Kyle James and I recently had a conversation with Zuora, one of the early pioneers and leading platforms in subscription-based billing. They have spent more than a decade helping organizations operationalize recurring revenue models. What stood out in our discussion was a simple but critical distinction. Subscription billing technology enables recurring revenue. It does not guarantee recurring success. Across the B2B software market and other subscription-driven industries, companies have adopted recurring billing infrastructure at scale. Platforms like Zuora provide the mechanics. They allow organizations to invoice accurately, manage subscription terms, automate renewals, and support complex pricing models. That enablement layer is foundational. However, many organizations mistakenly believe that implementing subscription billing is synonymous with building a sustainable recurring revenue engine. The financial model tells a […]
Leadership
Research Agenda: Workforce Strategy, HR Enablement & HR Technology in an AI-Augmented World
Analyst Overview Nicole brings more than 20 years of senior HR leadership experience, including serving as Chief People Officer and the first HR executive at several high-growth, private-equity–backed, and multi-site organizations. She has built HR functions from the ground up, led organizations through Mergers and Acquisitions (M&A) and rapid scaling, and evaluated, selected, and implemented a wide range of HR technologies as a buyer. She specializes in helping HR leaders translate workforce data into clear, executive-ready narratives that resonate with CEOs, CFOs, and private-equity stakeholders. In addition to her executive experience, Nicole serves as faculty with the Human Capital Institute, where she teaches courses in strategic workforce planning, talent acquisition, HR business partnering, change management, and leadership development. This work provides deep insight into the […]
#HRTechChat: Do More With Less Is Breaking Managers (and What to Do About It) — with JD Dillon
In this episode of #HRTechChat, Dylan Teggart is joined by JD Dillon—advisor, speaker, and author of The Modern Learning Ecosystem—to unpack the “do more with less” reality shaping work in 2026 and why managers are taking the brunt of it. JD explains how constant change, unclear AI mandates, and shrinking labor budgets are pressing frontline and middle managers from both sides—corporate demands on one side, team needs on the other. Together, they explore why traditional leadership development isn’t meeting the moment, why “engagement” is losing meaning as a guiding metric, and what actually helps organizations adapt when disruption hits. JD makes the case that if you’re going to prioritize one investment in the employee experience, make it managers—by giving them time, clarity, and permission to […]
HR Must Speak the Language of the Business or Be Excluded from the Decisions That Matter
HR leaders are not lacking insight, empathy, or strategic intent. What often limits their influence is not the absence of data, but the absence of shared language with the executives making organizational decisions. Even when HR has the right information, its impact can fall flat if those insights are not framed in terms that connect directly to how leaders think about performance, risk, and value creation. In a recent episode of HRTechChat, I spoke with Maria Scarangella, founder of Marstella and former Vice President of Talent and Enterprise Learning at GEICO. Our conversation explored a challenge many HR leaders intuitively understand but often struggle to address directly: HR is not sidelined because it lacks value. It is sidelined when its insights are framed in HR […]
When Organizational Change Becomes Organizational Damage
Over the past several months, I have been sharing a series of posts and videos focused on what I believe is one of the most troubling issues facing organizations today. It is not change itself. Change is necessary. In fact, years ago I wrote extensively about how organizations fail when they cannot keep pace with technology, competition, and shifting market dynamics. That belief has not changed. What has changed is the type of organizational change I am seeing. In many cases, it is so disruptive that it genuinely raises the question of how some businesses manage to stay operational, let alone profitable. One of the earliest themes I raised in this series was the rapidly shrinking tenure of executive leadership. CEOs, CROs, CMOs, and product […]
The Hidden Cost of Organizational Restructuring: A Caution to Executive Leaders
Early in the year, many executive teams confront what feels like an unavoidable reality: organizational restructuring. Budgets reset. Strategies are revisited. New leadership arrives. Pressure mounts to fix what is not working and accelerate progress toward new goals. On the surface, restructuring can feel decisive. It signals action. It creates the impression of transformation. And to be clear, restructuring does have its place. Done thoughtfully, it can unlock efficiencies, clarify accountability, and better align an organization to its market. However, after speaking with hundreds, if not thousands, of businesses across industries, both end users and vendors, I believe there is an uncomfortable truth many executives underestimate. Wide, sweeping organizational restructuring is one of the most disruptive actions a company can take, often with consequences that […]
When Enterprise Social Became the New Press Release Wire
Remember when social media felt creative? When brands experimented in public. When posts sounded human. When the goal was to learn what resonated, not just to avoid what might blow up. Maybe that’s just showing my age, or maybe it’s just having experienced a change in the way brands use social media over the last two decades. A bit of nostalgia if you will. Because enterprise social media did not die. It got professionalized. And in the process, it quietly became something else entirely. Enterprise Social Narrowed Instead of Expanding. It Got Safer. Enterprise social today looks less like a growth channel and more like a modern press release wire: approved messages, distributed at scale, optimized for consistency and safety rather than experimentation. This didn’t happen because social teams forgot how to be creative. It happened because the cost of being […]
