At the same time, organizations are being asked to do more with less: reduce costs, limit risk, and maintain operational continuity – often with fewer people and leaner budgets than before. The winners will be organizations that reinvent their workforce. Executives report that workforce readiness is a significant barrier to transformation, as gaps in workforce preparedness block AI adoption and regulatory change is outpacing many organizations’ ability to adapt. In short, the pace and scope of change are accelerating, and legacy, fragmented HCM solutions were not designed for this moment.