Propeller

Our very own expert Mark Fitzgerald outlines five actionable strategies leaders can utilize to navigate uncertainty, and how relying on foundational decision-making may not be the best course of action in our current market.

AI can elevate your customer experience or quietly erode it. When companies rush to implement AI without clear goals or user insight, the results speak for themselves: ❌ 45% struggle with personalization ❌ 40% face accuracy issues ❌ 32% wrestle with integration challenges Broken experiences. Frustrated users. Wasted investment. If AI is going to improve customer experience, it has to be strategic: ✅ Start with real customer pain points ✅ Set clear, measurable goals ✅ Integrate AI through thoughtful UX design What’s been your biggest challenge in making AI useful for customers?

In today’s business environment, transformation is constant, but sustainable transformation doesn’t happen without culture. And culture doesn’t shift unless people do. That’s why HR’s role in change can’t be limited to facilitation. It has to start with modeling the mindset needed to lead through disruption. In her latest article for HR Daily Advisor, Propeller Senior Director Lauren Lightbody shares how HR leaders can embrace a growth mindset—not just in theory, but in practice—to drive real impact. She explores key moves HR teams can make to lead from the front: ✔️ Upskilling their own teams through stretch roles and cross-functional development ✔️ Experimenting with AI and new technologies to accelerate learning ✔️ Listening continuously and acting on feedback ✔️ Recognizing smart risks—even when they don’t go as planned It’s a fresh and practical look at how HR can set the tone for adaptability, learning, and resilience across the enterprise. Read the full article here: https://lnkd.in/g4KcQ28B

Growth is great—until your systems can’t keep up. An American workwear and apparel company was scaling fast, but its IT organization wasn’t built for what was coming next. We helped reimagine the operating model, align tech capabilities with business strategy, and set the stage for long-term, resilient growth. See how a 17-week partnership led to a future-focused transformation: https://lnkd.in/gzA-6sYP #operatingmodel #casestudy #transformation #retail #ITstrategy

Leaders are being asked to do the impossible: deliver transformation at speed while cutting costs. Our 2025 People & Change Insights eBook reveals how forward-looking companies are navigating that tension with smarter, leaner change management. Drawing on insights from 400+ business leaders, this year’s report explores: ✔ Why AI is a people challenge first ✔ How budget cuts are reshaping change execution ✔ What’s driving misalignment between talent and structure If change feels constant, it’s because it is. But that doesn’t mean your approach should stay the same. Read the report to uncover smarter ways to lead transformation this year: https://lnkd.in/gq8R2YsR #changemanagement #people #businessconsulting #businesstransformation

Customers don't just make decisions based on logic—they make them based on emotion. That’s why even the most polished customer experience strategy can fall flat if it doesn’t connect on a human level. The latest blog from our Experience Design team asks an important question: Are your customers emotionally engaged? And more importantly, how would you know? We break it down with seven key questions to help you assess and improve your CX strategy. Along the way, you’ll find lessons from Aristotle, cake mix, and coffee loyalty programs to inspire a deeper emotional connection with your customers. Check out the full blog: https://lnkd.in/gPyJivZk #CXStrategy #CustomerExperience #DesignThinking #EmotionalEngagement #ExperienceDesign

"We need to add AI to our customer experience.” It’s a phrase that’s echoing across industries right now. But when AI is bolted onto broken processes—or rushed without user insight—it can do more harm than good. Before you implement that chatbot or recommendation engine, ask yourself: What customer problems are we actually solving? In our latest blog, Propeller’s Crista Scott Tappan Tappan and Della Brown break down what it really takes to make AI a value-add in customer experience, from avoiding costly missteps to building adaptable systems grounded in UX principles. Inside the post: • Red flags to watch for when AI adds friction, not value • Real-world examples of AI done right (and wrong) • A readiness checklist to assess your AI foundation • Metrics that actually reflect user experience impact If you're thinking about AI, don't skip the design phase. Start with your users and build from there. Read the blog: https://lnkd.in/gPT7U2jn #AI #userexperience #customerexperience #AIstrategy

Job descriptions don’t tell the whole story. That’s the challenge one Fortune 500 tech company set out to solve. They knew their traditional hiring practices were holding them back—from surfacing the right candidates to making better-informed talent decisions. We partnered with their talent acquisition and people analytics teams to help them make a bold shift: transitioning from role-based hiring to skills-based hiring at scale. Over the course of the engagement, we: ✅ Conducted stakeholder interviews across business units ✅ Built a skills framework and defined what success looks like ✅ Integrated skills into the hiring and interview process ✅ Piloted the approach with five critical roles ✅ Developed a roadmap to embed the approach organization-wide The shift led to clearer hiring decisions, a more agile talent model, and a process designed to support evolving business needs—not just job titles. Explore the full case study: https://lnkd.in/g4N_TdQe #skillsbasedhiring #talentstrategy #futureofwork #casestudy #peopleanalytics

What if your change management strategy started with curiosity, not checklists? Design thinking brings a different energy to change—one rooted in exploration, empathy, and iteration. When applied to change management, it shifts the focus from managing resistance to designing better experiences. Here are four mindset shifts that can help you bring design thinking into your change work: Problem-solving → Problem-finding Business-centered → People-centered Seeking clarity → Embracing divergence Quick wins → Quick failures Explore how to put these into action: https://lnkd.in/gU3ax-qe #designthinking #changemanagement

Without a change management strategy, even the best IT initiatives will fall flat in 2025. Here’s how to avoid that. Shifts in IT strategy—moving to product-led IT, rationalizing AI investments, and optimizing workforce productivity—will define the year ahead. However, without a clear change management approach, even the best initiatives risk falling short. • Product-led IT → From projects to platforms • AI rationalization → From experimentation to strategy • Talent optimization → From cost-cutting to workforce agility Managing change effectively means bringing IT, finance, HR, and leadership together to ensure new strategies take hold and deliver results. Explore the full breakdown of 2025 IT shifts and how to manage them effectively in this article with Molly Lebowitz and Hunter Kafcsak. https://lnkd.in/guXfNv9H #changemanagement #itleadership #ai