Dominic Barton, also co-author of a new book, "Talent Wins," argues that the human resources' role is crucial for a company to succeed. HR has to move from being seen "as the sleepy backwater where the admin is done," he says.
"Often HR people aren't even on the same floor, and that has to totally change," Barton says. "One of the biggest investors in the world is BlackRock, and you go to the seventh floor of BlackRock and the person sitting beside (CEO) Larry Fink's office is Jeff Smith, who's the chief human resources officer. That's deliberate."
Barton notes solid business leaders need to have a firm understanding of HR.
"I hope we'll see more CEOs coming from the HR function, and we'll see more line leaders spending time in HR," he says. "There has to be a transformation there."