The integration of generative artificial intelligence (AI) in the human resources (HR) departments of major companies Rolls Royce and Conagra is a cutting-edge development promising to revolutionize traditional HR functions. Both companies have been piloting the Galileo tool for the past eight months. Developed by the Josh Bersin Company, this generative AI tool aims to modernize talent development, enhance HR efficiency, and facilitate internal processes. Here’s an in-depth look at how Rolls Royce and Conagra are leveraging AI to transform their HR operations.
Introduction to the Galileo Tool
Overview of Galileo
Rolls Royce and Conagra have embarked on a journey to enhance their HR functions by incorporating the Galileo tool. This generative AI tool acts as an HR “copilot,” providing a repository of articles, research, interviews, best practices, vendor information, benchmarks, case studies, and professional development tools amassed over 25 years. The predefined prompts assist with various HR tasks, including hiring, onboarding, performance management, training, skills taxonomies, workforce planning, and pay equity implementation.The primary goal of implementing Galileo is to assist HR professionals in modernizing their strategies and operations. For both companies, the tool is helping to bridge the gap between traditional HR practices and the demands of a modern workforce. Galileo offers rapid content creation, thereby reducing the time spent on manual research and allowing HR teams to focus on strategic initiatives. This functionality can be especially crucial in adapting to ongoing changes in the workforce and in industry standards.
Purpose and Potential of Galileo
Galileo’s potential extends beyond simple task automation; it aims to be a transformative force in HR departments. By facilitating continuous learning and skill-building, the tool helps HR professionals stay abreast of the latest trends and best practices within their field. This feature ensures that professionals can focus on high-impact activities rather than routine administrative duties. The repository of knowledge and resources allows HR departments to create bespoke solutions swiftly and efficiently, making the entire department more agile.Moreover, the tool’s capacity for integrating vast amounts of internal documentation makes it customizable for specific organizational needs. This level of customization not only improves the usability of Galileo but also ensures that sensitive information remains secure within the company’s infrastructure. As organizations grow and evolve, the ability to tailor tools like Galileo becomes indispensable for maintaining the relevance and effectiveness of HR strategies.
Rolls Royce’s Approach to Generative AI
Upskilling HR Professionals
Rolls Royce employs approximately 400 internal HR professionals and has around 42,000 employees globally. Currently, only a select few have access to Galileo, but there are plans to scale its use. The primary application of Galileo at Rolls Royce revolves around upskilling the HR team and enhancing knowledge sharing across the organization. By leveraging Galileo, the company aims to create training frameworks and address specific HR needs swiftly, thereby fostering continuous skill-building and knowledge dissemination. This approach aligns with the broader organizational aim of maintaining a cutting-edge workforce well-equipped to handle modern challenges.Galileo’s capabilities make it easier for HR professionals at Rolls Royce to develop content quickly, such as training modules and employee development programs. Mary Glowacka, global head of learning and leadership development at Rolls Royce, points out that the tool supports evolving skills and behaviors daily. This continual evolution creates an environment conducive to constant skill-building, which is essential in an industry known for rapid technological advancements and ever-changing requirements.
Breaking Down Silos
The implementation of Galileo has also played a crucial role in breaking down silos within the HR functions at Rolls Royce. The tool facilitates an integrated approach to HR tasks, enabling more comprehensive and cohesive strategies. This integrated approach ensures that HR professionals are not working in isolation but rather collaborating and leveraging collective knowledge. By breaking these silos, Rolls Royce ensures that its HR department can operate more effectively and deliver consistent results.Galileo’s smart prompts and comprehensive resource pool encourage an environment where cross-functional collaboration becomes the norm rather than the exception. This culture shift is significant in large organizations, where different departments might otherwise operate in isolation. By fostering a culture of collaboration, Rolls Royce maximizes the potential of its HR professionals, ensuring they can contribute more holistically to the company’s mission and goals.
Addressing Security Concerns
Given Rolls Royce’s high-profile nature and the frequent cyberattack attempts it encounters, there are significant security considerations associated with using AI tools like Galileo. Consequently, the deployment of Galileo is carefully planned and controlled to ensure that sensitive data and operations remain protected. This controlled usage is essential to mitigate risks and safeguard the company’s assets, highlighting the critical balance between technological adoption and security.Security measures are of paramount importance, especially in industries where sensitive data can be a lucrative target for cybercriminals. Rolls Royce ensures that all data accessed and generated by Galileo is subject to rigorous security protocols. By doing so, they maintain the delicate balance of leveraging AI advancements while keeping their proprietary and sensitive information secure. This dual focus on innovation and security exemplifies how companies can cautiously yet effectively integrate AI into their critical HR functions.
Conagra’s Implementation of Generative AI
Meeting Workforce Demands
Conagra’s HR talent transformation team, consisting of 11 members, supports roughly 75 HR business partners who manage various HR functions for different business units such as sales, finance, legal, and supply chain. The company faces significant challenges in addressing the needs of its large workforce, which includes 5,000 salaried and 18,000 hourly employees. Galileo has become an indispensable tool in managing these demands, ensuring consistency in content and guidelines through its evolving intelligence.The tool assists the HR talent team in creating standardized content, thereby reducing discrepancies and manual errors that may arise when different teams operate independently. Lisa Evans, senior director of talent management at Conagra, highlights that Galileo’s evolving intelligence assists in creating business cases, leadership programs, and a center of excellence in talent development. This versatility allows Conagra to meet the diverse needs of its extensive and diverse workforce.
