Why The Future Of Work Still Needs A Room: Lessons From XLRI’s Metamorphose 2026

New Delhi [India], October 2: Senior HR leaders from more than 80 organisations gathered at Mementos by ITC Hotels, Udaipur, on 25 and 26 September for the second edition of XLRI’s Metamorphose.

The conclave focused on some of the key questions facing organisations as technology and the nature of work change rapidly. These include how companies should redesign teams and roles around AI, how accountability and hierarchies will change as systems take on more work, and how organisations can prepare leaders for skills that are still evolving.

Learning from peers

The discussions reflected a reality that many organisations are facing at the same time: there are no established answers to several of these questions. Peer conversations therefore become an important way for HR leaders to understand what others are trying and where they are seeing challenges.

A McKinsey-led session on Agentic AI and its implications for organisation structure, roles and governance was among the sessions that drew strong participation. The discussion helped participants examine how AI could affect the way organisations are structured and how responsibilities are assigned.

Leadership lessons

A fireside conversation with Sandeep Bakhshi of ICICI Bank focused on the experiences and decisions that shaped the institution over the years. Rather than presenting a formal framework, Bakhshi shared lessons around grit, integrity and long-term thinking.

Such conversations provide a different form of learning from presentations and case studies. They allow leaders to share experiences and institutional lessons that are difficult to capture in a conventional session.

From discussions to shared knowledge

Metamorphose also saw the launch of a white paper by XLRI, based on inputs from more than 24 HR leaders across four mini-conferences: Work Reimagined, Workforce Renewed, Workplace Rebuilt and CHROs as Architects of Future Enterprises.

Prepared by the Centre for HRD, XLRI, the paper brings together perspectives from these discussions and survey data covering more than 160 senior HR and Business Professionals, and examines how the HR profession and organisations may evolve.

This is also an important role for an academic institution such as XLRI: bringing industry and academia together, documenting emerging practices and taking those insights back to both the classroom and organisations.

The value of getting leaders together

Holding the conclave in Udaipur, away from the usual city-based business setting, also gave participants more time for informal interaction. Family participation and conversations outside the formal sessions added to the experience.

For sponsors and partners, the presence of a large group of senior HR decision-makers in one setting was another important aspect of the conclave.

Building on the first edition

Metamorphose began in Jaipur in 2024 as part of XLRI’s 75th anniversary celebrations. Participants who attended both editions noted that the 2026 programme had sharper discussions and a stronger balance of research, external perspectives, peer exchange and reflection.

The event was planned over nearly nine months. Its second edition reinforces the value of creating a regular forum where HR leaders can exchange experiences and examine the changes affecting organisations.

As technology, economics and policy continue to reshape work, such forums can help leaders learn from each other and respond to these changes more effectively.

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