#HRTechChat: David Edwards on the “Last Mile” from Data to Decisions

Posted on March 5, 2026March 4, 2026 by Nicole Roberts

In this episode of #HRTechChat, Nicole Roberts (Senior Analyst & Advisor, 3Sixty Insights) is joined by David Edwards—strategic workforce planning practitioner, advisor, and author of The Strategic Workforce Planning Handbook—for a candid conversation about the gap between SWP theory and the messy reality of execution. David explains why strategic workforce planning still suffers from an identity crisis (too many definitions, too many expectations), and why organizations keep getting trapped in short-term thinking that freezes out long-term capability building. Together, they unpack why chasing “perfect data” can be just as risky as oversimplifying, and why the real skill leaders need—especially as AI accelerates planning inputs—is judgment: knowing what’s decision-grade, what matters most, and what to do next. The conversation also tackles the evolving role of managers, […]

#HRTechChat: Aman Kaur-Shaik on Why AI Adoption in HR Starts with Knowledge, Data, and Culture

Posted on March 4, 2026March 4, 2026 by Dylan Teggart

In this episode of #HRTechChat, Dylan Teggart speaks with Aman Kaur-Shaik—HR Director at Nutrien, member of the 3SixtyInsights Global Executive Advisory Council, and a 2024 Global Top 100 HR Executive—about what it really takes for organizations to adopt AI successfully. Aman explains why the biggest barrier to AI adoption isn’t the technology itself, but the environment organizations have built around it. From fragmented knowledge bases and outdated policies to inconsistent data and unclear guardrails, many HR teams are trying to layer advanced AI tools on top of systems that were never designed for them. Together, they explore why the hype around AI is beginning to settle, how HR leaders can move from experimentation to practical adoption, and why starting with strong knowledge management and data […]

Rethinking Recurring Revenue: Why Customer Retention Is the Real Growth Strategy

Posted on February 19, 2026February 19, 2026 by Nicholas Biron and Kyle James

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 […]

3Sixty Insights - Research Agenda - Thumbnail

Research Agenda: Workforce Strategy, HR Enablement & HR Technology in an AI-Augmented World

Posted on February 17, 2026February 17, 2026 by Nicole Roberts

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

Posted on February 5, 2026February 5, 2026 by Dylan Teggart and 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 […]

Are GTM Teams Vibe Coding Before They Commit to Platforms Like Gainsight?

Posted on January 29, 2026January 29, 2026 by Kyle James

In many cases, GTM software underdelivers not because it lacks capability, but because teams commit to it before they are operationally ready to absorb it. That observation has been coming up with increasing frequency in recent conversations with customer success leaders, RevOps teams, and GTM executives. Not as a complaint about specific vendors, and not as a rejection of platforms altogether, but as a quieter shift in when buying decisions are made. Instead of moving directly from problem recognition to platform purchase, some teams are inserting a new step in between: building lightweight, AI-assisted internal tools to pressure-test workflows before committing to a full solution. What’s emerging looks less like “build versus buy” and more like “build to get ready.” Let’s Discuss a Recent Example This signal surfaced during a recent episode of the Prompted […]

HR Must Speak the Language of the Business or Be Excluded from the Decisions That Matter

Posted on January 29, 2026January 29, 2026 by Nicole Roberts

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

Posted on January 28, 2026January 28, 2026 by Nicholas Biron

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 […]

Community, Purpose, and the Time AI Gives Back

Posted on January 26, 2026January 26, 2026 by Kyle James

If you had ten more hours a week starting tomorrow, what would you do with them? Why not start now? A Hundred-Year-Old Warning About the Future of Work In 1930, right in the middle of the Great Depression, John Maynard Keynes, often described as the father of Keynesian economics, wrote an essay called Economic Possibilities for Our Grandchildren. It was an odd time to be thinking optimistically about the future. Jobs were disappearing, economies were struggling, and uncertainty was everywhere. Instead of focusing on short-term recovery, Keynes stepped back and asked a much bigger question. What happens to society when technological progress reduces the need for human labor? Keynes believed productivity would keep improving and that, over time, humanity would largely solve what he called the […]

