | Brian Heger | My cheat sheet with 10 questions to identify opportunities to unlock workforce capacity—before defaulting to hiring.

• Understanding the Cumulative Impact of Organizational Change | Brian Heger | My one-page template to help leaders assess current and proposed organizational changes to better manage change fatigue and ensure sustainable implementation.

• Are Hidden Blind Spots Holding Back Your Performance or Team? | Brian Heger | My cheat sheet includes examples of workplace ‘blind spot’ scenarios and tactics to identify and mitigate them.

II. AI in the Workplace

Covers how AI—particularly agentic AI—is reshaping managerial roles, team collaboration, and work design by moving beyond task automation to become an integrated partner in core workflows and decision-making.

• How AI Is Redefining Managerial Roles | Harvard Business Review | Discusses how AI is reshaping work activities long handled by middle management, such as project coordination and operational decisions.

• Seizing the Agentic AI Advantage | McKinsey | A new report on how organizations can unlock AI’s transformative potential by shifting from just general AI-purpose tools to agentic AI embedded in core workflows. 

• Collaborating with AI Agents: Field Experiments on Teamwork, Productivity, and Performance | Massachusetts Institute of Technology | An MIT study explores how AI agents influence human productivity and collaboration.

III. Talent Practices

Features tools, frameworks, and research to support talent development, internal mobility, succession planning, and skills-based strategies—helping organizations strengthen leadership pipelines, identify critical roles, and embed learning in the flow of work.

• Making 360 Feedback Data More Strategic: Do Your Results Measure Up? | Workforce Solutions Review | Allan Church, Ph.D., and Dale Rose, Ph.D., share five principles for delivering more actionable 360 feedback.

• Using ‘Number of Development Moves Away’ as a Measure of Successor Readiness | Brian Heger | My one-page cheat sheet with 9 questions and tips to help identify development moves that accelerate successor readiness.

• When High-Impact Development Roles May Signal a Need for Talent Movement | Brian Heger | My slide to help evaluate if key development roles are used effectively to support talent growth and leadership pipeline flow.

• Identifying and Removing Barriers to Internal Mobility | Brian Heger | My one-page editable template designed to help identify the presence of nine common barriers to internal mobility, so actions can be taken in response.

• Reimagined: Development in the Future of Work | McKinsey’s Research and Innovation Learning Lab | A 38-page report with evolving trends in learning and development, including how leading organizations are embedding learning into daily work.

• Measuring the Impact of Skills-Based Talent Practices | Business Roundtable | A 28-page report offers recommendations for quantifying the impact of skills-based talent practices. I also reshare two reports from the Business Roundtable on skills-based practices.

• Two Resources on Critical Role Identification | Brian Heger | I reshare two of my resources that continue to be requested on critical roles.

IV. HR Effectiveness & Chief HR Officers

Examines how HR leaders and CHROs are driving strategic impact—by building the business case for new HR initiatives, shaping the future of the function, advancing talent and leadership strategies, and leading organizational transformation.

• A One-Page Cheat Sheet to Build the Business Case for New HR Teams | Brian Heger | My one-page cheat sheet with questions to help HR leaders think through their business case for building new HR functions or teams.

• HR Insights Report 2025 Global Leadership Forecast | DDI | A new report exploring trends in HR priorities, learning & development ROI, and leadership pipeline challenges.

• Conversations with CHROs | A Discussion with IBM Chief HR Officer Nickle LaMoreaux | LinkedIn Talent Solutions via YouTube | A 26-minute video featuring LinkedIn CPO Teuila Hanson and IBM CHRO Nickle LaMoreaux discussing evolving HR priorities and the future of work.

• CHRO Case Studies: Leading from the Front | LinkedIn | A 20-page report on how five HR leaders are “leading from the front” in AI adoption, performance, well-being, and more.

The full issue has many bonus resources not covered in this abridged version. Access the full version by clicking the button below.

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Talent Edge Weekly is written by Brian Heger, a human resources practitioner. You can connect with Brian on Linkedin and brianheger.com