Mary Faulkner, Author at IA Transforms

Mary Faulkner

Mary is a Principal for IA with more than twenty years’ experience in human resources and organizational development and has worked closely with leaders in all areas of the business, including finance, operations, IT, marketing, customer service, and others. Recognized for her philosophy of “building” rather than merely “maintaining," Mary’s journey is marked by her innate drive to solve problems and revamp the ordinary, an attribute that naturally positioned her at the helm of transformation efforts within organizations. Since joining IA, Mary lent her expertise to some of our most complex clients, helping senior leadership navigate the challenges of global transformation.

ChatGPT and the dark side of AI

By Mary Faulkner / Feb 21, 2023

Note: A version of this post appeared on HRExecutive.com in January 2023. There has been a lot written about the emergence of ChatGPT and the impact it will have on everything from college term papers to journalism. It’s a fascinating topic that simultaneously fills me with both amazement at the technology and a sense of […]

Ideal future state: the art of the possible

By Mary Faulkner / Oct 31, 2022

Note: A version of this post appeared on hrexecutive.com in October 2022. The excitement from an HR transformation comes from the promise of something better. That makes sense. After all, the organization wouldn’t have chosen the transformation path if it hadn’t recognized the need to do things differently. Getting started can be difficult enough; what […]

The Carnival of HR is here!

By Mary Faulkner / Aug 31, 2022

IA is pleased to be hosting the Carnival of HR for August 2022. Yes, it’s the last day of August, but it still counts, so hush. This month, we focused on the theme of Total Rewards. Organizations are starting to shift the way they think about retaining their employees, focusing less on medical and dental […]

We are all difficult to someone

By Mary Faulkner / Aug 31, 2022

Once upon a time, I was on a Twitter chat (remember those?) and the moderator made the comment, “When managing difficult people, assume you are also difficult. Helps a lot to be humble.” And because I have a pathological need to weigh in on everything, I responded with: We are all difficult to someone. No matter how charming […]

Scenario planning: the power of “what if” thinking

By Mary Faulkner / Jul 30, 2022

Note: A version of this post appeared on hrexecutive.com in July 2022. A good beginning makes a good end. Louis L’Amour As we have noted in previous columns, most organizations recognize the need for change, with much of that change being driven by the need to update policies, processes, and systems to support new ways […]

Call it a comeback – facing change with self-awarenes

By Mary Faulkner / May 9, 2022

When Tiger Woods crashed his SUV in February 2021, it appeared that his golfing days were done. Despite having won the Masters in 2019, Woods’ future was already in question after having yet another back surgery in 2020, and the injuries sustained in this latest crash threatened whether Woods would be able to keep his […]

The seeds of change: Preparing for transformation

By Mary Faulkner / Mar 28, 2022

Note: A version of this post first appeared on hrexecutive.com in March 2022. Imagine your organization is on the brink of explosive growth and is about to IPO. Everyone is excited about the opportunities the growth will bring, and activity is focused on ensuring Operations is ready to roll out to new markets. Sales and […]

Transformation: Why it’s needed

By Mary Faulkner / Mar 10, 2022

Note: A version of this post originally appeared on hrexecutive.com in March 2022. When IA was approached about the possibility of contributing a monthly column to HR Executive Magazine, we knew exactly what topic we wanted to focus on – Transformation. In our work with complex organizations, we are familiar with their challenges in effecting […]

The (career) path less taken

By Mary Faulkner / Jan 25, 2022

There has been a definite shift in the way work is done now. Traditional, static teams populated by people in traditional, static jobs are few and far between. In their place is a move towards a more liquid workforce – dynamic teams populated by people with skills that fit the work to be done rather than an […]

Debunking the myths of self-service

By Mary Faulkner / Jan 10, 2022

Despite the overwhelming amount of HR technology available on the market today, many organizations are still resorting to manual intervention to run their business processes. Even companies that have invested in technology fail to leverage its full potential, with recent surveys suggesting that only 29% of organizations use at least three-quarters of their HR tech capabilities, and a whopping 40% using half […]