Katherine Jones, Ph.D.

Unique as a thought leader for her ability to make theory actionable and technology comprehensible to non-technologists, Dr. Jones is a sought-after writer and speaker in the U.S. and internationally. Moving easily from the academic world to the worldwide technology stage, she has repeatedly created value propositions bridging technology and theory with the practical world of today's business. Whether working with systems integrators in the Federal arena, consultants in oil and gas, or small business owners, her clarity and wisdom – as well as her wit—has been appreciated and commended. Now an independent high-tech marketing analyst, she was previously responsible for the creation and provision of thought leadership content for a web-based membership program as a partner at Mercer and spent several years at Bersin & Associates both before and after its acquisition by Deloitte, where she was the VP heading the HCM technology research practice in Bersin by Deloitte. She became an industry analyst at Aberdeen Group in Boston, covering the ERP space, then human capital management in Palo Alto. Later, as marketing director for NetSuite, her efforts coincided with one of the more successful IPOs of that year. Before becoming an analyst, Katherine was in the Boston-area high-tech companies’ product marketing and strategic alliance management, specializing in data communications and network management. She spent several years in marketing education at a minicomputer company. She created new programs in high-tech sales and system engineer training and sold them to the Federal Government, leading a DDN certification project in the company’s Federal System Division. She had left a career in higher education administration and teaching, which included the assistant deanship in the School of Education at the University of Connecticut and responsibility for the Master of Arts in Teaching program in the English Department at Cornell University, where she was instrumental in the Improvement of Undergraduate Education project in the Provost’s office. An industry veteran and independent high-tech analyst, she is widely published on talent management and personnel-related technologies, cybersecurity, ERP and HCM systems implementations, change management, and the mid-market, totaling over 500 works in print. Her master’s and doctorate degrees are from Cornell University. She can be reached at [email protected] or @katherine_jones.

ESG: Environmental, Social, and Governance Accountability – The Elephant that Cannot be Ignored.

ESG is the elephant in today’s boardrooms. And, as we know, what’s in the boardroom affects the entire organization. Post-pandemic business priorities have created pressure to address ESG issues, not just from consumers and investors but also employees and applicants. Buyers want to purchase from companies they see as ethical, and job candidates seek positions […]

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Facing Fear in the Workplace

In response to rising healthcare and absenteeism costs, employers and tech vendors emphasized wellness – keeping employees healthy and fit – concepts that spread to overall well-being, including financial, social, and psychological health. The pandemic taught managers much about the importance of physical wellness in the workplace — including expanding “workplace” to mean wherever their

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Planning for the Unknown: HR’s Responsibility in Disaster Preparedness

Disaster recovery is one area where prevention is the best medicine. Unfortunately, as many incidents that can adversely affect the workplace cannot be prevented, risk analysis and preparedness prove the next best course of action. HR professionals aim to ensure the safety of their workforce and any contractor or vendors on their property, minimize damage

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The Holy Grail of Data-Driven Workforce Planning – The Back Story

A decade ago, I wrote a column for Workforce Solutions Review urging HR professionals to look beyond short-term workforce planning. At that time, when businesses were clawing out of a recessionary period, I implored readers to move from the tactical to the strategic: What is strategic workforce planning?  It is a holistic framework within which

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The HR Professional’s Top Ten To-Do’s to Start 2023 Right

You have survived—and maybe even thrived—as an HR professional through 2022, a year that saw some back-to-the-office movements post-pandemic and a great deal of volatility that is likely to continue into 2023: international recession fears, geopolitical unrest, and economic ups and downs across the globe. So now, as we get ready to address a fresh

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Roadmaps for Challenging Times: Preparing for Bumps

We in HR often throw words around, some- times a bit carelessly. Consider “strategy.” We likely all agree that a strategy is a plan of action or policy designed to achieve a long-term major or overall aim. And a “roadmap” outlines how we are going to attack that strategy: the order that relevant steps need

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3-Ring Circus of Digital Experience in a Hybrid World

HR professionals may not have thought of themselves as acrobats, ringmasters or lion-tamers, but now is the time to consider juggling the three-ring circus that is HR’s responsibility in today’s world of work. Confronting the escalating issues of diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI), skill shortages, employee engagement and churn issues, upskilling in analytics, and AI

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While You Were Working at Home: Enter AI

Technology didn’t stand still in the pandemic: tech changes very likely occurred in your workplace while employees were working at home. Coupled with the day-to-day changes of the new hybrid workplace, HR professionals will need to be prepared to wrestle with the impact on many fronts as they try to balance new product integration, introduction,

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