GTM Innovators: Why AI Is Making Average Marketing Easier and Great Marketing Rarer
AI has made it easier than ever to produce content, launch campaigns, and optimize performance at scale. But has it actually made marketing better? In this episode of GTM Innovators, Kyle James sits down with Joey Lai, B2B Marketing Director at Mastercard, for a candid and deeply thoughtful conversation about what’s being lost as AI tools become embedded in everyday marketing work. Drawing on her experience across fast-growing startups and large enterprise organizations, Joey argues that while AI accelerates output, it often erodes the critical thinking, creativity, and human insight that separate average marketing from great marketing. Together, they explore why optimization has become easier, originality has become rarer, and why the next generation of marketers faces a very real risk of outsourcing their thinking along with their tasks. This conversation goes beyond AI hype to examine: […]
#HRTechChat: The Economics of HR – Speaking the Language of Business with Maria Scarangella
In this episode of #HRTechChat, Nicole Roberts is joined by Maria Scarangella to tackle one of the most persistent challenges facing HR today: proving business value in a climate defined by cost pressure, efficiency mandates, and heightened executive scrutiny. Drawing on her 37-year career at GEICO—including leadership of a $2.5B P&L—and her current work building Marstella, Maria explains why HR risks losing its strategic seat when it speaks only in HR metrics instead of business outcomes. Together, they explore how quantifying the true cost of hiring, onboarding, training, and turnover can fundamentally change executive decision-making—from smarter workforce planning to more targeted investments in technology and development. Maria outlines why “a lot” is not a number, how lifecycle cost visibility creates accountability across leaders, and why […]
#HRTechChat: Jeff Smith of 15Five on Building Better Managers in the Age of AI
In this episode of #HRTechChat, Nicole Roberts sits down with Jeff Smith, COO of 15Five, to unpack what it really takes to build better managers in an era of AI, constant change, and overflowing HR to-do lists. A psychologist by training with deep R&D and product experience, Jeff brings a rare lens on how organizations can redesign systems, expectations, and technology to truly support people leaders—not just measure them. They dig into the mounting pressure on HR and managers, the shift from “HR owns all people issues” to shared accountability, and why management has to be treated as a daily practice, not a one-time promotion. Jeff explains how tools like 15Five and Kona AI can turn everyday one-on-ones into continuous performance data, simplify review cycles, […]
Analyst Insight: What Makes a Certified Great Place To Work Company
Many careers pages today seem to carry a badge: “Great Place To Work Certified.” But to the job market, what does it typically signal, and where does it fall short? As an analyst engaging with HR leaders, employees, and HR tech vendors, it seems like Great Place To Work certification is seen less as the sole indicator of a “good company” and more as part of a body of evidence that includes retention statistics, internal mobility metrics, cultural trends, and employee feedback initiatives. Taking a Closer Look Great Place To Work (GPTW) is a workplace culture consultancy that has spent over 30 years researching employee experience and positioning itself as a global authority on workplace culture. GPTW says more than 10,000 companies across 60 countries […]
Video: Human in the Loop or Just a Checkbox? Rethinking AI in HR and Support
In today’s video, Nicholas Biron break down a growing problem in both customer service and employee experience: AI is being used as a barrier, not an enabler. Vendors love to talk about “human in the loop,” but in reality, that human is usually sitting behind the scenes, not where customers and employees actually interact. The result? Frustration, loss of empathy, and an experience that feels increasingly robotic. He shares real example; from trying to reach a live agent at major providers, to a recent doctor’s visit where AI-driven prompts replaced real human connection, to how AI is affecting performance management. But it’s not all doom and gloom. AI can dramatically improve experience when used correctly. Payroll support is a great example, where AI agents can […]
Council Guest Post: HR Transformation: Effective Communication Strategies
Building Trust and Engagement through transparent and effective communication Introduction The landscape of Human Resources (HR) is continuously evolving, driven by technological advancements, globalization, and changing workforce dynamics. As organizations seek to stay competitive, HR transformation has become a vital process. However, any transformation journey can be fraught with challenges, and one of the most critical aspects of navigating these challenges is ensuring transparent and effective communication. Effective communication strategies not only facilitate the smooth implementation of changes but also build trust and engagement among employees. The Importance of Communication in HR Transformation Initiative Communication is the lifeblood of any organizational change. In the context of HR transformation, it ensures that all stakeholders are informed, engaged, and aligned with the transformation goals. Transparent communication helps […]
Video: Are Vendors Losing by Overloading on AI Features?
In this video, Nicholas Biron discusses a growing trend in vendor presentations: overloading audiences with AI features instead of focusing on solving real business problems. He shares observations from virtual analyst updates and emphasizes that line-of-business executives often lack advanced AI sophistication. Vendors are urged to differentiate by addressing customer challenges and practical outcomes rather than feature dumps.
