This past week, I was fortunate enough to join many of my colleagues for HR Connect in Tokyo (on my 29th birthday no less – a fabulous gift).
In every region, HR professionals are acutely aware of the need for #upskilling and #reskilling their workforce. As catalysts of transformation, they understand the need to adapt and recognize the business urgency. As keepers of culture, HR leaders recognize that organizational capability has to scale up in the era of #AI and the only way that will work is by facilitating individualized growth plans (at scale).
I was so grateful for the opportunity to talk with customers about this exciting time in the industry and how SAP SuccessFactors is helping them achieve this organizational agility with a solid core foundation and a rapid innovation agenda.
Of course I was not only talking, I was also #listening and #learning (a few of my favorite things) from customers, colleagues and partners across the region. The biggest observation I had was how much the #AI innovation is of global interest and how much HR processes are converging around the globe.
The brilliant Stacy Chapman shared insights on how HR data in the age of AI is one of our most valuable and precious currencies. Successfactors is leveraging multiple data sources and structures to improve experiences both for individuals and for organizations tackling the hard [and important] topics of ethics, bias and governance up front.
Dr. Christian Schmeichel reminded us of the dynamic between the worker and the organization during a deep dive on SAP's #futureofwork programs. He emphasized the cross-organizational and cultural shifts at the center of any people strategy and shared how we are thinking about this across our global workforce.
And if the nerding out on technology and innovation wasn’t enough, I also made sure to have some fun by attending a traditional Japanese tea ceremony, taught by Rie Takeda. Learning to make matcha and getting my afternoon caffeine boost was a treat, but it was also insightful to hear Rie’s message about how the tea ceremony highlights we are all equal, no matter our age, gender or background -- powerful and relevant message for today.
A special thank you to Annette Bazin, Taro Mori, Angela Colantuono, Nina Greenblatt and the entire SAP SuccessFactors APJ teams for the warm welcome AND birthday celebrations – including [a very personalized] cake and karaoke!
Of my many 29th birthdays, Tokyo will be forever in my heart as a special one.
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