The Future of HR: Putting the “Change” Back in Change Agents and Building Your HR Talent Marketplace

At Work with The Ready

Stop us if you’ve heard this one before: A company hires a change agent (think anyone with “org effectiveness,” “change management,” or “strategy and efficiency” in their title) with promises of how they’ll be the one to revolutionize the company’s future. Several months later, the change agent realizes the company is fighting them at every turn. Despite all the talk, these roles often have minimal authority and autonomy, so those lofty dreams of change? They end up unfulfilled.

But for HR departments heading toward Level 4, The Marketplace, of our maturity model, these roles need to step off the sidelines and into the game as Market Designers. In this reimagined role, they facilitate a dynamic network of talent and Mission-Based Teams that enables HR to get after its thorniest and most valuable business objectives. And this transformation isn’t one-and-done: Newly empowered Market Designers continually change and evolve the company to meet new moments and challenges 🚀

In this miniseries, Brave New Work’s Rodney Evans is joined by friend-of-the-pod and Ready OG Sam Spurlin to dive into how HR can become more resilient, efficient, and equitable.

Today on episode 7, they explore why Market Designers are ready to make the change their predecessors couldn’t realize, what their relationship with HR Business Coaches looks like, and how they’re instrumental for building the HR marketplace of the future.

Mentioned references:

• Valve, the video game developer
• Haier, the appliance manufacturer
• “Chapter of market designers”
• “Volun-told”
• DAOs
• Brave New Work’s episodes on Talent Marketplaces: BNW Ep. 160 & Ep. 161

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Learn more about The Future of HR at our website.

Curious where your company sits on our 5-stage maturity model? Take our assessment and find out!

Have a burning HR question for Rodney and Sam to answer? Email us at [e-mail].

Ready to get started moving your HR department into the future? Email us at [e-mail] or [e-mail].

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00:00 Intro + Check-In: What’s an award you received as a child you were prouder of than you probably should have been?

04:26 Why change agents have trouble changing the organization

07:43 Changing the org chart first usually isn’t the right move

12:25 Day-to-day of a Market Designer

15:11 Transferring skills from consultants to Market Designers

18:15 Difference between HR Business Coach and Market Designer

20:29 How many Market Designers does a company have?

24:17 Future of CPO/CHRO in Level 4 and beyond

27:56 What a healthy HR talent marketplace looks like

33:26 Sam’s adventures into DAOs and unregulated marketplaces

38:32 Why HR is ideal for a talent marketplace

40:54 Wrap Up: Send us your burning HR questions!