ELE brings leaders together across companies and industries to work through the messy stuff: decisions, risk, handoffs, execution drag, and what it takes to move from idea to action.

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Figure out if ELE is for you. Straight answers on what ELE is, who it’s built for, and how contributing members actually work together. Still have a question? Contact us.

ELE Group, LLC

Session Focus: Explore practical strategies for navigating, managing, and leading change in today’s environment—where adaptability isn’t optional, it’s the core of how we work.

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The workforce is changing fast—with an estimated 78 million new jobs expected globally by 2030, pervasive skill gaps, and the rise of AI as a "cognitive industrial revolution." In this highly dynamic environment, adaptability isn't optional; it's the core of how we work.

Access this discussion with Jennifer Rainey to explore practical, human-centered strategies for talent development. The discussion covers critical trends, from rapid job transformation to the business risk posed by loneliness in the workforce. You'll learn what these trends mean for talent leaders, including the need for programs to be agile, scalable, and future-focused.

Discover how to leverage Empathy Mapping as a strategic tool to understand your audience and build inclusive, adaptive programs. The session also details ways to use AI to enhance—not replace—human-centered design and decision-making. Learn to deliver personalized, micro-learning at scale and integrate fragmented training into cohesive development frameworks. Walk away with actionable ideas to conduct strategic workforce planning and design for connection, psychological safety, and well-being.

</div>
<div>Recommended Reading
To further explore the power of human-centered leadership and organizational transformation, we encourage you to check out <a href="https://www.ele.llc/members/bookshelf/becoming-a-human-organization-transforming-work-touching-lives" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Becoming a Human Organization, Transforming Work, Touching Lives</a> by Azizeh Constantinescu. Her book offers a unique look at how principles of ancient wisdom can be applied to foster collegial respect, belonging, and growth in today's workplaces.</div>
<div><img class="aligncenter" src="https://wp.ele.llc/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Becoming-a-Human-Organization-book.jpg" alt="" /></div>
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This session will offer HR Talent leaders actionable insights from industry leaders on transforming rigid structures into adaptive networks that empower employees across all levels.
ELE produces this Learning Circle: Reskilling Talent Development.

ELE's <a title="ELE's Idea Exchange" href="/idea-exchange/">Idea Exchange</a>: Collaborate online with your peers.

Innovate and Adapt

single-event

future of work

leadership

Your Teams

Learning Circles

dirk.tussing

Change Management

talent development

Complimentary

online event

complimentary event

business transformation

Leadership

continuous learning

reskilling

organizational change

emmployee engagement

jennifer.rainey

matt.sernaker

adaptability

HR leadership

HR strategies

Change Readiness

adaptive leadership

innovation culture

teaming techniques

4Q2025

Leading Change

Navigating Change

Rush Health

Session Focus: How are Organizational Development and Learning &amp; Development Structures Evolving?

As Teresa Oliszewicz is building a new team that consists of people accountable for learning &amp; development, leadership development, employee engagement (including surveys), performance management, change management, new employee/leader orientation, etc., she is interested to know how other organizations are structuring their teams that work on those things.

Sometimes we this type of group is labeled as either Organizational Development or Organizational Effectiveness.

What are you calling your group?

While most companies have fundamental talent development and management processes in place, few have managed to consistently execute and integrate such capabilities across the organization. Few organizations report consistent execution of talent management practices across all regions in which they operate. In addition, organizations have done little to integrate talent practices with other talent initiatives.

Let’s <a href="https://community.learningexecutive.com/t/org-chart-of-your-organizational-development-and-learning-development-structure/4432">continue this Idea Exchange discussion</a> live with an experienced panel as we discuss how we approach transforming the talent in their organizations from Selection through Succession. We likely will dive into:

💥 How are Organizational Development and Learning &amp; Development structures evolving?

💥 How assessments enable a high-impact talent strategy from selection through onboarding, development, and succession.

💥 What are effective approaches organizations take to integrate talent practices and processes with other business and HR processes?

