# unleash-franklin-moderna-hr-it-merger-architect-flow-work-2025-06-27

## Veille

Exclusive interview with Tracey Franklin (Chief People and Digital Technology Officer at Moderna) on the merger of HR and IT into a single department: the shift from siloed "workforce planning" and "technology planning" to integrated "work planning," the "architect the flow of work" metaphor, 3,000+ custom GPTs, 5,000 employees, and a 2030 vision of an adaptive human+agent organization.

## Titre Article

Why Moderna merged HR and IT to better 'architect the flow of work'

## Date

2025-06-27

## URL

https://www.unleash.ai/artificial-intelligence/why-moderna-merged-hr-and-it-to-better-architect-the-flow-of-work/

## Keywords

HR-IT merger, Moderna, Tracey Franklin, Chief People and Digital Technology Officer, architect the flow of work, work planning vs workforce planning, custom GPT, Ask HR, OpenAI partnership, AI agents, adaptive organization, outdated traditional model, biotech, organizational transformation, culture-technology alignment, blended future humans and agents

## Authors

Allie Nawrat (UNLEASH), interview de Tracey Franklin

## Ton

**Profile**: HR-tech interview published by UNLEASH (a future-of-work specialist outlet), business-leadership register, narrative built around Franklin's direct voice with long quotations. Target audience: CHROs, CIOs, transformation executives, HR consulting firms, HR-tech media. Authority derives from Franklin's executive position and from the fact that this is a rare, closely watched decision (covered by WSJ, Fortune, Josh Bersin).

**Style**: Long-format article with clear subheadings, structured in three parts: the merger decision → Moderna's AI approach → the 2030 vision. Franklin's quotes carry the argument. Notable metaphors: *"architect the flow of work"* (a phrase that becomes signature), *"close the gap between the people who shape culture and those who build the systems that support it"*, *"front door to HR support"* (for Ask HR GPT), *"a blended future"* (humans + AI agents). Confident, programmatic tone without triumphalism — Franklin repeatedly acknowledges that it is *"still very much a work in progress"*. Journalist Allie Nawrat stays in the background, framing the questions and letting Franklin develop her answers. The strength of the piece lies in its **dual thesis**: the HR+IT merger is not merely organizational, it is ontological (what is an organization in an era when the execution system blends humans and agents?). A conceptual piece that elevates the Moderna case to the status of an **organizational model**, later feeding into Bersin's and the business press's coverage.

## Pense-betes

- **Tracey Franklin**: former CHRO who became **Chief People and Digital Technology Officer** at Moderna. At Moderna since 2019 (then 800 employees). Today 5,000 employees internationally. Revenue: Moderna $3.2B in revenue.
- Pivotal quote: *"merging HR and Digital isn't just about consolidation – it's a deliberate move to close the gap between the people who shape culture and those who build the systems that support it"*.
- Signature phrase: *"architect the flow of work"* — how tasks, information, and decisions get executed.
- Key distinction: shift from **"workforce planning"** (historically HR) + **"technology planning"** (historically IT) → integrated **"work planning"**.
- Method: *"We start with the basic questions – what are we trying to accomplish? From there, rethink how technology can enable the work, and what type of people capability we need alongside it"*. Work as the unit of analysis, not the job role or the technology.
- Explicit thesis: *"The traditional model that separates talent from technology is increasingly outdated"*.
- Important nuance: *"it's not a one-size-fits-all solution"* — Franklin recommends the merger, but acknowledges it requires a strong foundation and commitment.
- **3,000+ custom GPTs** deployed via the OpenAI partnership (vs. 750 GPTs at the time of OpenAI's April 2024 study — a 4x increase in 14 months).
- Signature HR example: **Ask HR GPT** = "front door to HR support." Routes questions to specialized GPTs (performance, career, benefits). Feedback loop: recurring questions feed policy/communication improvements.
- On AI agents: *"a powerful accelerator. As AI capabilities evolve and improve, so will our workflows."* But: *"success depends on staying grounded in real business needs with strong data, governance, and change foundations in place"*.
- 2030 vision: *"a truly adaptive organization – one where people, technology, and work are continuously realigned to meet shifting business needs"*.
- Central conceptual shift: *"We're shifting from a people-only lens to a systems view"* — and this system now includes humans + AI agents "working side-by-side."
- Redefined HR mission: preparing *"a new kind of culture that's ready to manage this blended future"*.
- This piece is the **most direct source** on Franklin and the Moderna decision. Later referenced by Josh Bersin (October 2025) as a precursor example, and by the WSJ.

