As AI moves from experimentation to enterprise-wide adoption, organizations are confronting a fundamental question: what does this mean for work, the workforce, and the role of HR?
For many leaders, the early focus has been on efficiency. The conversation has centered on how AI can automate tasks or improve productivity. But for Laura Adams, Global CHRO at JLL, the implications run much deeper. In her view, AI is not simply a tool. It is a catalyst for rethinking how work gets done, how organizations are structured, and how employees experience their roles.
In a recent conversation, we spoke with Laura Adams about how JLL is approaching AI, from workforce planning and role redesign to leadership and change management. One theme came through clearly. While technology may be the enabler, this transformation will ultimately be defined by people.
Michelle Yelaska: We have been thinking a lot about HR’s role in AI, especially as organizations move from experimentation to implementation. To start, what are the most immediate impacts you are seeing across your business right now?
Laura Adams: Our work today is centered on understanding and predicting AI’s impact on roles across JLL. We are looking at how much a role could be disrupted or augmented by AI, what new skills might be required in the future, and in some cases, if a role is at risk of going away altogether.
Sam Kuiper: And how are you translating that into workforce strategy?
Laura Adams: We have taken a structured approach across all our business units. First, we’ve built a tool that allows our talent team to analyze roles in the context of our business strategy. They look at the nature of the work, what is administrative, what is repeatable, and then estimate potential productivity gains.
Next in our process, we categorize roles based on their level of impact. What is administrative, what is repeatable, etc.? From there, we apply that analysis to our workforce. Let me give you an example: If you have 100 employees in a function today, we can model what that might look like in the future. Our analysis may suggest you need closer to 90. At the same time, we are asking ourselves, what roles do not exist today that we will need tomorrow? It is not just about reduction, it is about reshaping.
After we think about how roles will need to be reconfigured, we move into organizational design. If you have fewer employees, what does that mean for your management structure? And finally, we look at skills. What capabilities do people need to transition into new roles or operate in new ways?
Michelle Yelaska: How are you partnering with business leaders to drive this work?
Laura Adams: This is very real time for us, and we are forming our teams. Each team will include an HR business partner, a technology leader, a business leader, finance, and someone from transformation or change management. The technology expertise and roadmap are essential. We can’t make these people moves until the technology is there.
Sam Kuiper: How have you approached getting buy-in across the organization?
Laura Adams: We are starting where alignment is easiest, in our corporate functions. Those are centrally led, so we can move more quickly. In the business, it is more complex. Different segments operate differently, so we will phase that in. We are also prioritizing areas where technology is already in place. For example, in one part of the business, they have already built AI agents, so there is natural buy-in. In other areas, where the technology is more about incremental efficiency rather than fundamentally changing work, we will approach those later.
While we coordinate with the business, within HR, we’re already seeing productivity gains from technology. In recruiting, for example, we have changed the process entirely for high-volume roles. Sourcing, screening, and scheduling are all handled by an agent. The recruiter’s first interaction now is during the interview. That is not just faster. It changes the recruiter role itself.
Sam Kuiper: How has your own role evolved as a result of this?
Laura Adams: Quite a bit. One of our board members said recently that this is not a technology problem, it is a people problem, and that really stuck with me. Technology teams are building capabilities. But my role, and HR’s role, are to redefine how work gets done. That means looking at processes from end to end, which we have not always done, especially in knowledge-based work. There is a much greater emphasis now on work redesign, on organizational structure, and increasingly on change management.
And within change management, there is a strong focus on employee care. There is a lot of anxiety right now. People are asking what does AI mean for their jobs, whether they have the right skills, whether they will have roles in the future.
Michelle Yelaska: Where are you seeing the biggest areas of resistance to this change?
Laura Adams: I would not call it resistance so much as a mindset challenge. Leaders and managers are still learning how to think differently about work. It is uncomfortable. This requires reimagining processes, not just improving them. They need to adapt quickly, because change is happening quickly, which adds pressure. At the same time, managers still have day jobs and are being asked to deliver results while also redeploying talent, reskilling teams, and redesigning roles. That is a lot.
Michelle Yelaska: Looking ahead, what capabilities around AI do you think will be most important?
Laura Adams: Four skillsets come to mind. Process engineering is a big one, understanding workflows and how to redesign them. Critical thinking is another. You can’t just take outputs at face value. You have to question them and validate them. And then there is AI fluency. Every employee needs a baseline understanding of AI and how to apply it to their role. Finally, “human skills” like creativity, curiosity, emotional intelligence are not going away – in fact they will only become more important.
Sam Kuiper: We have also heard a lot about agility and adaptability. Does that resonate?
Laura Adams: Yes, very much. Change is no longer something that starts and stops. It is constant, so the ability to adapt quickly is critical. We need to also emphasize the human side of leadership. How do you support people through change? How do you keep them engaged? That emotional intelligence component is going to matter even more going forward.
Michelle Yelaska: What does that mean for managers specifically?
Laura Adams: Managers need to lead in a world where change is constant. Managers will need to communicate consistently the why behind changes, even as that why evolves. They need to help their teams stay focused on the work that matters most while navigating change. Once again, it comes back to people. How do you bring out the best in your talent in an environment that feels uncertain?
Sam Kuiper: What feels most urgent to you right now?
Laura Adams: Speed. We are in a race against time, and the pace of change is incredibly fast. There is a lot to keep up with, and it can feel overwhelming. But we cannot let that stop us, and I think one of the biggest risks is people freezing because it feels too much.
Michelle Yelaska: Any final thoughts on what this moment means for HR leaders?
Laura Adams: It is a really exciting time. CHROs have been on a journey for years to become strategic partners with a seat at the table. COVID amplified our position. AI is taking it even further. If this is truly a people transformation, then HR is at the center of it. We have an opportunity to shape how work evolves. This isn’t just for large organizations. AI is becoming more accessible and more affordable. Companies of all sizes need to take AI seriously, because it will change forever how everyone works.