💥 What challenges and gaps can occur when talent and HR processes are not aligned/integrated?

💥 How do non-traditional learning and development methods, including coaching, advance the development of employees?

ELE’s Learning Circle will be ideating Retooling Talent Development for the New Normal.
<ul>
 	<li>How Do We in L&amp;D Add Unexpected Value?</li>
 	<li>Why does it matter?</li>
</ul>

Transforming Organizational Development and Learning & Development

learning strategy

Integrated Talent Management

richard.busby

samir.desai

transformation

operations

learning culture

jesse.james

assessments

learning &amp; development

teresa.oliszewicz

Automating HR

Adding Value

Organization Development

strategic alignment

process management

Session Focus: How HR Leaders can take advantage of reinventing talent development now that COVID-19 has changed the workplace.

In this 90-minute Culture Shaping Learning Circle, ELE will facilitate a discussion around how Covid-19 has become the ultimate Work Culture Disruptor and how businesses can take advantage of reinventing themselves or restoring valuable practices.

✅ Middle-Manager Mindset: Change can get tangled in this space quite often. How can we create a space for Middle-Manage to be a change champion?

✅ Remote Engagement: Ideas for Collaborative Tools --where are the virtual whiteboards and sticky notes? How does your business leverage collaborative tools - for free and for a fee?

✅ Work Backwards: Some companies begin or are at the "Y" stage. How do we encourage them to get back to "X"?

✅ Permanent Shift: Return to workspaces or remaining remote will offer us another chance to do things unique and different. What will you tidy up, discard and what sparks joy that you will keep as a permanent practice (#MarieKondo).

This Learning Circle – Culture Shaping is produced by Executive Learning Exchange.

Culture Disruptors HR Leaders Need to Know

engagement &amp; culture

Engagement &amp; Culture

kyle.swanson

upskilling

culture

bud.bergie

helping managers

darren.boyce

employee engagement

betty.hart

ruben.abarca

return to office

Stewart Leadership

As the workplace wrestles with remote work, social justice issues, mental health challenges, increased digitization, and political unrest, how does this impact how we view and develop our leaders? We expect leaders to set the tone, paint the vision, and remove obstacles to allow work to get done. Identifying the latest leadership trends is critical to inform what expectations, skills, and mindsets leaders need today to rally their teams for the future.
<h6 class="font-weight-bold m-0">What we will Explore Together:</h6>
Daniel will share from his recent leadership development survey top ten result findings &amp; what skills are critical in the next 18 months to kick off this session. As a group, we will explore tools, research, and insights on changing the way we develop leaders post-COVID-19.

Your Culture Changed During The Pandemic: How Are Leaders Responding?

kristin.derwinski

tomas.ramirez

engagement

edward.desrosiers

leadership development

agility

return to workplace

wendi.barlow

agile leaders

daniel.stewart

insights-wise-2021

annotation

Session Focus: How are Organizational Development and Learning &amp; Development Structures Evolving?

As Teresa Oliszewicz is building a new team that consists of people accountable for learning &amp; development, leadership development, employee engagement (including surveys), performance management, change management, new employee/leader orientation, etc., she is interested to know how other organizations are structuring their teams that work on those things.

Sometimes we this type of group is labeled as either Organizational Development or Organizational Effectiveness.

What are you calling your group?

While most companies have fundamental talent development and management processes in place, few have managed to consistently execute and integrate such capabilities across the organization. Few organizations report consistent execution of talent management practices across all regions in which they operate. In addition, organizations have done little to integrate talent practices with other talent initiatives.

Let's <a href="https://www.learningexecutive.com/idea-xch/idea-xch-category/integrated-tm/org-chart-of-your-organizational-development-and-learning-development-structure/">continue this Idea Exchange discussion</a> live with an experienced panel as we discuss how we approach transforming the talent in their organizations from Selection through Succession. We likely will dive into:

⭐ How are Organizational Development and Learning &amp; Development structures evolving?

⭐ How assessments enable a high-impact talent strategy from selection through onboarding, development, and succession.

