shrm india 2011 round-up

2011 SHRM ANNUAL CONFERENCE AND EXPOSITION

More than 12,000 human resource professionals from the United States and around the world, including an India

delegation of 75, attended the Society for Human Resource Management�s 63rd Annual Conference and

Exposition in Las Vegas. The conference had 205 concurrent sessions on workplace flexibility, employment law,

wellness, and career development, among other top workplace and workforce issues.

For the first time, the conference included Practitioner Exchange- sessions that feature HR executives from

companies known for innovation. HR experts from NV Energy, Cirque du Soleil, Hewlett-Packard and Air France-

KLM, among others, shared how HR programs have influenced their workplace and business success. The

keynote speakers at the conference were Sir Richard Branson, president of the Virgin Group; Tony Hsieh, CEO of

Zappos.com; Arianna Huffington, co-founder of The Huffington Post and Emmy-award winning actor, Michael J.

Fox.

The 2012 SHRM Annual Conference and Exposition will be held in June in Atlanta, Georgia.

THE YEAR GONE BY AND THE YEAR AHEAD

2011, more than any other year, reminded us of the precariousness of the market economy, dangers of

conventional thinking and the greater need to push the innovation envelope. In line with our philosophy -

�knowledge is not enough, application counts� - and our ongoing endeavour to bring in new thinking, we created

several innovatively structured and designed events to bring out the best in learning exchange for HR leadership

and the community at large.

We closed 2011 on a high and would like to share a few snapshots of the leading SHRM India events during the

year.

We look forward to an even more �eventful� 2012.

Hope you enjoy this issue!

With best wishes for a happy and prosperous New Year,

SHRM India

January, 2012Issue No. 31

HR NOW: 2011 ROUND-UP

RAVI SAYS

�One�s growth will be limited only by one�s own

limitations; those that dare and adapt wisely, will

leave a rich legacy.�

Golden Companies- The Economic Times, Times Ascent,

December 14, 2011


LEADERSHIP �NEXT�

SME SUMMIT 2011

At our signature, by-invitation-only event,

Leadership �Next�: Knowing the

Challenges and Solutions for Today &

Tomorrow, select HR leaders got

together to co-create a blue-print for

future HR challenges. The event provided

an opportunity to shape the profession,

and its impact on both business and

society. Using a unique interactive

design, Leadership �Next� was

innovatively structured with 'work-outs'

to bring out the best for future-proofing.

The objective was to create an

experimental and experiential forum that

would enable high level interactions

and provide a continuous platform for

evaluating and solving existing and

potential challenges with �better� and

�next' solutions.

The second HR Subject Matter Expert Summit was held in Mumbai on September 23, 2011. The first such

summit, held in September 2010, gave birth to a unique collaboration between SHRM India and a team of

over 50 volunteer HR Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) brought together by a shared vision to support and

advance the HR profession through the SHRM India Knowledge Center. This year�s summit took stock and

defined the Knowledge Center�s roadmap with feedback and advice from the SMEs.

It has been a stellar year for the SHRM India Knowledge Center, with several well received online chats and

webinars on topics that are of interest to the HR community, supported by SMEs in various HR disciplines. A

first-of-its-kind online �Ask an HR Advisor� service was launched on August 8, 2011. This service allows HR

professionals to write in to our full-time HR Advisors and volunteer SMEs to seek advice on their current and

future HR challenges. In December 2011, the Knowledge Center added �Express Requests� to its growing list

of offerings. A quick and easy-to-use online service, �Express Requests� provides automated responses to

burning issues and hot topics in HR directly in the inbox of the user.

ROUNDTABLES ON MULTI-GENERATIONAL DIVERSITY

SHRM India in association with Business Today brought together thought leaders in HR management,

research and consultancy to discuss multi-generational diversity in the Indian context from a research

perspective and to look for answers to the following questions:

�How do we meaningfully categorize

generations in the context of the Indian

workforce?

�How do multiple generations interact in

the workplace?

