Artificial Intelligence, Human Relationships

As Senior Director of Talent Development at the business network LinkedIn, Stephanie Conway is deeply engaged with trends in data-driven recruiting and talent management. She also implements emerging trends swiftly and flexibly within her own team. In this interview, she discusses the AI tools she and her team are already leveraging and how the company's talent management platform is repositioning itself to become even more responsive.

– Stephanie Conway, Senior Director of Talent Development at LinkedIn

Remote work or a return to the office? Cut back on hiring or expand recruitment now more than ever? Invest in AI or in employees? Develop digital assistants or train human coaches? Standardize learning or promote diversity? "Many of today's debates and trends in HR and talent management are marked by strong polarities," says Conway. She adds, "We constantly navigate between opposing forces that interact in many ways—and we must always remain highly flexible."

Fast, adaptable, and open to experimentation—today’s talent managers in recruiting and talent development focus particularly on ensuring that talent can quickly adjust to changing conditions with self-motivation. However, the expectation for adaptability applies equally to those responsible for talent management themselves. For Stephanie Conway—a former Google HR manager and now LinkedIn's Senior Director of Talent Management for the USA, Europe, Middle East, and Latin America—constant change is part of everyday life.

Since joining LinkedIn two years ago, Conway has overseen the integration of talent acquisition and talent development, enhancing overall functionality so that each business area now has a dedicated talent management contact. The goal? "We want to ensure that the talent agenda and strategy are closely aligned with the business strategy of each division—so that we can respond quickly to evolving needs," Conway explains.

At the same time, the Talent Management team has received a clear mandate from the Management Board: to prioritize three key areas in talent development:

• First, to develop expertise in AI applications across all company processes.
• Second, to cultivate employees’ adaptability—their willingness and ability to embrace change.
• Finally, to empower managers to "lead with clarity," fostering a leadership style that consistently sets clear and understandable goals, even in uncertain times.

When building these three skillsets, Conway believes in breaking down perceived strategic contradictions. "For example, I don’t have to choose between investing in AI or human skills. Rather, AI enables me to offer personalized learning opportunities to all employees."

For instance, LinkedIn provides individualized coaching on AI-related topics. However, before employees are paired with a human coach to explore how AI can be applied to their specific work areas, they first define their own learning objectives with an AI learning coach. "This way, employees have already gained foundational knowledge and set their goals before the actual coaching begins."

Even in the areas of adaptability and clear leadership, it remains essential to bridge the gap between seemingly opposing concepts. "We state clearly: We are investing in AI, and we are investing in you—we will support you in integrating AI into your work." Conway is convinced: "We need to develop people who are self-motivated learners and can recognize opportunities for change on their own." More importantly, she emphasizes, "In an age of digital twins and AI assistants, human skills are more critical than ever."

On this topic, Conway frequently references LinkedIn’s Chief Economic Opportunity Officer, Aneesh Raman. The former CNN correspondent and speechwriter for Barack Obama has a broad perspective on current trends. He states: "In the age of agriculture and the industrial revolution, we needed muscle. In the digital age, we needed our brains. And in the age of AI, we need relationships." In short: "Human skills are more important than ever!"

This is particularly true for leaders, emphasizes Conway. "More than ever, they need to bring curiosity, empathy, creativity, courage, and communication skills to foster environments of experimentation and future confidence within their teams." Despite the increasing integration of technology, talent development remains fundamentally about human relationships. "Because talent management, first and foremost, is relationship work."

Conway and her team are exploring various AI tools designed to simplify and enhance relationship-building. "Initially, there were some concerns within our team," she admits. "For instance, we wondered: If AI learning coaches can define learning goals and curate development programs, do we still need human coaches?"

However, a shift in perspective led to a breakthrough: "Now we ask ourselves: How can AI help us create more freedom in our work? What will we do with the time AI frees up for us?"

Today, Conway's team makes extensive use of Microsoft Co-Pilot and other AI tools. "Our goal is to strengthen our role as business partners within the company," she explains. A colleague recently summed up the team’s evolving relationship with AI in a way that made Conway smile: "We imagine that as talent managers, we are charging ourselves with new skills through AI—just like a Marvel superhero gaining superpowers."