⭐ What are effective approaches organizations take to integrate talent practices and processes with other business and HR processes?

⭐ What challenges and gaps can occur when talent and HR processes are not aligned/integrated?

⭐ How do non-traditional learning and development methods, including coaching, advance the development of employees?

ELE's Learning Circle will be ideating Retooling Talent Development for the New Normal. 
<ul>
 	<li>How Do We in L&amp;D Add Unexpected Value? </li>
 	<li>Why does it matter?</li>
</ul>
ELE's Idea Exchange: Collaborate your insights online with your peers <a href="https://www.learningexecutive.com/idea-exchange/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">here</a>.

LAK Group

Session Focus: How HR Leaders can take advantage of reinventing talent development now that COVID-19 has changed the workplace.

In this 90-minute Culture Shaping Learning Circle, ELE will facilitate a discussion around how Covid-19 has become the ultimate Work Culture Disruptor and how businesses can take advantage of reinventing themselves or restoring valuable practices.

? Middle-Manager Mindset: Change can get tangled in this space quite often. How can we create a space for Middle-Manage to be a change champion?

? Remote Engagement: Ideas for Collaborative Tools --where are the virtual whiteboards and sticky notes? How does your business leverage collaborative tools - for free and for a fee?

? Work Backwards: Some companies begin or are at the "Y" stage. How do we encourage them to get back to "X"?

? Permanent Shift: Return to workspaces or remaining remote will offer us another chance to do things unique and different. What will you tidy up, discard and what sparks joy that you will keep as a permanent practice (#MarieKondo).

<center><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/JT9Jj4oZdiQ" width="560" height="315" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></center>This Learning Circle – Culture Shaping is produced by Executive Learning Exchange.

Team Leaders

kacie.walters

This month’s Training magazine cover (Sep/Oct 2019) featured <a href="https://trainingmag.com/trgmag-article/ai-or-just-sci-fi/">AI or Just Sci-Fi? A look at artificial intelligence’s potential impact on training and the workforce</a>

Last year, Harvard Business Publishing released its <a href="http://www.harvardbusiness.org/2018-state-leadership-development-report">2018 State of Leadership Development</a> research report on top issues around leadership development and explored necessary changes for programs to improve business impact. According to the study, organizational transformations have become the new normal, with 86 percent of organizations have had recent experience with transformation.

Let’s explore together L&amp;D/OD/Talent departments can be experimenting with today in light of i4cp’s recent research uncovering,
<ul>
 	<li>Only 19% have confidence that HR departments are ready to lead in bringing digital/business transformation to the organization and</li>
 	<li>Only 22% of organizations have focused on upskilling/reskilling programs to close the capability gap, though high-performance organizations are 2x more likely to do so than lower performers.</li>
</ul>
We’ll focus our roundtable discussion on the following:
<ul>
 	<li>What are examples of digital transformations organizations are going through, and our role in that transformation?</li>
 	<li>How can L&amp;D/OD/Talent make an impact during large-scale business transformation initiatives? What role do we typically play and where would we like to play (e.g., being brought in earlier)?</li>
 	<li>How do you see using automation and AI within HR?
<ul>
 	<li>TA is a leading area for most organizations, but others variously have implemented or are at least piloting uses in onboarding, L&amp;D, PM, general HR self-service, surveys, and other areas.</li>
</ul>
</li>
 	<li>How are companies navigating the transition to Future of Work skills, including the role and impact of automation/AI, impacting employees? How important is transparency on this issue?</li>
 	<li>If you were your business clients, what would they say they like about working with you/want to be different about working with you?</li>
 	<li>How do you partner with extended internal teams who are also trying to partner with the same internal clients? (e.g. HR Business Partner/Talent/IT/PMO) (How to communicate value and truly collaborate as an equal partner) (Sitting on same side table)</li>
 	<li>What are your biggest lessons learned/mistakes?</li>
 	<li>How can our teams help drive organizational change and innovation?</li>
</ul>

Our Role with Digital/Business Transformation

Strategy

Future of Work

digital transformation

karen.kocher

kevin.oakes

heidi.glickman

onboarding

new hire orientation

maddie.strange

Walgreens

Sal Venegas leads Talent Management, Learning &amp; Development and Talent Acquisition for Walgreens Boots Alliance. Sal joined Walgreens in 2002 and has enterprise responsibility for driving business results and transformation through performance management, succession planning, engagement, workforce planning, talent acquisition, selection, assessment, leadership and talent development.