�Are there inter-generational gender

differences in the workplace?

�What are the mechanisms that

organizations use to strengthen multi-

generational collaboration?

�What are the implications for Leadership

and Human Resource Management in the

new conceptualization of generations?

These Roundtables held in Bangalore on November 4, 2011 and Kolkata on November 22, 2011 contribute to

an ongoing collaborative Research Project between SHRM India and Professor Vasanthi Srinivasan from

IIM-Bangalore.

�In the future office, flexibility will rule. This is

expected to go beyond flexi-time to flexi-role,

flexi-structures, flexi-programmes and

hopefully, even flexi-bosses; thus, giving people

a more wholesome engagement in life!�

Golden Companies- The Economic Times, Times Ascent,

December 14, 2011

RAVI SAYS


GOLF & I: LEADERSHIP ON COURSE

SHRM India organised Golf & I, a unique programme to experience leadership through the game of golf. On

April 2-3, 2011, over 40 corporate heads, business and HR leaders gathered in Aamby Valley for this event,

which provided an opportunity to explore Golf from a new perspective. It gave the leaders insights into how

they could push the boundaries of achievement while continuously equipping themselves with 'more' and

'next' to lead new standards of performance.

At the event, some of the participants were assessed and debriefed on their leadership style using the

expertise of Anahat Consulting, an organisational development company, to administer the �Focus Styles

questionnaire� from Saville Consulting. The golfers also responded to questions on the course about how

their golfing technique reflected their leadership style. This experiential programme explored the connection

between the self, the game and the way a person leads.

SHRM INDIA FORUMS

HR IN 2020: IN THE RIGHT PLACE, AT THE RIGHT TIME?

In a world of constant change, human beings need to continuously metamorphose themselves to emerge as

constructive players in the expanding spectrum of corporate growth. Human Resource or HR has often

delimited its full flight into the wide space of operational and strategic areas by distancing itself from the

supply and delivery chain of the business. Post 1990, the scene has shifted dramatically for HR all over the

world, specifically in the Indian Corporate world. Nadeem Kazim, Director- HR & Personnel, Exide Industries

Ltd, aptly entitled his presentation -�Building Bridges Breaking Taboos: HR in New Roles by 2020� at the

inaugural launch of the SHRM Forum in Kolkata. Nadeem spoke about the quick changes taking place in the

domain of manufacturing, education and retail sectors. The talk veered towards the issue of the changes

taking place within the ambit of HR and the adjustments still desirable and

necessary to prepare for future changes and challenges.

CONFLUENCE – A NORTH INDIA REGIONAL MEET

KOLKATA FORUM LAUNCH

RAVI SAYS

�Although it is critical for organisations to

collaborate with academic and other institutions;

however, the real reason for that is not to

enhance their organisational productiveness and

employee efficiency but because organisations

have realized that there is no other way to fill the

employability gap they are faced with.�

The Executive Classroom - The Economic Times (ET High

Flier), October 18, 2011

the To celebrate the first anniversary of our existence in North India, a mega forum meet was organised by

steering committees of all four forum locations in the North – New Delhi, Gurgaon, Noida andChandigarh at the India Habitat Centre in New Delhi on August 27, 2011. This forum was attended by over 70 HR

professionals, students, leaders, HR and business leaders from in and around the NCR region.

The full-day event was characterized by two knowledge chat sessions on - Change Management and HR-

Business Engineering, led by eminent guests like Suvendu Ghoshal, Bimal Rath and Sameer Mehta.

Presentations on �What is Next in our city� by steering committee members for their respective cities; fun

games and ice-breakers; networking lunch; midsession chit-chats with some of our past speakers and

regular forum attendees like Dr. Ajit Nigam, Maj. Kamal Mehta, Nigel Copsey, and many more; and the very

deserved recognition of all our regional volunteers marked the day.


