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Skills-Based Capabilities Redefine Talent Strategies, Part Two

General InsightsHRTalentTalent AcquisitionTechnology and InnovationUncategorized by John Yuva on

Ardent Partners and Future of Work Exchange (FOWX) conduct a variety of workplace and Future of Work research. In this new series, we’re taking a deep dive into a chart from a recent research effort and providing analysis to bring you the latest technology trends impacting today’s workforce.

This week, in part two of a two-part series, we continue examining how enterprises across industries are reimagining talent strategies, initiating a transformational shift toward skills-based hiring. As organizations prioritize workforce agility and long-term resilience, they are investing in technological capabilities that can operationalize this approach at scale.

Last week, we focused on the leading capabilities on our chart (see below) that enterprises plan to implement over the next 18 months to accelerate a skills-based hiring initiative.  This week, we’re exploring emerging capabilities (6 through 10 in the chart) that have significant value in supporting skills-based hiring strategies. Those capabilities reinforce the aspects of rigor, consistency, and fairness when hiring within a skills-based environment, and include: structured interviews (55%), skills assessments (51%), bias reduction and fairness initiatives (49%), practical exercises and work samples (49%), and competency frameworks (48%). Together, these elements form the backbone of a more objective, inclusive, and performance-driven approach to talent acquisition and development.

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Introducing a New Subscription Model

To continue providing valuable insights and resources on the future of work and extended workforce management, we’re transitioning our site to a paid subscription model. While some posts will remain free, subscribing will grant you exclusive access to in-depth analysis, market research, expert interviews, and actionable strategies that will help improve your business. Solution providers and practitioners are invited to join today and gain a competitive edge by tracking the industry’s important innovations, emerging trends, and best practices.

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The Future of Work Exchange LIVE 2025 Recap: The Future of Work Awaits

Uncategorized by Christopher J. Dwyer on

June 14, 2022. Harvard Club, Boston, MA. 6:17am.

I sit nervously in the lobby, watching a sunny Tuesday come to fruition while the bustling Boston workday begins to awaken. It’s been over two years since I last attended a conference, let alone spoke at a corporate event (you know, the pandemic). And now, with the members of the Ardent Partners team either already in the building or on their way into the venue, I’m about to kick off the very first Future of Work Exchange LIVE executive roundtable event. Under a year ago, we launched the Future of Work Exchange destination site, a go-to, everyday source of workforce, talent, HR, technology, and Future of Work news, resources, insights, and intelligence. Deep breaths.

June 10, 2025. Harvard Club, Boston, MA. 6:43am.

Wow…this is the FOURTH iteration of this event. Let’s rock!

Consider this your Rolling Stone-style prologue to a very special recap of the fourth annual Future of Work Exchange LIVE executive roundtable. The reflections above? They’re not just scene-setting—they’re genuine moments from two very different mornings that bookended something extraordinary.

As I sit here replaying the day—the powerful conversations, the handshakes and hugs, the unforgettable Harvard Club lunch (yes, the Sacchetti purses!), and the unmistakable feeling that something real happened—I can’t help but smile.

So, with that spirit in mind… let’s dive in.

The Future of Work, Established 2025

The anchor of the day’s discussions was unveiled during the welcome address. It has become clear that we’re entering a transformational era—one defined by adaptability, AI-driven collaboration, and reimagined talent strategies. Here’s how I kicked off the event:

🔹 Leadership for the Age of Agility (and Adaptability). Today’s workforce demands leaders who embrace fluidity. The conversation underscored that agility isn’t just a buzzword; it’s a leadership imperative. Organizations that foster adaptable cultures will be best positioned to thrive.

🤖 AI: The Ultimate Workforce Partner. AI is not here to replace human ingenuity—it’s here to elevate it. Thought leaders explored AI’s role as a trusted ally in talent acquisition, workforce planning, and productivity enhancement, reinforcing that strategic adoption is the key to unlocking its full potential.

🔄 Talent Tech Ecosystems (Reimagined). The event highlighted a fundamental shift in how companies build and integrate talent technologies. The ecosystem approach is replacing fragmented solutions, enabling seamless collaboration between platforms, recruiters, and workforce leaders.

