HR as Chief Disruption Officer: Leading Business Transformation and Shaping the Future of Work
Best for: HR conferences, HR executive audiences, People leadership events, and corporate HR leadership meetings.
Program Description:
Work is changing faster than many organizations can redesign it.
HR leaders are navigating high levels of burnout, eroding trust across differences, rapidly shifting skills, and AI that is reshaping jobs and workflows in real time — all while HR teams are being asked to lead transformation on top of managing today’s demands.
In this keynote, Jennifer McClure challenges HR leaders to think and act as Chief Disruption Officers — not by creating chaos, but by questioning practices that no longer serve the business and designing better ways to work.
Through research, real-world examples, and practical strategies, participants will examine five ways HR can contribute more strategically:
- Shape culture
- Redesign work around people and technology
- Build organizational capability
- Initiate meaningful change
- Connect the human experience to business performance
These five areas move HR beyond simply responding to disruption and position people leaders to help shape how the organization adapts, performs, and grows.
Participants will also learn Jennifer’s SHIFT framework — five practical actions for seeing the business as a system, thinking entrepreneurially, building influence, encouraging experimentation, and communicating the transformation they’re leading.
They’ll leave with specific ways to move HR beyond reactive execution, challenge outdated practices, and align people strategy with organizational priorities and business results.
What Participants Will Learn:
By the end of this keynote, participants will be able to:
- Assess how burnout among HR professionals, eroding trust across differences, the skills gap, and AI-driven change create business risk and require a more strategic HR response.
- Contrast reactive HR practices with five more strategic approaches to shaping culture, redesigning work, building organizational capability, initiating change, and connecting human experience with business performance.
- Identify HR policies, processes, or work systems that may no longer support current business priorities.
- Apply the SHIFT framework to business challenges using systems thinking, entrepreneurial initiative, stakeholder influence, experimentation, and strategic communication.
- Formulate a clear transformation statement that connects people strategy to organizational priorities and desired business outcomes.
Ideal For
HR leaders, people leaders, and executives responsible for workforce strategy, organizational effectiveness, or business transformation, as well as emerging HR professionals who want to expand their strategic perspective.
What people are saying:
* This was probably one of the best sessions I have ever seen in my 10 – 15 years of SHRM conferences. Truly inspiring and action ideas presented for all.
* This speaker is the MVP of this conference. I have attended three SHRM Conferences, countless sessions (virtually and in person), and am a leader in my field. Jennifer McClure knocked it out of the park, and her session was well worth the cost of my conference registration. Please bring her back as a main stage speaker for a future SHRM Annual Conference!
* The best session so far! Impactful and meaningful examples to implement. Data coupled with storytelling was top-notch. I left inspired to make an impact on my organization.
* Best session I attended! Practical takeaways. Excellent and engaging speaker.
Jennifer McClure helps leaders shape what’s next at work — with influence, courage, and a deep belief in human potential.
Contact Jennifer to schedule an event or to discuss how your leaders can learn to navigate change, build influence, and shape what’s next at work.