Research Agenda: 2026 Go-to-Market B2B
Introduction Building on the insights and conversations from the 2025 GTM Research Agenda, this year’s focus deepens our understanding of how efficiency, authenticity, and AI collaboration are shaping modern go-to-market strategies. Through discussions with industry leaders and operators, we’ve identified emerging intersections between human creativity, data-driven precision, and automation. The 2026 agenda continues this exploration, emphasizing community-driven learning and practical application across the GTM ecosystem. These topics remain working hypotheses but have matured through initial discovery and community conversations. They are shared here to invite continued exploration and deeper dialogue with practitioners, vendors, and operators. Rather than presenting final positions, our intent is to surface the most relevant and timely GTM questions for 2026. We will continue to solicit input, opinions, and insights from practitioners […]
Small Gestures, Big Impact: Elevating Customer Experience in HR Technology
In our calls with multiple HR tech end-users in 2025, Nick Biron and I repeatedly came across a similar theme: when vendors appear similar on paper, service and genuine human relationships often become the real differentiators. This ties into a video Nick recently shared with me that touches on the concept of creating ‘moments that matter’ in sales and customer service. It’s those moments where a vendor goes just a little bit further than they need to to make you feel special or like your specific needs are being heard. According to the presenter, a 10% improvement across seven such moments can “double” revenue with that customer. I’m not sure the math is that simple, but anecdotally, it tracks with what we hear in HR […]
Zero Trust in the Age of AI: Why Enterprise Security Principles Are Becoming the Blueprint for Digital Trust
As enterprises wrestle with how to adopt AI responsibly, they’re rediscovering the same lesson cybersecurity mastered years ago: trust must be earned, verified, and continuously monitored. The Trust Recession in Technology I recently had the opportunity to sit down with John Armstrong, Senior Product Marketing Manager for Application & Network Security at Ivanti. Our conversation started with Ivanti’s approach to cybersecurity and the growing importance of Zero Trust. But as these conversations often do, it quickly expanded. We found ourselves talking not only about the challenges of securing networks but also about the growing challenge of trusting artificial intelligence. That connection between cybersecurity and AI is not accidental. Both domains are struggling with the same fundamental problem: trust. Cybersecurity spent decades building systems to verify […]
Video: Nicholas Biron on Software Demos – Why Sales Engagement Beats Features
In this video, Nick Biron from 3Sixty Insights shares a key insight from working with software buyers: features and functionality are no longer the primary differentiator, they have become table stakes. What really wins deals is how sales teams engage, listen, and respond during the buying process. Nick highlights a common pitfall: the “show up and throw up” demo, where vendors rush through features without interacting with the customer. Instead, he recommends interactive, consultative demos that start with understanding the customer’s needs, pause to gather feedback, and highlight what truly differentiates the platform. The takeaway: superior software alone is not enough. Sales teams that prioritize engagement and responsiveness are the ones that win.
GTM Innovators: The GEO Playbook – How Partner Marketing Fuels AI Discoverability with Michael Cole
In this episode of GTM Innovators, host Kyle James sits down with Michael Cole, SVP of Marketing at Everflow, to explore how Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) is redefining the rules of search and discoverability. As AI tools like ChatGPT and Gemini become the new front doors to information, long-tail SEO is giving way to a world driven by citations, partnerships, and authentic content. Michael shares how leading brands are adapting—building relationships with publishers, rethinking affiliate strategies, and creating human-led content that fuels visibility across AI-powered ecosystems. If you’ve ever wondered what replaces SEO in the age of AI, this conversation is your new playbook. Subscript to GMT Innovators Series on the following platforms: SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/research-859405782 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLsoV6fwX4cpGR2Hg98rc1e1k2-cOqCbhb Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1gvDzcl0jxpPIfu9WYu6U4 iHeartReadio: https://iheart.com/podcast/258127960/ Pandora: https://www.pandora.com/podcast/gtm-innovators/PC:1001097038 iTunes: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/gtm-innovators/id1790738579 Amazon: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/1b000615-31cc-49dd-a5d8-f80d5098bf2d/gtm-innovators […]
AT&T’s Market-Based Culture Shift and What It Reveals About the Future of Work – Part 2 of 2
AT&T’s Market-Based Culture Shift and What It Reveals About the Future of Work Part 2 of 2: What It Means for the Job Market, HR Leaders, and the Future of Performance Management Editors note: This is the second part of a two part series on this topic. For the first part, you can find it here [hyperlink]. In my first installment of this series, I broke down AT&T CEO John Stankey’s memo to employees and what it reveals about the company’s shift toward a market-based culture — one focused on competition, accountability, and performance metrics. In this follow-up, I explore how that shift fits within today’s job market and what it means for HR and leadership. Is This What the Modern Job Market is Asking […]