If you havn't registered for it, there's still time. One of the biggest international events in the HR world is only 10 days away. To be organised by the HR leader William M Mercer, the venue for the global conference is San Francisco, in the US. The dates: October 27 to 29.Explaining the significance of the forthcoming global conference, Ali Wagner, spokesperson of William M Mercer, says in an e-mail despatch that international HR executives tackle an array of increasingly complex tasks, as they attempt to align global HR strategies with business goals.
``Companies are more likely today to recognise how an engaged and motivated global workforce can contribute to bottomline success,'' says Wagner.
Having started it in 1986, the Mercer Global HR Conference is the industry's pre-eminent forum for obtaining and exchanging the best ideas on how to manage your global benefits, compensation, and related HR programmes, adds Wagner.
Targeted at a wide range of executives -- from top HR directors to managersof benefits or compensation -- the conference will have a series of sessions interspersed with lunch, dinner and snack breaks. The sessions are bound to be informative and educative since Mercer consultants from all over the world along with other top MNC gurus will be there to keep you abreast of the latest global approaches in HR.
Offering an overview of the conference, Wagner says that it features presentations led by experts from around the world, often in collaboration with practitioners from large multinational companies. Included is a plenary session by a noted HR theoretician on `Competing on Human Capital', plus more than two dozen smaller, highly interactive sessions on specialised topics.
He adds: ``You have a wealth of choices for each of seven periods of concurrent sessions. Whether you are interested in strategic and innovative ideas, or require practical and country-specific information, you'll find sessions that address your needs.'' Sessions are grouped in six categories: strategic,technological, performance and reward, mobile employees, benefits, and country and regional updates.
To give you an idea of what this conference is all about, one of the things to be discussed is the case study of the Ford company in terms of global leadership assessment. By making a variety of HR inventions over the past two years, Ford Motor Company has changed its management culture and enhanced its leadership capability, says Wagner. And this conference will look at the Ford model for insight into:
Redefining leadership competencies, Integrating leadership assessment with performance management, and Designing a system for global application using state-of-the-art technology and tools.Similarly, the Cadbury model will be taken up for a session on `Managing for Value: Creating a Dynamic Organisation'. This session will describe how Cadbury implemented, communicated, and sought buy-in for its `Managing for Value' vehicle to increase shareholder value, including developing newleadership criteria and incentive-pay structures. By demonstrating the interplay between dynamic HR management and the corporate bottomline, Cadbury won HR Magazine's 1999 Human Resources Excellence Award, elaborates Wagner.
Another session that is likely to attract many executives is the one on `Gaugin vs. Gates: Design as the Critical Success Factor in Building Effective HR Web Sites'. Says Wagner: ``In the corporate rush to implement HR web sites for employees, most organisations focus on content and technology. While both are important, neither will be the key to success or failure. Design will.'' This session focuses on the often-overlooked role of human factors-interface design, usability testing, etc.-as the true strategy for success.
The talk on performance and reward is yet another that's sure to be a crowd puller. This session will examine how companies attempt to improve linkages between total remuneration and business strategy. It will include a review of proven processes, a discussion ofbarriers to success, and a summary of tips for doing it right. In line with this talk will be a session on `Global Executive Compensation Trends and Considerations'. Explains Wagner: ``This session will describe global executive compensation philosophy, structures (salary and incentive opportunities), design considerations, and performance measurement and alignment.''
Plus, there will be topics of general interest such as `Global Health Care Planning', `Global Opportunities in Medical Disability Management' and `What's Going On in Flexible Work Practices'. The last one is particularly interesting in that it will describe worldwide developments in the adoption of flexible work practices among companies looking to improve employee attraction, retention, and productivity. All this, at a price tag of $1,095 (excluding hotel accommodation).
For additional information, contact Margaret Foley at William M Mercer in New York; Ph: +1 212 345 2152; Fax: +1 212 345 3737; E-mail:margaret.foley@us.wmmercer.com.
Copyright © 1999 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.