## RésuméDe400mots

In June 2025, UNLEASH published an exclusive interview with Tracey Franklin, Chief People and Digital Technology Officer at Moderna, on the decision to merge HR and IT into a single department (People and Digital Technology). It is the only detailed primary source on this move, which positions Moderna as a precursor closely watched by HR-tech analysts.

Franklin joined Moderna in 2019, when the company had 800 employees in Massachusetts. Six years later, Moderna has 5,000 employees worldwide, with $3.2 billion in revenue. The HR+IT merger, Franklin says, *"isn't just about consolidation – it's a deliberate move to close the gap between the people who shape culture and those who build the systems that support it"*.

The central thesis is a **redefinition of the unit of planning**. Where IT planned technology and HR planned workforce in separate silos, Moderna shifts to **"work planning"**: *"a holistic view of what work is being done, and architect the most optimal workflows and resources to match"*. The method: start with "what are we trying to accomplish?", then derive the technology that enables the work and the human capabilities required. Signature phrase: *"architect the flow of work"*.

For Franklin, the traditional model separating talent and technology is *"increasingly outdated"*. She recommends the merger to organizations *"ready to embrace the integrated lines between people, systems and the flow of work"*, while noting that it is not universal — it requires a solid foundation and serious commitment.

On AI, Moderna is positioned as an "AI company since the early days." The OpenAI partnership enabled the deployment of **more than 3,000 custom GPTs** (a 4x increase from the 750 documented a year earlier). On the HR side, Franklin highlights the **Ask HR** GPT: a "front door" that routes questions to specialized GPTs (performance, career, benefits) and feeds a policy-improvement loop. On AI agents, she remains cautious: *"a powerful accelerator… but success depends on staying grounded in real business needs with strong data, governance, and change foundations"*.

The 2030 vision is explicit: building *"a truly adaptive organization – one where people, technology, and work are continuously realigned"*. The fundamental shift is ontological: *"We're shifting from a people-only lens to a systems view"*, where this system includes humans and AI agents working side by side. The HR mission becomes preparing *"a new kind of culture that's ready to manage this blended future"*.

By placing the HR+IT merger at the heart of an adaptive-organization strategy, this piece turns the Moderna anecdote into a **conceptual model** later taken up by Josh Bersin (October 2025) and the business press as a signal of a structural shift.

## GrapheDeConnaissance

- Moderna —a_créé→ People and Digital Technology (ORGANISATION, 0.98)
- Tracey Franklin —dirige→ People and Digital Technology (ORGANISATION, 0.98)
- Tracey Franklin —est_instance_de→ rôle de directeur People & Digital Technology (CONCEPT, 0.98)
- Tracey Franklin —affirme_que→ le modèle séparant talent et technologie est obsolète (AFFIRMATION, 0.95)
- Tracey Franklin —recommande→ Architect the flow of work (METHODOLOGIE, 0.95)
- Work planning —remplace→ workforce planning et technology planning (METHODOLOGIE, 0.93)
- Moderna —a_créé→ 3000+ GPTs custom (TECHNOLOGIE, 0.97)
- Moderna —collabore_avec→ OpenAI (ORGANISATION, 0.98)
- Ask HR —permet→ routage des questions employés vers GPTs spécialisés (CONCEPT, 0.93)
- Tracey Franklin —prédit→ une organisation adaptative humains+agents en 2030 (AFFIRMATION, 0.92)
- Moderna —mesure→ 5 000 employés (MESURE, 0.98)
- Moderna —mesure→ 3,2 milliards de dollars de revenus (MESURE, 0.95)
- HR+IT merger —permet→ Architect the flow of work (METHODOLOGIE, 0.95)
- Tracey Franklin —affirme_que→ la systems view inclut humains et agents IA côte à côte (AFFIRMATION, 0.92)

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Canonical: https://www.thekb.eu/en/fiches/unleash-franklin-moderna-hr-it-merger-architect-flow-work-2025-06-27/