Citation
Walsh, J. (2009), "CIPD Annual Conference, Harrogate, UK, 16-18 September 2008", Strategic HR Review, Vol. 8 No. 2. https://doi.org/10.1108/shr.2009.37208bae.001
Publisher
:Emerald Group Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2009, Emerald Group Publishing Limited
CIPD Annual Conference, Harrogate, UK, 16-18 September 2008
Article Type: Resources From: Strategic HR Review, Volume 8, Issue 2
CIPD Annual Conference, Harrogate, UK, 16-18 September 2008
Jemma WalshCIPD (www.cipd.co.uk)
The critical need for courageous leadership was the resounding note at the 2008 Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development’s Annual Conference in Harrogate last year. Leadership skills, style and culture all were examined closely in the context of the current economic climate and of the role of the HR function to help keep employees motivated and simultaneously keep the organization’s commercial agenda on track.
Surviving tough times
A keynote seminar by Carolyn McCall from the Guardian Media Group and David Robinson from Richer Sounds, Surviving and Thriving Through Turbulence, highlighted the need for strong leadership to get organizations through these tough times and beyond. The message was that organizations can build and sustain success in difficult times and to hold on tight.
This sentiment was echoed by Dr John Philpott, CIPD’s chief economist, in HR and the Global Economy, where he shared the stage with Lord McKenzie of Luton and David Smith of The Sunday Times. Leaders, suggested Philpott, must face the current downturn with more confidence. They should continue to be committed to employees, resist the impulse to cut training budgets and “do their damndest to live through this downturn on behalf of their people.” Redundancies, he said, should be avoided until every other possible option has been explored.
The latest leadership thinking
In Becoming a Resonant Leader, US Academics Annie McKee and Richard Boyatzis focused on “resonance” in leadership. This new leadership mantra purports that really great leaders are those that can manage their own and others’ emotions in order to drive success. In an engaging and interactive session, the two explained that optimism and emotional intelligence were key to becoming a resonant leader. Resonance, they argued, is an achievable pursuit that is universally applicable, transcending borders, languages and cultures.
Another new leadership and management approach called “Smart Working” was getting a lot of attention at the conference. The Rt Hon Michael Portillo, who chaired Smart Working: Driving a New Experience of Work, put Melanie Flogdell from Centrica, Genevieve Tennant from Allen and Overy and Simon Clementson of Capgemini Consulting through their paces with some straight up questions about this new paradigm that their respective organizations have adopted. Seen by many as a very brave means of management it is mainly concerned with building autonomy and self-control in individuals and takes flexible working to its limits in the pursuit of better business performance.
Looking to the future
In her keynote address, the new CIPD chief executive, Jackie Orme, looked to the future of HR and the need to build new HR capability. She pointed out that the HR function has well moved on from its image of “good cop” and is done with justifying its role in meeting business needs. “The HR function,” she stressed, “is about building an organization that talented people will fight to join.”