The HR strategic innovation ecosystem is the process of creating new ideas and turning them into new business values for the organization. This session will explore the new business values HR creates, through strategic innovations in four dimensions of HR practice (strategic, change management, operational and administrative). The following issues will be addressed:

• Treating the customer as the most important source of innovation and embedding this principle in all HR processes.
• Adding corporate social responsibility, corporate governance and investor communications to the HR portfolio.
• Embedding mental, moral, physical and social health, ethics and values in all HR processes.
• Integrating innovation through incorporating the best ideas, no matter what their origin, in other countries, in other companies or laboratories and even in competing organizations.
• Creating seamless convergences of working, commuting, living and learning spaces.

Can carbon footprints per employee, climate change and green initiatives become key result areas for employee performance? Can competing companies share human capital? Can employee contentment derive from innovating motivational and compensation systems? Can ergonomics and sustainable, transportable community living and collaborative learning make employees more productive?

This session will discuss all these questions and more!

Workplace application – Embracing the need for re-conceptualization of the existing business model of HR practice, this session will explore the new business values HR creates, through strategic innovations in four dimensions of HR practice.

Air France and KLM merged in 2004, creating the biggest global airline company in terms of passenger revenues. This session will focus on the complex human resources management aspects of the merger from an international perspective. Where cultures are perceived as different, gaining the trust of staff is the critical success factor. The speaker will discuss how country-specific aspects in France and the Netherlands, as well as in numerous locations worldwide where AF-KLM operates, were addressed to achieve employee engagement and confidence, showing how a successful HR strategy can build trust in leadership. More specifically, he will share with participants his experience on the HR component of the merger, covering issues such as how to continue support to build a leading airline group, understanding the general framework and joint challenges, framing the HR agenda during the M&A process, and best practices for consolidating and retaining key staff.

Workplace application – This session will provide participants with highly useable workforce Mergers and Acquisitions strategies.

The economic shifts of the last 20 years, and the demographics of the next 20, have placed people at the heart of organizational success. HR is now at the point where it is moving beyond “follow-the-herd” programs and investments based on intuition. As a strategic player, your HR department is being constantly challenged to deliver, enable and enhance the right people. Increasingly you need timely data or “talent intelligence” to meet this challenge. Currently HR data comes from a number of fragmented sources. “Talent intelligence” is the combined output of the multiple data streams, qualitative and quantitative, which impact HR and the performance of people.

The measurement of HR is increasing in sophistication in many areas, from HR metrics to engagement to the assessment of capability. These different streams of measurement are supporting evidence-based decisions, increased predictability and greater strategic impact. Those who are pushing HR past its limits are finding ways to integrate, analyze and refresh the flow of talent intelligence and are using this insight to drive value creation within their organizations.

Workplace application – This session will be of value to HR professionals who want to take their analysis of people investments and their strategic decision making to the next level. We will explore the developments in both the quantitative and qualitative areas of HR measurement. Participants will leave the session with a clear understanding of how to enhance their organization’s talent intelligence and increase their strategic impact.

Simple interpersonal relationships, sharing information across line boundaries, continuing professional development, an ongoing focus on innovation, an open door policy, a stimulating social life, and transparency of information are all factors contributing to Cascade’s role as a pioneer and leader. The organization has attained this position not only because of its commitment to quality, technology development and protection of the environment, but also because of its innovative vision of HR management. What does Cascades mean by “sustainable management practices”? These are winning management practices that correspond to an organization’s culture and values, while taking into account its ability to pay without mortgaging the future. The speaker will outline Cascades’ human resources vision and describe how the company has made its mark through sustainable HR management practices, particularly as concerns compensation, benefits, organizational development and occupational health and safety. Discover an organization that has proved that economic interests are compatible with environmental principles…

Workplace application – This session will introduce you to winning and sustainable HR management practices that correspond to an organization’s culture, while taking into account its ability to pay.

Findings in recent years indicate that organizations with highly efficient health programs achieve the best financial results. Statistics on absenteeism and healthcare clearly indicate that employees are under considerable stress. In fact, that’s the reason most Canadian workers give for quitting their jobs. Employers’ efforts to attract and retain candidates aren’t enough. Companies’ financial performance suffers, whether it’s due to lost time from absenteeism and presenteeism or costs tied to turnover and low productivity. To respond to this situation, Quebec has recently adopted a new standard called Healthy Enterprise. Recognizing organizations who integrate the health of their employees into their management practices and help them promote this value, this occupational health standard is the first in the world of its kind. Pfizer Canada is one of the first companies to obtain the Healthy Enterprise – Elite certification, recognizing that Pfizer takes action in all 4 areas of activity known to have a significant impact on employee health: lifestyle habits, work-life balance, work environment and management practices. Luc St-Pierre, CHRP, Vice-President Human Resources, will share Pfizer Canada’s experience as Healthy Enterprise – Elite, a true reflection of their corporate values and philosophy that it takes more than medication to be truly healthy. He will demonstrate the impact in the workplace, the results for employees and the employer since obtaining the certification.

Workplace application – This session will raise awareness about the Healthy Enterprise standard, a world first. Issues that have motivated the development of such a standard will be discussed, as well as the development process, the certification process, outcomes for employers and workers and next steps towards a national standard.

All human organizations are a social network. Now they are on the Internet and will change the world of work. In developing countries with high talent mobility rates such as the Philippines, Hungary, Poland and Mexico, 76% of active Internet users participate in Social Network Sites (SNSs). Despite the positive contributions of these sites, only 19% of employers allow access to them in the workplace.

SNSs continue to be controversial and even to be rejected, sparking enthusiasm in some, confusion in others. Whatever the attitude, the awareness that they will change the world of work is rapidly growing. SNSs will transform talent management, internal communication and knowledge administration.

This session will describe how human resources leaders can play a key role in the management of SNSs, focusing on human relationships in the domain of technology and on the construction of business benchmarks, aligning resources and actions to strategy and emphasizing the value of the exploitation of knowledge.

Workplace application – This session will be of value to HR professionals interested in learning more about managing SNSs in the workplace, how they will transform essential HR functions, and how to make them work to the organization’s overall advantage.