Prior to his current role, Sal was a Senior Project Manager at Cognitive Arts.

Sal and his team has won numerous awards from CLO Magazine, ATD, Brandon Hall, Training Magazine and others.

Walgreens Talent Development: Keeping Pace with Business Transformation

integrated talent management

post-format-video

people strategy

sal.venegas

Most established companies have deployed such digital technologies as the cloud, mobile apps, the internet of things, and artificial intelligence. But few established companies are designed for digital. This book offers an essential guide for retooling organizations for digital success. In the digital economy, the rapid pace of change in technology capabilities and customer desires means that business strategy must be fluid. As a result, the authors explain, business design has become a critical management responsibility. Effective business design enables a company to quickly pivot in response to new competitive threats and opportunities. Most leaders today, however, rely on the organizational structure to implement strategy, unaware that structure inhibits, rather than enables, agility. In companies that are designed for digital, people, processes, data, and technology are synchronized to identify and deliver innovative customer solutions—and redefine strategy. Digital design, not strategy, is what separates winners from losers in the digital economy.

Designed for Digital offers practical advice on digital transformation, with examples that include Amazon, BNY Mellon, DBS Bank, LEGO, Philips, Schneider Electric, USAA, and many other global organizations. Drawing on five years of research and in-depth case studies, the book is an essential guide for companies that want to disrupt rather than be disrupted in the new digital landscape.

Five Building Blocks of Digital Business Success
Shared Customer Insights
Operational Backbone
Digital Platform
Accountability Framework
External Developer Platform

Designed for Digital: How to Architect Your Business for Sustained Success (Management on the Cutting Edge)

Digital &amp; AI

kery.mortenson

newton.moore

nancy.dome

platform strategy

architecture

deepa.kartha

Does it seem you’ve formulated a rock-solid strategy, yet your firm still can’t get ahead? If so, construct a solid foundation for business execution—an IT infrastructure and digitized business processes to automate your company’s core capabilities. In Enterprise Architecture as Strategy: Creating a Foundation for Business Execution, authors Jeanne W. Ross, Peter Weill, and David C. Robertson show you how.

The key? Make tough decisions about which processes you must execute well, then implement the IT systems needed to digitize those processes. Citing numerous companies worldwide, the authors show how constructing the right enterprise architecture enhances profitability and time to market, improves strategy execution, and even lowers IT costs. Through clear, engaging explanations, they demonstrate how to define your operating model—your vision of how your firm will survive and grow—and implement it through your enterprise architecture. Their counterintuitive but vital message: when it comes to executing your strategy, your enterprise architecture may matter far more than your strategy itself.

Enterprise Architecture As Strategy: Creating a Foundation for Business Execution

Are you winning the game of business?

Has your business plateaued, or are you feeling stuck? Play the Game outlines 18 strategies from game-changing leaders and disruptors on how to break the cycle that stunts your business growth.

The game-changing leaders: Don Sandel

&nbsp;

Play the Game

Sales &amp; Customer Service

innovation

don.sandel

matt.sandel

strategy

“Rapid Mass Engagement” by Frank Devine is a transformative guide for modern leaders. It reshapes traditional management by showing how true employee empowerment and bottom‑up engagement drive sustainable growth. With actionable strategies and real-world insights, this book is essential reading for leaders keen to transform corporate culture and ignite innovation.