🚀 Talent as a Dynamic Asset. Gone are the days of static workforce models. Talent today is fluid, multifaceted, and deeply integrated into business growth. The session reinforced the importance of viewing talent through a dynamic, evolving lens rather than conventional job descriptions.

Lori Hock (CEO, Opptly) and Craig Coe (SVP Global Customer Success, Beeline) kick off the FOWX Live 2025 event.

AI in Talent Tech: Enabling a New Era of Hiring

And, not only that, AI is the perfect complement to two major hiring movements today: skills-based hiring and direct sourcing. Opptly CEO Lori Hock and Beeline SVP of Global Customer Success Craig Coe teamed up for a morning panel that focused on the implications of AI, how businesses can trust artificial intelligence, and why AI is the foundational form of automation that will supercharge recruitment, hiring, extended workforce management innovation, etc.

Expert Panel Key Takeaway: Trust AI, deploy AI, leverage AI, and consider it the ultimate workforce partner…in time.

Yes, Direct Sourcing is For Real

For many organizations, direct sourcing is like Santa Claus: some believe wholeheartedly, others remain skeptical, and a few have yet to truly grasp its potential. But one thing is clear—it’s no longer a theoretical strategy; it’s a proven force in modern workforce planning. nextSource’s Deb Bergevine and Adam Klaucke, along with TalentProcure’s Denise Stalker, discussed why direct sourcing is emerging as an essential pillar in workforce agility. And for those still on the fence? The conversation made it clear—embracing direct sourcing isn’t about chasing trends; it’s about future-proofing how organizations attract, deploy, and retain top talent.

Expert Panel Key Takeaway: Direct sourcing is taking longer than anticipated to come to fruition, however, the companies that enable a deliberate approach towards implementing it and using it will reap the rewards.

The Time for Change? Right Now

One of the many highlights of last week’s event was the incredible dynamic between AMS’s Matthew Rodger and RSM’s Lizzie Parnell, who tackled the very-relevant topic of extended workforce management evolution. Matthew spoke about how CW programs must change given the impact and power of the extended workforce (along with why the talent technology ecosystem must also evolve), while Lizzie discussed her vast experience running extended workforce programs and the work, effort, and strategy required to spark a new era of change.

Expert Panel Key Takeaway: With the extended workforce comprising upwards of 50% of the total enterprise talent pool, businesses must act now to push their programs into a new era of value, impact, and innovation.

The Future of Work Awaits

As I wrapped up the day, I couldn’t help but take one final look around the room. What began as a nervous wait in the Harvard Club lobby back in 2022 has blossomed into something far more meaningful than an event series. Future of Work Exchange LIVE has become a movement—a space where ideas ignite, strategies evolve, and leaders connect over a shared ambition to shape what’s next. If this year taught us anything, it’s that the Future of Work isn’t on the horizon—it’s here, unfolding in every thoughtful conversation, every handshake, every bold commitment to rethink what’s possible. Until next year… keep driving the change. Keep leading forward. The future needs us. Now.

(And, to all of those wondering: Sawyer, the Chief Puppy Officer of Ardent Partners and the Future of Work Exchange, was not allowed entry into this year’s event…but we’re working on Harvard Club rules for next year.)

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Enterprises Prioritize Total Talent Management Investment

Contingent WorkforceDirect SourcingGeneral InsightsProcurementTalentTechnology and InnovationUncategorized by John Yuva on

Ardent Partners and Future of Work Exchange (FOWX) conduct a variety of workplace and Future of Work research. In this new series, we’re taking a deep dive into a chart from a recent research effort and providing analysis to bring you the latest technology trends impacting today’s workforce.

This week, we’re looking at the level of automation and technology support across several workforce domain areas. When looking at those areas currently automated or supported via technology, it reveals a fragmented landscape where a couple domains are much more digitized than others. However, when comparing planned automation and tech support over the next 18 to 24 months, it’s clear most organizations are prioritizing automation in the near future.

The rest of this article is available by subscription only.

