What is a Pacesetter?
Every industry has a small group of organizations that don’t just outperform their peers: they continually widen the gap. In every sector The Josh Bersin Company has studied, from healthcare and banking to consumer packaged goods and insurance, 5% to 10% of companies emerge as clear frontrunners. We call them Pacesetters.
Pacesetters aren’t simply better resourced. They think and act differently, building organizations structurally designed to lead, excelling across four dimensions:
- Financial performance
- Talent leadership
- Industry recognition
- HR maturity
The Research Behind the Category
Our insight into Pacesetters is grounded in the Global Workforce Intelligence (GWI) Project, a first-of-its-kind research initiative launched in 2022. The GWI uses Eightfold’s talent intelligence platform to analyze real workforce data, not just job postings or surveys, but actual job roles, skills, career pathways, and HR program maturity across tens of thousands of companies worldwide. This means our findings reflect what the workforce actually looks like, not just what organizations say they plan to do.
Through industry-specific studies in financial services, healthcare, pharmaceuticals, automotive manufacturing, and more, our analysts have uncovered precisely what sets top performers apart—and translated those findings into a blueprint any organization can apply.
Three Reports, One Framework
The Pacesetter research series has evolved alongside the AI transformation itself.
The Seven Winning Strategies of Pacesetter Organizations established the foundational characteristics that define pacesetters—from efficient operating models and technology investment to systemic HR practices.
Pacesetters in the Superworker Era revealed the six secrets of high-performing organizations navigating AI disruption—including how they go beyond automation to create new revenue streams, prioritize employee experience, and build relationship-focused capabilities at scale.
The Pacesetter Approach to AI: Building the Superpowered Workforce explains what pacesetters actually do to transform their organizations. Rather than deploying AI into existing workflows, they start with a clearly defined business problem, redesign work around AI to create Superjobs, and then build the Superworkers, Superteams, Supermanagers, Superleaders, and Supercompanies needed to sustain it. Crucially, they use AI as an enabler of growth—not a mechanism for job elimination.
The Blueprint is Available to You
The good news: you don’t need to be a Pacesetter yet to benefit from their approach. The strategies uncovered through the GWI Project are designed to be applied one at a time, at a pace that fits your culture, capacity, and goals—whether you lead a global enterprise or a regional team. Regardless of company size or market share, the Pacesetter blueprint offers a practical path to surviving the current skills crisis and future-proofing your organization.
Pacesetters don’t try to transform everything at once. They prioritize, start where it matters most, and continuously evolve.
Additional Resources
Report: The Seven Winning Strategies of Pacesetter Organizations
Report: AI Pacesetters: Six Secrets of the Superworker Company
Report: The Pacesetter Approach to AI
Book: Superpowered: How AI Unlocks the Superpower of People, Leadership, and Teams
Podcast: How to Become an AI Pacesetter: Superworker Explained
Article: AI Pacesetters: Six Secrets of The Superworker Company
Award Program: HR Pacesetter Awards 2027