NTL FESTIVAL OF LEARNING

SHRM India partnered the second NTL Festival of Learning held in Mumbai from November 11-19, 2011. The

NTL Festival of Learning offered a total of 14 Labs covering topics related to Result-Based Leadership,

Polarity Management, Organization Development, Creative Approaches to Leadership and unique labs such

as Global Team Dynamics and Celebration of Identity and Affirmation.

The Festival was conceived as a means to connect a diverse global network of learners in various parts of the

world, to each other and their rich experiences. NTL has offered labs, primarily in North America and Europe

in the past.

The labs were �experiential� in nature, drawing upon intensive research, consultation and wisdom of NTL

Professional Members from various parts of the world. Participants got an opportunity to learn to translate

their learning into more effective collaboration for being a dynamic human being within an environment and

culture that spans not only the local settings but also across the globe.

ROUNDTABLES ON GLOBAL LEADERSHIP FORECAST 2011

SHRM India with Development Dimensions International (DDI) hosted interactive Roundtables on the Global

Leadership Forecast 2011 during which Richard Wellins, PhD, from DDI presented the findings of the 2011

Global Leadership Forecast, comparing China and India, the economic powerhouses of Asia. The

Roundtables, by-invitation-only events, held in Mumbai on November 8, 2011 and in New Delhi on November

9, 2011, discussed and shared research on the following:

� Who will win global markets?

� Who will be able to capture customer loyalty?

� Who can accelerate their innovation curves to maximize quality?

� What about the quality of workforce, which is both, tied to, and driven by the quality ofleadership?

� Who will have the advantage in that all-important realm?

The Global Leadership Forecast 2011 is the largest and most comprehensive study of its kind. Over 2,600

organizations across 74 countries have provided perspectives on the current state of leadership in their

organizations and future talent related needs. The study, based on data from 1,897 HR professionals and

12,423 leaders, focuses on organizational trends and best practices around building leadership bench

strength.

CERTIFICATIONS

SPICE UP YOUR KNOWLEDGE, by Karen Goodlett, SPHR Certification Director

SHRM India supports the globally recognized PHR, SPHR and GPHR certifications with targeted

learning material and preparation classes. To learn more, visit -

�Earlier this spring, a co-worker asked me why she should pursue a PHR or SPHR certification. I was busy,

and my initial response simply paraphrased what is found on the HR Certification Institute web site: HR

certification sets you apart from your peers; improves your opportunities for career advancement; increases

your confidence; and in a world of budget cuts, makes you more valuable to the organization in which you

work.�

�The half-smile and head nod told me I wasn�t getting through. I was going to have to get personal, so I

continued to explain: In a constantly evolving HR world, you certify to ensure you have the knowledge

needed to be an HR professional in today�s market. When you receive your PHR or SPHR certification, you

have shown that you can apply that knowledge to be an HR professional in the 21st century!�

�Another nod--and this one came with a �Cool!� I had her attention! I continued: Making the commitment to

pursue certification offers you the opportunity to challenge yourself and more fully expand your knowledge

of the HR profession. When you receive that certification, you�ve shown you take your professional

development seriously enough to invest hours and hours of study and class time to prepare yourself to sit for

the exam. Knowing you have to recertify every three years, you are making a career-long commitment to the

human resource profession.�

�Through the entire certification process--preparing for the exam, taking the exam and earning

recertification credits--you gain a comprehensive knowledge of HR that will allow you to better perform your

job. You will also get to know other HR professionals who will study with you; share recertification

experiences and support you throughout the process. You will have professional connections you can

network with and use as resources throughout your HR career.�

�Awesome!� she responded.

�Yes, it is.�

http://shrmindia.org/ certification-preparation

�There are leaders who think creatively but would

shudder to call themselves a �leader.� To me,

dabbawalas represent the finest form of

innovation with their unique coding system and

are a true example of �faceless leaders�.�

I Think, Therefore I Am - The Economic Times (ET High

Flier), November 15, 2011

G. Ravindran (Ravi), GPHR, is CEO & MD, SHRM India

and a Member of the Leadership Team,SHRM Global

RAVI SAYS

http://shrmindia.org/certification-preparation