Enhancing HR Initiatives
With 100 licenses for Galileo primarily used by the HR talent team and certain HR business partners, Conagra has significantly bolstered its HR initiatives. The tool aids in creating various critical HR documents, including business cases and leadership programs. Galileo’s ability to upload internal documents further enhances its utility, making it more tailored and secure for the organization’s needs. This functionality allows the HR team to build on existing knowledge and ensure that best practices are consistently applied across the board.Moreover, the seamless integration of Galileo into Conagra’s existing HR infrastructure has improved the speed and efficiency with which HR tasks are completed. Instead of manually compiling data and creating frameworks, HR professionals can now rely on Galileo’s repository of research, benchmarks, and best practices. This capability ensures that the company can quickly adapt to external changes and internal requirements, maintaining a dynamic and agile HR environment.
Streamlining Succession Planning
A key objective for Conagra is to streamline and centralize its succession planning framework. Moving away from disparate Excel sheets to a more cohesive system, the company aims to use Galileo to improve visibility into employee skills and career paths, thereby eliminating bias and making more data-driven decisions. This move towards centralization is expected to significantly improve the transparency and efficiency of succession planning processes, enabling Conagra to better anticipate and plan for future leadership needs.The tool’s role in succession planning is not merely limited to creating a centralized database; it goes further by using data analytics to provide insights into employee performance and potential. These insights help HR professionals at Conagra to make more informed and objective decisions regarding employee development and career progression. By minimizing biases and enhancing data visibility, Galileo contributes to a more equitable and effective talent management strategy.
Common Themes in AI Integration
Focus on Continuous Learning and Upskilling
Both Rolls Royce and Conagra place a strong emphasis on continuous learning and upskilling within their HR teams. Galileo serves as a significant resource by providing quick access to valuable knowledge and best practices. This capability enables HR teams to stay updated and improve their functionalities continuously. The emphasis on upskilling is crucial for adapting to the ever-evolving demands of the modern workforce, ensuring that HR professionals remain relevant and effective in their roles.This focus on continuous learning aligns well with the broader trend in modern work environments, where lifelong learning is increasingly considered essential for career growth. By integrating tools like Galileo, both companies can facilitate a culture of perpetual learning, encouraging HR professionals to continually seek out new knowledge and skills. This proactive approach helps both organizations maintain a competitive edge in talent development.
Improving Efficiency and Speed
The efficiency and speed afforded by Galileo are substantial benefits that both Rolls Royce and Conagra share. By automating and streamlining various HR processes, such as framework creation and training development, Galileo allows HR teams to focus more on strategic initiatives rather than administrative tasks. This increased efficiency not only enhances HR effectiveness but also contributes to better overall organizational performance.With Galileo handling much of the routine data collection and analysis, HR professionals can devote more time to high-value activities such as strategic planning and employee engagement. This shift in focus can lead to more innovative HR strategies and programs that contribute significantly to the company’s success. The enhanced speed in completing HR tasks also means that Rolls Royce and Conagra can respond more swiftly to changes in the workforce and market conditions.
Data-Driven Decision Making
Leveraging AI for data-driven decisions is a priority for both Rolls Royce and Conagra. Utilizing comprehensive data for better talent management and succession planning, Galileo supports centralized and consistent decision-making frameworks. This data-driven approach is critical for managing large and complex workforces effectively, ensuring that decisions are based on solid evidence rather than intuition or guesswork.Data-driven decision-making enhances the ability to predict trends and outcomes, thereby making HR strategies more proactive rather than reactive. For instance, identifying skill gaps or predicting employee turnover can help both companies implement timely interventions. This predictive capability is invaluable for maintaining workforce stability and optimizing talent management, aligning well with the long-term goals of both Rolls Royce and Conagra.
Security and Customization Concerns
The incorporation of generative artificial intelligence (AI) in the human resources (HR) departments of major companies like Rolls Royce and Conagra represents a groundbreaking shift in traditional HR functions. Over the past eight months, both companies have been experimenting with the Galileo tool, a generative AI innovation developed by the Josh Bersin Company. This tool is designed to modernize talent development, streamline HR processes, and improve overall efficiency within the HR domain.By integrating AI into their HR frameworks, Rolls Royce and Conagra aim to transform how they manage human capital. The use of the Galileo tool promises to refine various HR tasks such as recruiting, employee evaluations, and training programs, allowing for a more data-driven approach to managing people. For example, AI can help in identifying skill gaps, recommending training modules, and even forecasting future workforce needs based on current trends.The advancements brought by this AI tool can lead to significant time savings and more informed decision-making, ultimately enhancing the employee experience. It also aids in simplifying complex administrative tasks and reducing the likelihood of human errors, thereby fostering a more efficient operational environment. This innovative approach stands to benefit not only HR departments but also the overall organizational performance by enabling a more agile and responsive workforce structure.
