The role of the Chief Human Resources Officer (CHRO) has never been more dynamic or critical. As organizations navigate rapid transformation, CHROs are at the forefront, steering their companies through workforce disruption, digital innovation, and evolving employee expectations.
This year, CHROs are sharpening their focus on leadership development, organizational culture, and the integration of AI and emerging technologies. Their priorities are shifting to tackle the challenges of change management, workforce resilience, and strategic workforce planning, ensuring that HR remains a key driver of enterprise growth and adaptability.
Each year, hundreds of members of Gartner CHRO Communities participate in our annual Leadership Perspective Survey, offering a comprehensive view of their top priorities, spending areas, and enterprise objectives shaping the HR agenda for 2026. This year, more than 400 CHROs shared their insights. Discover where they are investing their efforts and resources to build future-ready organizations.
Top Priority for CHROs: Leader & Manager Development
For the second consecutive year, “Leader & Manager Development” remains the top priority for CHROs. As organizations navigate rapid change and the workforce adapts to the rise of AI, HR leaders are focused on equipping managers with the agility, confidence, and resilience needed to guide their teams through uncertainty.
Culture, Change Management & AI Are Critical
“Culture” continues to hold its place as the second highest priority for CHROs in 2026. HR leaders are actively reshaping organizational culture to align with evolving business needs and rising employee expectations.
Close behind, “Change Management & Workforce Resiliency” has climbed to the third spot for 2026, up from fifth place last year. This shift highlights the growing importance of helping the organization and employees adapt to constant change and disruption.
“HR Tech & AI Strategy” has emerged as the fourth most critical priority, jumping seven spots from its 2025 ranking. Previously, HR technology and AI were considered separately, but they are now combined in recognition of their increasing interdependence, as reflected in conversations with CHROs. HR leaders are not only driving their own digital transformations but also assessing how AI will impact workforce structure, roles, responsibilities, and the need for upskilling.
Rounding out the top five is “Strategic Workforce Planning,” which has dipped slightly from its previous position as the third most critical priority in 2025. This remains a key focus area as organizations look to proactively align talent strategies with future business goals.
Top Spending Area: AI Solutions
Reflecting their strategic priorities, CHROs are directing the majority of their budgets toward technology investments. Half of CHROs (50%) plan to invest in AI solutions this year, making it the leading area of spending.
Workforce data and talent analytics are also prominent, with 31% of CHROs allocating funds to these tools. Human Capital Management (HCM) technology (28%) and learning technology (26%) round out the top tech spending areas, underscoring their focus on digital transformation and workforce development.
Recruiting remains a significant investment as well, with 32% of CHROs planning to spend in this area – continuing its importance in HR budgets as in previous years.
Top Enterprise Priority: Driving Growth
CHROs’ enterprise priorities remain largely consistent with last year, with a continued emphasis on driving growth and boosting operational efficiencies and productivity. These two focus areas once again lead the list for 2026.
A notable shift this year is the prioritization of optimizing or reducing costs, which has moved ahead of increasing revenue – these two priorities have swapped positions compared to 2025. Making its debut in the top five is “innovating for competitive advantage,” reflecting the growing importance of staying ahead in a rapidly changing business landscape.
Meanwhile, employee satisfaction and engagement, which previously featured among the top priorities, has dropped to seventh place this year.
Insights from Gartner C-level Communities proprietary Leadership Perspective Survey help us shape community events around executives' most critical priorities. If you are interested in connecting with peers on the latest HR issues and trends, apply to join your local CHRO community today. If you’re already a member, sign in to the app to explore upcoming events and discussions tailored to your community’s top priorities.
Based on 430 CHRO responses from Gartner C-level Communities’ proprietary Leadership Perspective Survey, March 2026.
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