Businesses worldwide face unprecedented shifts as artificial intelligence transforms traditional job functions and workplace dynamics. These changes require thoughtful planning and strategic foresight from leadership teams across industries. With over three decades of experience in workforce planning, Russell Klosk offers practical insights for business leaders navigating these challenges. As a management consulting executive who has worked with some of the world’s largest corporations, Russell brings a unique perspective on preparing organizations for technology-driven workplace evolution.
Strategic Workforce Planning is Critical
Russell doesn’t mince words about what’s at stake. “I’ve spent the last 32 years of my life thinking about the future of work and workforce planning,” he says. He’s watched technology shifts come and go, but this one feels different. The companies winning right now aren’t just buying new tech – they’re rethinking their entire approach to talent. Strategic workforce planning isn’t some HR buzzword anymore. It’s how you stay ahead of the curve when everything’s changing at once.
“When we talk about strategic workforce planning, we’re talking about the ability to model what the future of work is,” Russell explains. It’s about asking tough questions: How will jobs change? What skills do people need now versus later? Which work should be done by humans, and which by machines? These aren’t academic questions. They’re business decisions with real money behind them. “The ability to model all those things allows a business person to make informed decisions about how they’re going to invest,” he points out. Sometimes the hardest question isn’t whether you can change something – it’s whether you should.
Invest in HR Analytics and Predictive Modeling
Having a plan is only half the battle. Russell insists you need to keep checking if it’s actually working. “Investing in HR analytics and predictive modeling is about how you monitor that what you predicted is actually happening,” he says. The real world has a nasty habit of ignoring your carefully crafted plans. You said you’d hire 30 people but only found 25? Something has to give.
“Did I bring in temporary workers? Did the work not get done? Did I shift it to consultants?” These aren’t hypothetical scenarios – they’re Monday morning problems that somebody has to solve. The old way was making a five-year plan and hoping for the best. Russell’s approach is different: “I’m making a plan and then monitoring it on a monthly or quarterly basis and adjusting it accordingly.” Your workforce plan should breathe and change with your business, not gather dust in a drawer somewhere.
Leverage Global Talent Management Solutions
Even the best plan means nothing if you can’t execute. This is where your talent management team earns their keep. “Your talent management capabilities are the execution,” Russell says. “The plan will tell you what you have to do and when – hire X number of people, train Y number of people in this skill.” But as anyone who’s tried to hire tech talent lately knows, knowing what you need and actually getting it are two very different things. Every part of the talent machine needs to work – recruiting, training, succession planning, the whole thing. When AI changes a job, it doesn’t just change what one person does. It ripples through the whole organization, changing processes and relationships in ways you might not expect.
Despite all the doom and gloom headlines, Russell remains surprisingly optimistic. “The future of work isn’t something to fear. AI isn’t the enemy,” he insists. “AI is going to change absolutely every job over the next five to eight years.” We’re just at the beginning of what Russell calls “this fifth industrial revolution.” The companies that thrive won’t be the ones that resist change – they’ll be the ones that plan for it. “You want to do it in an intentional way, a deliberate way,” he says. That means watching both the impact on your business strategy and your budget. Get it right, and the payoff goes beyond just numbers. Your people will be “more engaged, [have] higher productivity, and happier.”
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