BUILD Workshop - Phoenix (by Hacking HR)
This one-day, in-person BUILD Intensive is designed for HR leaders, people managers and business executives who want to develop a unified People Strategy, Business Strategy and AI Strategy and walk away with real, tangible outputs they can use immediately.
This is the first and ONLY existing event that’ll serve as a sandbox for you to experiment with ideas and build your strategies. After the event, you will return to your workplace or organization with real, tangible results that you will BUILD during the event.
Over the course of the day, participants will design an integrated strategy that connects business priorities, people priorities and AI-enabled capabilities; develop their Strategic AI Leadership fluency; assess and strengthen organizational AI readiness; and close the day by reimagining HR’s role as a value-creation engine in the age of AI.
BUILD is a working session, a hands-on, collaborative sandbox where you will DESIGN, REFINE and BUILD the strategies, frameworks and roadmaps your organization needs for the future. ate.
You’ll walk away with:
A draft People Strategy tied to business priorities
A competency and capability framework plus an upskilling/reskilling roadmap
A practical AI Strategy and AI Readiness Plan you can refine with your team
Tools, canvases and templates you can reuse inside your organization
Pricing & What’s Included
We offer four ticket options so you can choose the level of access and value that fits your needs.
There is a 10% discount available ONLY to our existing Premium+ members. Reach out to us for more information: [email protected]
Early Bird Ticket: $120
Discounted full access to the two-day BUILD experience (all sessions and accreditation).
General Ticket: $200
Standard full access to the two-day BUILD experience.
Bundle 1: Event Ticket + Premium Membership (10% OFF!) - $287
Includes the two-day BUILD ticket plus one year of Premium Membership (20–30 certificate programs, virtual summits, mental health support and resources). Both items are discounted by 10% in this bundle.
Bundle 2: Event Ticket + Premium Plus Membership (20% OFF!) - $383
Includes the full BUILD ticket plus one year of Premium Plus Membership, which adds advanced AI programs, the Mini-Master series and exclusive tools. Both items are discounted by 20%.
Agenda at a Glance
8:30–9:00 AM: Check-In & Welcome.
Light snacks provided; breakfast not included.
9:00–9:45 AM: Opening Session: The Future of People, Business & AI Strategy
A powerful framing on why People Strategy, Business Strategy and AI Strategy must become one integrated operating system.
9:45–11:15 AM: Workshop 1: Integrated People + Business + AI Strategy
Build a unified, business-aligned strategy that blends people, performance, culture and AI-enabled value creation.
11:15 AM–12:00 PM: Mini-Session: AI-Native Competitor Drill
A fast, provocative exercise to identify competitive risks and opportunity areas accelerated by AI.
12:00–1:15 PM: Lunch (on your own - not included in the event ticket)
1:15–2:45 PM: Workshop 2: Strategic AI Leadership
Shift from AI user to AI leader; build influence, clarity and cross-functional alignment.
2:45–4:00 PM: Workshop 3: AI Readiness Across the Workplace Ecosystem
Assess technical, cultural, strategic and human readiness; design a 90-day readiness plan.
4:00–5:00 PM: Workshop 4: The Future of HR and People Operations (Value Creation in the AI Era)
Reimagine HR’s operating model to create enterprise value in 2025–2026 and beyond.
Accreditation
Participants who complete the full day, in‑person experience will receive:
A virtual diploma of attendance
A shareable Credly digital badge to showcase on LinkedIn and other social platforms
HR recertification credits (eligible/approved continuing education hours for major HR certification bodies)
These recognitions signal your commitment to future‑ready HR, people leadership and responsible AI integration.
Deep Dive
9:00–9:45 AM: Opening Session: The Future of People, Business & AI Strategy
This opening session anchors the entire day by reframing strategy for the era of human + machine collaboration. We explore why the separation between business strategy, people strategy and AI strategy is no longer viable and why future-ready organizations integrate all three into one operating model. Through research insights, competitive examples and workplace ecosystem thinking, participants will see why they must lead the convergence of people, performance and AI capability.
Learning Objectives
Understand why People Strategy, Business Strategy and AI Strategy must converge.
Identify strategic risks and opportunities emerging from AI-native competitors.
Explore how the workplace ecosystem model guides integrated strategic design.
Establish the mindset needed to build an organization ready for the next era of work.
9:45–11:15 AM: Workshop 1: Integrated People + Business + AI Strategy
In this hands-on workshop, participants build a unified strategy that aligns business priorities with people capabilities and AI-enabled value creation. Using an Integrated Strategy Canvas, teams define business outcomes, people levers, culture enablers and high-impact AI opportunities. This session culminates in a coherent, actionable strategy that blends performance, workforce capability and technological transformation.
