Next Practices Weekly welcomed Bernard Bedon, Senior Vice President and Chief Human Resources Officer at Levi Strauss & Co., for a timely conversation on how the iconic company is approaching AI transformation by starting not with technology, but with the work itself. Bedon described an approach centered on understanding how the business creates value, examining workflows and decisions, and then determining where technology can improve outcomes while preserving the human judgment, relationships, and expertise that matter most.
Cohosted by i4cp’s Dr. John W. Boudreau and Tom Stone, the conversation explored HR’s opportunity to play a central role in AI-enabled work redesign. Bedon shared how Levi Strauss is thinking about a “human-led hybrid workforce” - one in which people remain at the center while working alongside increasingly sophisticated technologies and digital agents. He also demonstrated how process and workflow mapping can help leaders move beyond abstract discussions about AI and make practical decisions about efficiency, effectiveness, employee and consumer experience, roles, decision rights, and the capabilities needed for the future.
Key Topics Discussed
- Start with Work, Not AI. Redesign workflows around business outcomes first - then determine where AI can accelerate performance and where human expertise adds the greatest value.
- Build a Human-Led Hybrid Workforce. Levi Strauss is keeping people at the center while integrating AI and digital agents to create new opportunities for productivity, innovation, and growth.
- Redesign Work Before Reducing Roles. AI-driven productivity requires more than removing headcount. Leaders must rethink the work itself to capture value without creating new friction or undermining performance.
- Make AI Transformation Tangible. Workflow mapping gives executive teams a practical way to identify pain points, clarify decisions, and pinpoint high-value opportunities for AI.
- Optimize for the Right Outcome. The goal isn’t always efficiency. HR leaders can help organizations intentionally design AI-enabled work around the right mix of effectiveness, efficiency, and employee and customer experience.
For Human Capital leaders, the session offered a practical blueprint for moving AI conversations from technology adoption to enterprise transformation. Bedon’s examples show why HR’s expertise in work design, organizational effectiveness, leadership, culture, and change is increasingly critical as AI reshapes organizations. Watch the recording to hear how Levi Strauss is translating these principles into action - and to identify ideas your organization can apply as it redesigns work for a human-led, AI-enabled future.
Resources Shared
- i4cp Member Tool: Workflow Mapping Tool - Explore how AI can reshape workflows, identify opportunities for greater efficiency, and help redesign how work gets done.
- 2027 i4cp Next Practices Now Conference - Stay ahead of emerging HR trends at i4cp's 2027 Next Practices Now Conference, where HR executives gather in a vendor-free environment to gain practical insights and strategies that drive immediate impact. Register today
To ensure open discussion, this event was exclusively for HR practitioners. Vendors and consultants were not permitted to attend.