GTM Innovators: Why AI Is Making Average Marketing Easier and Great Marketing Rarer

Posted on January 12, 2026January 11, 2026 by Kyle James

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

Posted on January 7, 2026January 30, 2026 by Nicole Roberts

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

Posted on December 12, 2025January 5, 2026 by Nicole Roberts

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, […]

Video: Human in the Loop or Just a Checkbox? Rethinking AI in HR and Support

Posted on December 10, 2025December 10, 2025 by Nicholas Biron

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 […]

Efficiency, Precision, and Discovery: Lessons from Vanillasoft’s Marketing Leaders

Posted on December 4, 2025December 3, 2025 by Kyle James

As part of our ongoing Go-to-Market (GTM) Research, I recently sat down with Jeannie Zaemes, Senior Vice President of Marketing, and James Bishop, Vice President of Marketing at Vanillasoft, for an open conversation about how marketing and GTM strategies and programs are evolving. Vanillasoft is a leader in sales engagement and lead management, giving marketing and sales teams a structured and consistent way to reach prospects, respond quickly, and convert more opportunities. The platform helps organizations streamline outreach, focus on the right accounts, and run GTM programs that are both efficient and precise. By unifying workflows and surfacing actionable signals, Vanillasoft enables customers to turn data into real discovery and momentum in their pipeline. What unfolded was a candid discussion about the state of modern marketing and how efficiency, data precision, and […]

Video: Executive Turnover Is Disrupting Business – Here’s How to Keep Momentum

Posted on December 2, 2025December 2, 2025 by Nicholas Biron

In this video Nicholas Biron explores the rising challenge of short executive tenures, now averaging around 18 months, and how this trend disrupts organizational strategy, marketing plans, and product execution. Drawing on research and firsthand observations, Nicholas emphasizes the importance of leadership retention and institutional knowledge for business success. He cautions that frequent executive changes can stall momentum, create strategic uncertainty, and ultimately hinder organizational growth.

Research Agenda: 2026 Go-to-Market B2B

Posted on November 18, 2025November 20, 2025 by Kyle James

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 […]

Zero Trust in the Age of AI: Why Enterprise Security Principles Are Becoming the Blueprint for Digital Trust

Posted on November 13, 2025November 13, 2025 by Kyle James

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 […]

GTM Innovators: The GEO Playbook – How Partner Marketing Fuels AI Discoverability with Michael Cole

Posted on October 27, 2025October 27, 2025 by Kyle James

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 1 of 2

Posted on October 21, 2025October 23, 2025 by Dylan Teggart

Part 1 of 2: Inside John Stankey’s Memo and the Rise of Market-Based Management at AT&T One piece of workplace-related news that I haven’t been able to get out of my head is the memo AT&T CEO John Stankey sent out to his company this summer. Stankey’s memo has garnered numerous (mostly negative) hot takes from analysts and influencers alike. Admittedly, I’m late to the party on addressing it. However, the reason I am now is because it seems to be evolving into an artifact of corporate transformation in real-time. I dove into the entirety of Stankey’s message and pulled out a few key concepts. Keep in mind, the “memo” is in fact a 4000-word essay that takes about 15 minutes to read on its […]

Council Guest Post: The Workplace AI Trap – When “Productivity Tools” Actually Make Work Harder

Posted on October 2, 2025October 2, 2025 by Alan Gold

Remember those mysterious farm implements from the Shelburne Museum I wrote about last week AI Is Not Always the Answer? Tools that clearly served important purposes in their time, but whose actual utility has been lost? That same disconnect between sophistication and usefulness is playing across the country as companies rush to deploy workplace AI. “We need to leverage AI to boost productivity,” executives announce, like archaeologists picking up an ancient tool and declaring it must be valuable because it looks complex. They’re so focused on having cutting-edge technology that they forget the most fundamental question every organization should ask: “Will this actually help our people do their jobs better?” With workplace AI spending projected to reach $79 billion by 2025, companies feel pressure to […]

Filter By