Introducing a New Subscription Model

To continue providing valuable insights and resources on the Future of Work and extended workforce management, we’re transitioning our site to a paid subscription model. While some posts will remain free, subscribing will grant you exclusive access to in-depth analysis, market research, expert interviews, and actionable strategies that will help improve your business. Solution providers and practitioners are invited to join today and gain a competitive edge by tracking the industry’s important innovations, emerging trends, and best practices.

Click here to learn more.

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The Future of Work Will Be Centered Around “Skills Tribes”

Uncategorized by Christopher J. Dwyer on

If you’re an HR, talent acquisition, or workforce management leader, you’ll never again be able to escape the word “skills.” This is not an extreme thought leadership concept, nor is it one of those Future-Of-Work-Exchange-Hypes-An-Idea aspects of our industry…it’s just the hard truth of being an executive leader in 2025.

Skills are the lifeblood of the contemporary organization. It’s so true. Innovation, competition, progression, evolution, success, revenue, sales, business development…name one other corporate attribute that is linked to all of these?

Right…it’s all skills.

Furthermore, let’s discuss the hyper-relevant, top-of-mind strategies that are dominating the HR, extended workforce, talent acquisition, and recruitment arenas. Which concept stands out above all of the others?

Right…skills-based hiring.

According to Ardent Partners and Future of Work Exchange research, over the past 18 months, nearly 75% of organizations have prioritized skills in how they recruit and hire both traditional, full-time talent and contingent labor.

Skills-based hiring is revolutionizing how organizations acquire talent, shifting the focus from traditional credentials to demonstrated capabilities.

The rest of this article is available by subscription only.

Introducing a New Subscription Model

To continue providing valuable insights and resources on the Future of Work and extended workforce management, we’re transitioning our site to a paid subscription model. While some posts will remain free, subscribing will grant you exclusive access to in-depth analysis, market research, expert interviews, and actionable strategies that will help improve your business. Solution providers and practitioners are invited to join today and gain a competitive edge by tracking the industry’s important innovations, emerging trends, and best practices.

Click here to learn more.

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Five Things You Must Know About the Future of Work (Revisited)

Business LeadershipGeneral InsightsTalentTalent AcquisitionUncategorized by John Yuva on

As we reach the end of 2024, now is a good time to look back at the Five Things You Must Know About the Future of Work.  The Future of Work Exchange (FOWX) and Ardent Partners hosted this complimentary webinar, The Five Things You MUST KNOW About the Future of Work, discussing the critical capabilities that enterprises can unlock to truly optimize the way they address talent acquisition, extended workforce management, and, most importantly, work optimization. What follows revisits the five critical FOW areas.

#1 The Evolution of Talent and the Future of Work

When it comes to the Future of Work, one of the first things to know is the evolution of talent and talent acquisition. And this idea of the “evolution of talent” can be ambiguous. Talent is always evolving and has been for a long time. The way that businesses perceive their talent is also evolving. And, the way that those businesses get connected to talent, and vice versa, continues to evolve. It’s also being innovated through technology and new strategies and new programs.

The fact is nearly half of our workforce today is comprised of extended workers or contingent workers. We have aspects like direct sourcing and digital staffing that are making it much easier for businesses to find the talent they need to get work done to address those mission-critical projects and fill the appropriate roles. FOWX and Ardent research has been focused historically on the extended workforce and contingent workforce, but we’re talking about all types of talent.

Thus, talent acquisition as a function and as a series of processes has also progressed. We need to consider aspects like the candidate experience, and the way that our culture and our brand attract new talent into our organization. Many business leaders think of the Future of Work as being centered around technology, revolving around the idea that technology drives the Future of Work. And we  wouldn’t necessarily disagree with that; technology is a critical piece. And for some aspects and attributes of the Future of Work, technology and innovation are the nexus of those areas.

Technology is a Future of Work Centerpiece

Talent and the growth of the extended workforce represent the first leg of the stool with such things as skills and candidate experience, but also digital staffing, direct sourcing, online talent marketplaces, and core workforce management solutions (such as MSPs and VMS platforms) These technologies are helping us to redefine the way we think about work. We’re living in a world where even though we don’t want to hear the word “pandemic” anymore, the pandemic really did shape what we think about the Future of Work.