Learning Objectives
Build a unified People + Business + AI Strategy using a structured canvas.
Identify high-impact opportunities across the workplace ecosystem.
Connect business metrics with people capability and AI-enabled outcomes.
Draft a 12-month roadmap that integrates people, process and technology.
11:15 AM–12:00 PM: Mini-Session: AI-Native Competitor Drill
A fast, provocative simulation where participants analyze what an AI-native competitor could disrupt within 6–12 months. Through scenario mapping and counter-move planning, leaders identify vulnerabilities, strategic shifts and areas where capability-building must accelerate.
Learning Objectives
Analyze competitive threats accelerated by AI-native organizations.
Identify vulnerabilities in people systems, workflows and value creation.
Define counter-moves to strengthen strategic positioning and readiness.
Map one 30-day action to respond to an AI-driven competitive risk.
12:00–1:15 PM: Lunch (on your own - not included in the event ticket)
1:15–2:45 PM: Workshop 2: Strategic AI Leadership
This session reframes AI leadership as a non-technical, influence-driven discipline. Participants develop their Strategic AI Leadership POV, build cross-functional influence maps, learn the three core influence plays and draft their personal AI narrative. This is where leaders move from tool users to organizational integrators who can shape adoption, governance, experimentation and value creation.
Learning Objectives
Define what Strategic AI Leadership is—and is not—in your organization.
Build influence without authority using narratives, coalitions and micro-wins.
Develop a personal AI leadership narrative aligned with business value.
Identify cross-functional partners essential for scaling AI safely and effectively.
3:00–4:00 PM: Workshop 3: AI Readiness Across the Workplace Ecosystem
Participants evaluate their organization’s readiness across seven ecosystem components: work, workforce, culture, data, processes, governance and systems. Using a structured readiness heatmap, teams identify technical, human, cultural and strategic gaps, then design a 90-day readiness sprint that prioritizes capability-building and responsible adoption.
Learning Objectives
Assess organizational readiness across all dimensions of the workplace ecosystem.
Identify readiness gaps that limit safe, effective AI adoption.
Design a 90-day readiness plan that activates technical, cultural and leadership levers.
Embed AI learning moments into the flow of work to build organizational fluency.
4:00–5:00 PM: Workshop 4: The Future of HR and People Operations (Value Creation in the AI Era)
The closing workshop focuses on the future of HR’s strategic contribution. Participants redesign HR’s operating model for the age of AI, identifying the capabilities, structures, roles and initiatives that elevate HR as a driver of enterprise value. The session ends with a 12-month HR activation plan that aligns People Strategy, Business Strategy and AI Strategy.
Learning Objectives
Reimagine HR’s operating model for an AI-enabled organization.
Identify 3–5 high-value HR initiatives aligned with business and AI strategy.
Define role expectations and leadership behaviors required for HR transformation.
Draft a 12-month HR activation plan to elevate HR as a value-creation function.
Our Promise and Our Event Manifesto
At Hacking HR, we’re rebuilding the in‑person event from the ground up. Our gatherings are designed to be local, relevant, practical, human and radically accessible. Everything the old “fly across the country, stay at a $300 hotel and pay $2,000 for a ticket” model is not.
We prioritize useful content over spectacle and logistics that work for real people: shorter travel, lower costs, deeper regional connection and spaces that feel like community. High value, low friction, maximum accessibility. That’s the bar we hold ourselves to.
Community is the core of that promise. We design every session so you’re not being spoken at, but building with others who care about the same problems. Instead of awkward icebreakers or “work the room and chase people” weird networking, you’ll find thoughtful, low‑pressure ways to connect. A model that works for introverts and extroverts alike. You’ll leave with a handful of real relationships.
Sponsors are treated as partners in learning, not vendors chasing badge scans; they’re invited into the experience to add real educational value and contribute to the community.
We also believe impact should be shared and sustainable. We keep events affordable by skipping overpriced catering and big‑ticket venues, favoring local museums, colleges and libraries and partnering with neighborhood cafés so you choose what you eat while supporting the local economy and reducing waste.
Finally, we commit 10% of every event’s gross revenue to a Speaker Participation Pool, because the people who build the experience with their time, ideas and creativity should share in its success.
In short: we’re not here to recreate the traditional conference. We’re here to offer a human, practical, collaborative, local and sustainable alternative, and to keep earning your trust every time you join us.