A long awaited post on 'Tanthra 2009'

Well!!! I am back after my exams [exams are not over though as one is scheduled for 23rd November].

I was one of the student delegate in 'TANTHRA 2009' organised by D G Vaishnav College, Department of HRM. I have always learnt a great deal from eminent speakers. This was no exception either.

Let me share a snapshot of my learning from various speakers during 'Tanthra 2009':

1. Mr Anand Rangachary, Managing Director, South Asia & Middle east, Frost & Sullivan,

Mumbai:

• It is extremely important for Business Leaders to have experience of working in emerging markets.
• Technology is increasingly going to be a value lever for business.
• HR should ensure that employees are retained for the sweet spot period [2-5 years].
• HR's priority should be to foster the right culture of leadership,entrepreneurial spirit[within the company :-)] , innovation and ownership.

2. Mr G Ravindran, Managing Director, SHRM India, Mumbai:

• HR professionals have to be path breakers who understand people, enable self discovery and shape talent for tomorrow's enterprises.

3. Mr Naveen Narayan, India Lead-Rewards, HR Tech, GS CIO, HR; Accenture:

• HR professionals have to get into the role of 'credible activist'[might sound like a paradox but thats the way it should be]

4. Mr K Ganesh, VP-HR, Tata Consultancy Services Ltd, Chennai

• Legal knowledge in HR practitioners is going to be of prime importance in the current scenario.
• HR professionals should stop complaining about 'Visibility' because if you have the right ability and can translate it into value driven performance then visibility would be certain. [Visibility = Visible +Ability :-)]

5. Mr Joseph John, VP -HR, India & Middle East IT Businesses, Wipro Ltd, Bangalore.

• The HR levers in today's business are: Managing cost, enhancing performance, Employee Engagement, Agility & capability development, HR service delivery excellence.
• Focus areas for HR: Globalization & Change agent, Diversity management, Leadership development

6. Mr Ramkumar Rammoorthy, VP, Corporate Marketing & Research and Communication, CTS,

Chennai.

• There is a shift from Labour arbitrage model to Intellectual model in todays workforce management.
• Business needs to be driven by metrics. HR needs to embrace this.

7. Mr Selvam George, Chairman, 5 E Serpraise, Bangalore.

• The 3 Ps of HRM: Passion, Path Making, Public Interest.

8. Mr Srikant Srinivasan, Corporate HR, Ashok Leyland, Chennai.

• Priority areas for HR: Being process champions and change agents, build capability of working across cultures, how to deal with constant learning and unlearning.

9. Naresh Kumar Pinisetti, Director- People & Culture, Vestas Wind Technology India, Chennai.

• Employee value proposition in Vestas: Respectable, Sustainable, Driven, Global, Learning.
• A lot of focus needs to be given on employer branding, mentoring and global mobility, managing generation Y employees properly.

10. Mr Dharmarajan, Head HR- Buildings and Factories Operating Company, Larsen & Toubro, Chennai.

• 3 Ps of business: People, Planet, Profit.

11. Mr C Mohan Kumar, Executive Director- HR, Nagarjuna Oil Corporation Ltd, Chennai.

• 5 emerging tools in HR:

1. Predictive workforce monitoring and strategic talent decision making.
2. Flexible and anticipating talent sourcing.
3. Customized and personalized records and communications.
4. Distributed and distribution influenced leadership.
5. Unified and compassionate culture.

12. Workshop on 'Innovation in HR practices' by David Wittenberg, CEO, Innovation Workgroup, Delhi

A few prerequisites to innovation :

1. Assign people to innovate
2. The customers know best, not the experts
3. Test then build
4. Validated benefits prior to launch.