&nbsp;

Dramatically improve business outcomes through a culture-change strategy that combines proven leadership, engagement, and continuous improvement methods

Providing everything you need to boost individual, team, and organizational performance, Rapid Mass Engagement delivers a new, more effective approach to creating a solid corporate culture that fuels long-term business success.

Continuous improvement expert Frank Devine has been helping top companies develop effective business cultures for decades, and now he shares his secrets with you. Devine walks you through the process of strategically combining leadership, engagement, and continuous improvement to turbocharge profitability and drive business sustainability. Chapters include:
<ul class="a-unordered-list a-vertical">
 	<li>Rapid Mass Engagement: Results and Differentiation</li>
 	<li>Culture Change Overview and Methodology</li>
 	<li>Engaging Employees Around Purposeful Work</li>
 	<li>Ownership and Accountability: Why Values Alone are Insufficient</li>
 	<li>Leadership that Moves the Dial</li>
 	<li>Sustainable Change</li>
</ul>
Presenting data and first-hand accounts from senior business leaders proving the effectiveness of his approach in the real world, Devine addresses the yearning for purpose, authenticity, and trust among employees with a bottom-up, socially impactful, commercially realistic approach to social conflict and divisiveness.

Rapid Mass Engagement

performance management

continuous improvement

talent management

employee experience

workforce development

cultural transformation

organizational culture

HR Strategy

Human Capital

In the AI era, where culture is the true driver of performance, leaders face disruption at unprecedented speed and scale. Strategy and Change equips executives to turn that disruption—whether from generative AI, digital transformation, or unforeseen global crises—into opportunities for cultural alignment and talent development.
Drawing from decades of strategic leadership and risk management expertise, the authors present a practical playbook for recognizing emerging patterns, making confident, values-driven decisions, and reframing risk as a springboard for innovation. The book explores the critical leadership mindsets and cultural levers needed to thrive in today’s volatile business environment.
Talent and Line Leaders will learn how to:

<ul data-start="925" data-end="1274">
 	<li data-start="925" data-end="1060">
Apply four leadership approaches—visionary, directive, incubating, and collaborative—to build cultures that flourish in complexity.
</li>
 	<li data-start="1061" data-end="1170">
Align strategic choices with cultural priorities to achieve both immediate wins and long-term resilience.
</li>
 	<li data-start="1171" data-end="1274">
Harness disruption as a catalyst for redefining how organizations attract, grow, and retain talent.
</li>
</ul>
Grounded in research and illustrated through real-world case studies, Strategy and Change is essential reading for senior talent executives, CLOs, CHROs, and organizational leaders committed to shaping high-performance cultures in the AI-driven future of work.

Strategy and Change: How to Succeed in the Face of Accelerating Disruptive Innovation

dtussing732

teri.hart

Mike.Slepikas

aaron.olson

kevin.rillo

guillermo.gutierrez

problem solving

patricia.ouzounian

decision making

competitive advantage

Business Agility

risk management

disruption

strategic thinking

business acumen

dan.kwong

Imagine a world where every workplace is Driven by Purpose, Connection, and Care. This Change Starts with us Today.

Our world faces urgent challenges—mental health crises, workplace disengagement, economic uncertainty—and business plays a central role in shaping solutions. The Power of Love in Business is more than a book; it’s a call to action. Regardless of our role or title, everyone has the power to lead with love and create positive, lasting change.
<blockquote>Now is the time to transform how we work together from the inside out.</blockquote>
Why This Book? Why Now?
Today’s business landscape is changing fast. People crave purpose, connection, and integrity in their work. This book offers a new approach, using love as a tool to foster stronger teams, a more compassionate workplace, and a more resilient world. Love isn’t just a feel-good sentiment—it’s a powerful driver of trust, creativity, and growth.

