Answer extracted from The Josh Bersin Company podcast — listen to the full episode below.
How does AI enable HR to shift from transactional to strategic value delivery?
Automating routine operational work frees HR teams from transactional tasks, allowing them to focus on high-value activities that drive business impact. At Seneca Polytechnic, this shift enabled HRBPs to deepen relationships with stakeholders, provide strategic advice, and support leaders with meaningful workforce insights rather than processing requests.
Moving from Processing to Problem-Solving
When HR teams spend their days handling repetitive administrative work, they lack capacity for genuine strategic contributions. Diana Mouhan's transformation at Seneca Polytechnic centered on removing this friction through intelligent automation.
The core insight was straightforward: automation doesn't replace HR professionals, it redeploys them. By channeling routine inquiries into ServiceNow and automating knowledge distribution, Seneca's HR team shifted from answering basic questions to shaping organizational capability and culture. Response times improved dramatically—from nearly two weeks to less than 24 hours—but the real win was the mental and organizational space freed for deeper work.
This wasn't simply installing software. As discussed in the episode, Mouhan's team first redesigned processes and refreshed knowledge assets—more than 100 knowledge articles were improved to support self-service—creating the conditions where automation could actually work. Leaders gained access to workforce data and insights they'd never had before, enabling conversations about talent strategy rather than headcount logistics.
"Trust isn't just telling people don't be afraid. Trust is actually built on acknowledging the concerns that they have and being super vulnerable in that journey with them."
Diana Mouhan — Executive Director of Transformation and Change at Seneca Polytechnic. A transformation specialist and trusted advisor with over a decade of expertise in organizational strategy, AI adoption, and the future of work. Her career spans strategic roles at Deloitte and Kearney, plus executive leadership positions driving organizational and technology transformation.
Building Belief and Capability Along the Way
Shifting HR's role wasn't just a technical redeployment—it required changing how teams saw themselves and their value. When automation was first introduced, only 25-30% of Seneca's HR team initially trusted AI for even basic tasks like workspace utilization analysis. That skepticism was legitimate: employees feared displacement and questioned whether machines could handle nuance.
Rather than dismissing these concerns, Mouhan's approach was transparent and collaborative. She addressed specific fears, showed concrete results—like the 90% consolidation of employee interactions onto a single platform—and gradually built confidence. The episode reveals how this vulnerability created trust, turning skeptics into advocates who now champion tools they once questioned.
The shift to strategic work also energized the team. Freed from repetitive processing, HRBPs began advising on organizational challenges that actually mattered to them—talent development, succession planning, culture initiatives—activities that required their expertise and judgment. This is why the transformation stuck. It wasn't change imposed from above; it was capacity reclaimed for work that excites and develops.
See also
What foundational elements must precede successful AI implementation in HR transformation?
Before the AI frenzy began, focusing on fundamentals—data governance, process redesign, and knowledge management—provided the essential foundation that made automation effective and sustainable.
What operational improvements result from digitizing HR service delivery and automating routine work?
More than 90% of Seneca's employee interactions moved onto the ServiceNow platform, consolidated from email, phone, fax and other channels, with average response times decreasing from nearly two weeks to less than 24 hours.
Why should AI agents be formally integrated into organizational charts?
Diana intentionally embedded agents into Seneca's org chart to create clarity and ownership around who manages each agent and holds responsibility for its performance and alignment with business objectives.