The Hackett Group, Inc. (NASDAQ: HCKT), a leading generative artificial intelligence (Gen AI) consultancy and executive advisory firm, today released its 2025 Digital World Class® Human Resources (HR) research. It reveals how top-performing HR organizations are redefining excellence.

The report shows that Digital World Class® HR organizations – those achieving top-quartile performance in both business value and operational excellence – are achieving 29% lower cost while supporting three times more employees. This reflects a strategic approach to scaling impact, not doing more with less. These HR leaders are embracing Gen AI and advanced automation to expand the capacity of HR teams, unlock time for higher-value work, and reshape the function into a more agile, insight-driven partner to the business. This trend is about building a better workforce experience to more effectively enable business objectives.

“Digital World Class® HR organizations aren’t just managing talent – they’re unlocking the full potential of their people with digital capabilities,” said Jessica Haley, principal and Global Human Resources Executive Advisory practice leader at The Hackett Group®. “These organizations are showing what’s possible when you combine human insight with digital enablement and AI. They are not reducing the function; they are elevating the impact of HR. Amplifying the power of HR to drive stronger business outcomes at scale, fostering resilience, and leading the way in shaping the workplace and the workforce – that is Digital World Class® HR and that is the future.”

Key findings: What sets Digital World Class® HR apart

The Hackett Group’s research, which draws from global benchmark studies across hundreds of companies, highlights distinguishing characteristics of top-performing HR organizations:

1. They are more integrated with business strategy and engaged with business stakeholders.

• 2X more time working directly with line leaders on business-aligned talent plans
• 2.4X more likely to be seen as a valued partner by business stakeholders
• 57% more roles filled internally, signaling stronger alignment between talent development and business needs

2.They prioritize enterprise-level initiatives like strategic workforce planning.

• 32% more staff focused on strategic workforce planning
• 40% more organizational development efforts built into success metrics
• Stronger emphasis on change enablement, with more HR staff dedicated to facilitating business transformation

3. They invest more in AI, automation and digital enablement of HR service delivery.

• 2.3X more likely to offer self-service automation for HR data, compliance and reporting
• 2X more likely to align human capital management application strategies to enterprise goals
• 71% of primary software functionality is actively used, maximizing technology return on investment and scalability

Digital World Class® HR organizations are also significantly more agile in navigating disruption, enabling faster adaptation to shifting workforce dynamics, economic headwinds and regulatory demands.

Closing the performance gap: A blueprint for transformation

The research outlines a clear road map on leveraging Gen AI to reshape the HR service delivery model and close the Digital World Class® performance gap:

• Address long-term workforce talent needs proactively by leveraging emerging tools to optimize workforce planning, skill development and internal mobility.
• Employ intelligent automation for routine HR work and transactional processes to open capacity for HR to focus on more strategic work.
• Identify and address your HR team’s skills gaps; embrace new ways of working, such as co-intelligence; and elevate HR’s strategic impact by strengthening data savviness and storytelling.
• Drive operational efficiency by collaborating with AI-focused partners who emphasize ethical AI practices, transparency and trust.
• Evolve the HR operating model into an integrated, aligned, digitally enabled model that empowers HR teams to drive strategic value for the business.

A public version of the research paper, “Driving HR Performance With Gen AI” is available for free with registration.

About The Hackett Group®

The Hackett Group, Inc. (NASDAQ: HCKT) is an IP and platform-based, Gen AI strategic consulting and executive advisory firm that enables Digital World Class® performance. Using AI XPLR™ and ZBrain™ – our ideation through implementation platforms – our experienced professionals help organizations realize the power of Gen AI and achieve quantifiable, breakthrough results, allowing us to be key architects of their Gen AI journey.

Our expertise is grounded in unparalleled best practices insights from benchmarking the world’s leading businesses – including 97% of the Dow Jones Industrials, 90% of the Fortune 100, 70% of the DAX 40 and 51% of the FTSE 100. Visit us at www.thehackettgroup.com.

Trademarks

The Hackett Group®, quadrant logo, and Digital World Class® are the registered marks of The Hackett Group®.

Cautionary Statement Regarding “Forward-Looking” Statements

This release contains “forward-looking” statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 as amended and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. Statements including without limitation, words such as “expects,” “anticipates,” “intends,” “plans,” “believes,” “seeks,” “estimates,” or other similar phrases or variations of such words or similar expressions indicating, present or future anticipated or expected occurrences or outcomes are intended to identify such forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are not statements of historical fact and involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the Company’s actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from the results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. Factors that may impact such forward-looking statements include without limitation, the ability of The Hackett Group® to effectively market its digital transformation, our ability to transition our capabilities to support generative artificial intelligence (AI)-related consulting services and solutions and other consulting services, our ability to effectively integrate acquisitions, including the Spend Matters acquisition into our operations, our ability to manage joint ventures and successfully cooperate with our joint venture partners, competition from other consulting and technology companies that may have or develop in the future, similar offerings, the commercial viability of The Hackett Group® and its services as well as other risk detailed in The Hackett Group’s reports filed with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission. The Hackett Group® does not undertake any duty to update this release or any forward-looking statements contained herein.

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