In The Power of Love in Business, you’ll discover 12 Principles of Love that will equip you to transform not only your organization but also your own life and the lives of those around you:
<ul>
 	<li>Truth – Create a foundation of honesty, transparency, and trust.</li>
 	<li>Desire – Channel passion into meaningful work that energizes everyone.</li>
 	<li>Courageous Communication – Embrace open conversations to resolve conflicts and build bonds.</li>
 	<li>Humility – Lead with empathy, recognizing everyone’s unique value.</li>
 	<li>Equality – Champion fairness to create a just, resilient workplace.</li>
 	<li>Commitment – Dedicate yourself fully, building a legacy of loyalty and success.</li>
 	<li>Intimacy – Foster deep connections for unparalleled teamwork and understanding.</li>
</ul>
These first seven principles, the “Seven to Heaven,” build a robust foundation for love in business. The final five—Inspiration, Patience, Kindness, Forgiveness, and Celebration—sustain that foundation, helping you create a workplace where people thrive, and lasting success is possible.

Who This Book Is For
This book is for everyone in business because everyone is a leader in their own right. Whether you’re an executive, an entry-level employee, or an entrepreneur, The Power of Love in Business empowers you to make a positive difference.
<ul>
 	<li>Team Members want deeper connection and meaning in their work.</li>
 	<li>Managers, Leaders, C-suite, and HR Professionals focused on building trust, engagement, and positivity within teams.</li>
 	<li>Business Owners and Entrepreneurs who want to stand out by building a brand that people love.</li>
 	<li>Anyone who believes business can be a force for good in the world.</li>
</ul>
Each of us has the power to lead through love, bringing out the best in ourselves and those around us, creating a ripple effect of positivity and progress.

What You’ll Gain
When you embrace The Power of Love in Business, you will:
<ul>
 	<li>Build a Workplace People Love – Foster a culture of trust, respect, and inspiration, attracting top talent.</li>
 	<li>Create Meaningful Connections – Develop relationships that strengthen teams and drive customer loyalty.</li>
 	<li>Navigate Challenges with Compassion – Overcome business challenges with resilience, unity, and understanding.</li>
 	<li>Achieve Sustainable Success – Love-driven principles lay a foundation for growth and profitability that endures.</li>
</ul>
The Time to Act is Now
Let’s create a future where the power of love uplifts every workplace, community, and individual. Take action today. The world needs leaders and team members who are ready to make a difference. Together, we can spark a global shift toward love, one workplace at a time.

The Power of Love in Business: 12 Principles to Help You and Your Business Thrive

team-building

katrina.williams

maryann.kennedy

emotional intelligence

business innovation

leadership principles

Sustainable Success

owen.burns

Positive Workplace

Purpose-Driven Work

Business Ethics

Workplace Equality

Corporate Responsibility

ali.glaser

Why an organization's response to digital disruption should focus on people and processes and not necessarily on technology.

Digital technologies are disrupting organizations of every size and shape, leaving managers scrambling to find a technology fix that will help their organizations compete. This book offers managers and business leaders a guide for surviving digital disruptions—but it is not a book about technology. It is about the organizational changes required to harness the power of technology. The authors argue that digital disruption is primarily about people and that effective digital transformation involves changes to organizational dynamics and how work gets done. A focus only on selecting and implementing the right digital technologies is not likely to lead to success. The best way to respond to digital disruption is by changing the company culture to be more agile, risk-tolerant, and experimental.

The authors draw on four years of research, conducted in partnership with MIT Sloan Management Review and Deloitte, surveying more than 16,000 people and conducting interviews with managers at such companies as Walmart, Google, and Salesforce. They introduce the concept of digital maturity—the ability to take advantage of opportunities offered by the new technology—and address the specifics of digital transformation, including cultivating a digital environment, enabling intentional collaboration, and fostering an experimental mindset. Every organization needs to understand its “digital DNA” in order to stop “doing digital” and start “being digital.”

Digital disruption won't end anytime soon; the average worker will probably experience numerous waves of disruption during the course of a career. The insights offered by The Technology Fallacy will hold true through them all.

A book in the Management on the Cutting Edge series, published in cooperation with MIT Sloan Management Review.

The Technology Fallacy: How People Are the Real Key to Digital Transformation (Management on the Cutting Edge)

Transforming Organizational Development And Learning & Development

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