The rest of this article is available by subscription only.

Introducing a New Subscription Model

To continue providing valuable insights and resources on the future of work and extended workforce management, we’re transitioning our site to a paid subscription model. While some posts will remain free, subscribing will grant you exclusive access to in-depth analysis, market research, expert interviews, and actionable strategies that will help improve your business. Solution providers and practitioners are invited to join today and gain a competitive edge by tracking the industry’s important innovations, emerging trends, and best practices.

Click here to learn more.

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Value of Artificial Intelligence Delivers for Human Resources

Contingent WorkforceDirect SourcingGeneral InsightsHRTalentTalent AcquisitionTechnology and InnovationUncategorized by John Yuva on

Artificial intelligence (AI) has fully broken through the parameter of the Future of Work — where HR can effectively engage with AI technologies to deliver automation and sustainable talent outcomes. The complex decision-making of today’s HR professionals makes AI a near necessity to achieve recruitment and total talent management objectives in the current enterprise. By leveraging AI, machine learning, and data analytics, HR professionals can automate many manual tasks while enhancing the employee lifecycle experience.

The embrace and utilization of AI technologies is proving transformational for HR professionals and their industry. According to Sameer Maskey, founder and CEO for Fusemachines, and adjunct associate professor at Columbia University, in a Forbes article, “Clearly, AI is primed to disrupt the HR industry as we know it. In fact, with AI, HR teams are poised to serve as a critical and strategic ‘talent insights engine’ of an organization,” he says.

“However, this advancement requires HR professionals to do more than just embrace the technology to unlock automation-powered efficiencies and data-driven decisions. It requires them to identify novel applications of AI, such as a virtual recruiter, or employ simulated AI-augmented work settings for recruitment that will increase the efficiency of the HR team even further. Doing this will take candidate and employee engagement to a whole new level,” Maskey adds.

While HR is reaping the benefits of AI for such automated tasks such as payroll and benefits administration — essential responsibilities of HR — there are even greater strategic opportunities to truly revolutionize core talent acquisition and talent management areas.

AI Elevates Direct Sourcing Strategies and Employee Retention Execution

AI tools and machine learning algorithms are aiding HR professionals in streamlining workforce processes across the enterprise. The following are several areas where AI can bring immediate value to human resources and provide valuable insights into workplace strategy and dynamics.

The rest of this article is available by subscription only.

Introducing a New Subscription Model from the Future of Work Exchange.

To continue providing valuable insights and resources on the future of work and extended workforce management, we’re transitioning our site to a paid subscription model. While some posts will remain free, subscribing will grant you exclusive access to in-depth analysis, market research, expert interviews, and actionable strategies that will help improve your business. Solution providers and practitioners are invited to join today and gain a competitive edge by tracking the industry’s important innovations, emerging trends, and best practices.

Click here to learn more.

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Elevate Your Future of Work Processes with Blockchain

Business LeadershipContingent WorkforceDirect SourcingTechnology and InnovationUncategorized by John Yuva on

One of blockchain’s chief benefits is the ability to authenticate and protect information. With today’s decentralized workforces, there is a variety of information possibly at risk, including payroll, insurance, health, and personnel data. Similarly, HR and enterprise recruiters want assurance that potential job candidates and their résumés are authentic and accurate. Blockchain technology has the potential to provide the necessary verification and protection of such sensitive workplace data.

Here are three Future of Work areas where blockchain technology could provide critical verifications and safeguards, particularly for the contingent and gig workforce — from the recruitment to the contracting and payment process.

The rest of this article is available by subscription only.

Introducing a New Subscription Model from the Future of Work Exchange.

To continue providing valuable insights and resources on the future of work and extended workforce management, we’re transitioning our site to a paid subscription model. While some posts will remain free, subscribing will grant you exclusive access to in-depth analysis, market research, expert interviews, and actionable strategies that will help improve your business. Solution providers and practitioners are invited to join today and gain a competitive edge by tracking the industry’s important innovations, emerging trends, and best practices.

Click here to learn more.

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