Recap: The Five CHRO Paradoxes and what they reveal about the future of HR leadership

The Josh Bersin Company partnered with Findem to publish The Five CHRO Paradoxes: Turning Tension into Advantage, an in-depth analysis of the forces reshaping the CHRO role in a period of rapid transformation. Drawing on time-series data from more than 25,000 CHRO profiles and a survey of nearly 200 sitting CHROs, the report provides one of the clearest views available into how HR leadership is changing and what organizations must prepare for next.

This work is grounded in a uniquely rich dataset: Findem’s expert-labeled 3D data, which convert millions of real career signals into structured Success Signals. These signals capture a leader’s career history, experiences, and attributes across time, creating a time series perspective that connects past trajectories to the emerging profile of the modern CHRO.

The analysis surfaces five paradoxes that illustrate the evolving expectations, structural tensions, and leadership challenges defining the modern CHRO role.

1. The Transformation Paradox: Rising expectations and declining continuity

CHROs overwhelmingly agree their role is in flux. Nearly half (49%) describe the shift as “significant,” with expanding responsibilities that include coaching peers in the C-suite and steering enterprise-wide transformation. Another 37% describe the change as “dramatic” as CHROs step into fully fledged business leadership roles.

Yet this expansion comes at a moment of declining continuity. CHRO tenure has fallen from 6.0 years to 4.8 years, and 70% are serving in the role for the first time. The function is gaining influence, but turnover and short tenures heighten volatility.

Successful organizations are counteracting this tension by institutionalizing transformation through succession planning, living culture playbooks, and shared ownership between HR and business leaders — reducing the risk created by short leadership cycles.

2. The Influence Paradox: High visibility but uneven organizational authority

CHROs hold more visibility and executive standing than ever. Sixty-one percent view themselves as peers to the CIO and CFO, and only 7% do not hold an executive title.

But influence does not always translate into authority. Just 12% of CHROs are among the five highest-compensated executives in their organizations, and many cite “influence without equivalent authority” as a persistent challenge of the role.

Scope continues to expand as well: 21% of CHROs now lead additional domains such as AI readiness, corporate strategy, communications, transformation, or operations. The CHRO role is becoming more enterprise-facing, even as structural authority lags behind expectations.

3. The Diversity Paradox: Gender progress and ethnic stagnation

Gender representation continues to strengthen. Women now hold 68% of CHRO roles, nearly achieving parity with the broader HR profession and illustrating strong upward mobility for women in HR leadership.

Racial and ethnic representation tells a different story. After reaching a low of 70% in 2021, the proportion of white CHROs has risen again to 73%. This stands in contrast to the broader HR workforce, which is notably more racially and ethnically diverse — underscoring systemic barriers that limit advancement for underrepresented groups.

Closing this gap requires intentional, sustained investment: sponsorship models, transparent pathways, equitable development opportunities, and early-career experiences that position diverse talent for enterprise leadership.

4. The Success Paradox: Enterprise acumen required but HR pathways prevail

CHROs overwhelmingly identify enterprise capabilities as the strongest drivers of success. Thirty-four percent cite relationships across the C-suite as the top success factor; 32% cite business acumen. Only 12% point to HR expertise as the primary determinant.

Yet most CHROs still arrive via HR-centric pathways. Just 28% bring consulting experience, 11% have strategy backgrounds, and only 14–15% have commercial experience in marketing or sales. Exposure to finance, legal, technology, or operations stays below 10%. With limited access to these enterprise shaping domains, many aspiring HR leaders lack the cross functional experiences now essential to the modern CHRO mandate.

As the role becomes more enterprise-oriented, organizations that intentionally create cross-functional experiences — rotations, strategic assignments, and P&L-adjacent work — will better prepare future CHROs for the breadth of today’s mandate.

5. The Aspiration Paradox: Enterprise ambitions but limited pathways

CHROs’ ambitions extend far beyond their current scope. Among those considering a next step, 73% aspire to advisory, consulting, or coaching roles; 9% aim to move into non-HR executive roles; and 5% aspire to CEO.

Actual transitions, however, look very different:

• Only 28% move into advisory or consulting roles
• Just 5% transition into CEO positions
• Forty-two percent move into lower-level HR roles — despite only 14% expressing interest in doing so

This mismatch highlights a structural gap: CHROs are operating with enterprise breadth, but organizations offer few pathways into enterprise roles. Structured transitions into board service, cross-functional leadership, and strategy roles can close this gap and strengthen organizational resilience.

Why these paradoxes matter

The five paradoxes reveal how profoundly the CHRO role has evolved. It is now central to transformation, workforce readiness, organizational culture, and enterprise decision making. Yet many organizational systems and leadership models have not evolved at the same pace, creating misalignments between responsibility, authority, capability development, and career progression.

Understanding these dynamics gives organizations a roadmap for redesigning leadership models:

• Evidence-based succession processes
• Enterprise-aligned capability development
• Equitable advancement pathways
• Leadership frameworks grounded in the true strategic scope of the CHRO

This is exactly where the partnership between the Josh Bersin Company and Findem adds value. By combining research expertise with Findem’s attribute-rich data foundation, the report illuminates not just the current state of the CHRO role but the capabilities required for future readiness.

The CHRO role is entering a new era defined by transformation, complexity, and enterprise impact. Organizations that understand and act on the forces behind these paradoxes will be better positioned to navigate AI adoption, organizational redesign, and shifting workforce expectations.

Download the full report to explore the insights shaping the next generation of HR leadership.