I recently saw a list posted on LinkedIn from Antonio Calco’ Labruzzo, Senior VP of People and Culture at Arcera GenMed, that highlighted several roles HR is now expected to lead based on a graphic created by Hacking HR. The roles included AI governance, workforce design, ethical tech decisions, analytics, and scenario planning. All of them demand judgment that most people were never trained to use. Organizations are trying to keep up, but the expectations are moving faster than the education that supports them. Universities can take years to update curriculum, but technology can shift direction in a month. That gap leaves leaders responsible for decisions that sit outside what they learned in school or in their early careers. It is also affecting employees because they are being asked to adopt skills they never anticipated. So, how can everyone keep up when our education system and work training is based on what was needed in the past rather than the future?
Why Are HR Teams Being Asked To Do Work No One Prepared Them For?
HR is being pulled into work that earlier generations never had to consider, and the shift happened so quickly that many teams are trying to build the plane while flying it. The perception of HR as a support function faded almost overnight. Now the expectation is that HR steps into decisions about technology, ethics, capability, culture, and organizational risk.
New job titles can really be a sign of something deeper in terms of HR responsibility. If HR is asked to make choices, that can shape the future of the business. For example, when HR is part of AI governance conversations, those decisions reach every corner of the organization. Or when HR has to weigh in on ethical technology questions, that can define the standards that guide behavior.
The challenge is that many of the systems and structures around HR were built for a slower world. They weren’t designed for AI speed, competing priorities, or the constant pressure to make decisions when not all the information is clear. So, HR ends up absorbing responsibilities that require strong judgment without always having the tools or training to support it. That is why the work can feel more demanding than ever.
Is HR Building Skills For The Future Or Relying On Skills From The Past?
A lot of organizations still rely on training that worked well years ago. Communication basics, compliance, and performance management are valuable skills, but they don’t always prepare people for the types of decisions they now face. AI trust, workforce architecture, ethical choices, and data interpretation require different ways of thinking.
The bigger skill gap is the ability to understand how one choice affects everything around it. I noticed that Dave Ulrich, one of the most respected voices in HR, joined the conversation on LinkedIn about these emerging roles. I have always appreciated his perspective, and when I interviewed him in the past, he talked about how HR creates value by building the capabilities an organization needs for the future. He recently highlighted how the skills rising in importance are tied to systemic thinking, culture shaping, strategic clarity, and the ability to anticipate how decisions will influence people and outcomes. That insight supports what many HR leaders are feeling right now because the expectations have shifted toward deeper judgment rather than task-driven work. That kind of systemic awareness helps people see early signs of risk, pressure points in culture, and the ripple effects that can shape behavior across teams. Courage also plays a role because AI ethics and experience design require leaders to make thoughtful choices when the right answer is not always obvious. HR is often the group people turn to when they need clarity during those moments. These skills aren’t taught in most development programs, which is why so many teams feel like the ground is moving under their feet.
Which Roles Are HR Teams Least Prepared To Lead?
Some roles ask more from HR than most people realize. AI governance sits at the top because it requires an understanding of data, bias, fairness, trust, and long-term impact. Ethical tech decisions are close behind. These conversations involve privacy, transparency, consent, and human behavior. Most HR leaders were never formally trained for this.
Workforce design is another area that has changed dramatically. It used to be mostly about headcount. Now it touches capability planning, organizational design, workflow, and how different types of work fit together. It calls for a different level of curiosity and long-term thinking.
Analytics and scenario planning add to the pressure. Many teams can report information, but interpreting patterns and turning them into insight is a different skill entirely. Scenario planning asks leaders to imagine multiple futures before choosing a direction, which can feel uncomfortable for anyone used to solving immediate problems.
How Can Organizations Help HR Build The Judgment These Roles Require?
One of the most helpful ways to support HR is to make learning feel continuous rather than overwhelming. Short, frequent learning sessions can give people a chance to understand how AI works, what ethical issues to watch for, and how analytics can help them make sense of patterns. The goal isn’t to turn HR into engineers, but to help people feel confident asking the right questions.
Leaders also make better decisions when they have a moment to slow down. When everything feels urgent, people fall back on what they already know. When they take a breath and restate what they understand in their own words, the picture becomes clearer. Team conversations help with this too because people hear how others interpret the same information, which builds confidence and insight.
Staying calm under uncertainty is becoming a critical strength. These areas move quickly, and people need to feel steady even when the answer isn’t obvious. Clear communication also helps. When leaders explain why a decision matters, teams feel more grounded and can move forward with more clarity.
What Helps HR Teams Stay Current As The Skills Continue To Shift?
It becomes much easier to stay current when learning is part of everyday work rather than something people try to squeeze in when they have time. Brief updates about trends in AI, analytics, or workforce shifts give teams a sense of what is coming without overwhelming them. Asking clarifying questions builds understanding, especially when the topic is new or unfamiliar. Many of these new responsibilities will continue to evolve, and the speed of change isn’t slowing. HR teams can grow into these roles when they have the space to explore what is changing and why it matters. The shift from support to strategy is already here, and the organizations that invest in thinking skills will help their people feel confident leading through whatever comes next.
What Do HR Leaders Recommend To Stay Ahead?
The most consistent advice I hear from HR leaders doing this well is to treat learning as something you touch every day, not something you schedule once a year. Ten-minute refreshers, simple explanations of new tools, quick conversations about what changed in the last week, and time to ask questions without feeling rushed make a bigger difference than long training programs. It helps people build confidence gradually, which is what prepares them for the newer responsibilities that keep popping up.