Success in 2026 requires moving beyond simple automation to a deliberate, decision-driven strategy that aligns HR IT and Business functions under one clear vision.
As the year wraps up, I’ve been reflecting less on what changed and more on what actually moved the needle. The past twelve months reinforced something we’ve all felt firsthand: workforce complexity isn’t slowing down, and neither are expectations.
Organizations are being asked to make better decisions, faster, with less room for error and Workday continues to sit squarely at the center of that challenge. AI entered the conversation in a more meaningful way this year, shifting from experimentation to early execution, and raising the bar on what leaders expect from their systems and their data.
What stood out most to me this year is how differently organizations are using the same platform. The ones seeing real results treated Workday as a business system, not just an HR or Finance tool.
Successful organizations focused on adoption, clean data, and clear ownership, knowing that AI is only as effective as the foundation beneath it. Where governance and discipline were in place, Workday and its emerging AI capabilities became a source of insight and agility. Where they weren’t, complexity compounded and momentum slowed. The technology didn’t change, execution did.
Looking ahead, that gap is only going to widen. Next year will demand sharper prioritization, stronger alignment between HR and Finance, and a more deliberate approach to skills, planning, analytics, and AI-driven decision support.
Workday has the capability to support that shift, but capability alone isn’t enough. The organizations that win will be the ones willing to simplify, make hard choices, and use AI to drive decisions, not just automate tasks or generate reports. That’s where the real opportunity is as we move into the year ahead.