IPM National HR Conference 2016: HR Ecosystem for Competitiveness

By Shannine Daniel

IPM Sri Lanka, the country’s premier in HR management, recently announced that the National HR Conference 2016 (NHRC) will be held on 21 and 22 June at the BMICH.

The focus of the conference will be on ‘HR Ecosystem for Competitiveness’ and will  target an audience of business leaders, heads of divisions, senior executives and others who wish to enhance their leadership skills and strategic thinking.

“The theme of conference is fitting as it is relevant to the current stage of the economic growth and development on a national scale. As Sri Lanka embarks on a journey amidst indications of a global slowdown, enhancing competitiveness would be essential for growth and survival,” stressed IPM Sri Lanka President Rohitha Amarapala.

This year’s conference will attribute many foreign and local experts in the field of HR and business who will share their thoughts and insights on the wide range of topics related to the theme. After careful speculation this theme was derived by considering several imperative factors that are relevant to all organisations and the nation as a whole in the context of today’s competitive business environment, revealed Amarapala.  

From left: The Great HR Debate 2016 Chairman Himal Perera, Research Symposium 2016 Symposium Chair Dr. J.H. Arachchige, IPM Sri Lanka Secretary C. Gannile, National HR Conference 2016 Chairman Anura Dayantha, IPM Sri Lanka President Rohitha Amarapala, IPM Sri Lanka Vice President Shanaka Fernando, National Human Resource Development Council Sri Lanka Chairman Dinesh Weerakkody, IPM Sri Lanka Executive Director Peter Daabre and HR Service Providence Exhibition 2016 Chairman Col. Saman Jayawickrama – Pic by Shehan Gunasekera

“The competitiveness of Sri Lanka as a country would depend on the competitiveness of each individual entity. All organisations rely heavily on its human capital to set course and steer it through the many challenges to achieve its many goals and objectives,” he emphasised.

Furthermore IPM has analysed the 12 pillars of the Global competitiveness index (GCI) from HR perspective, thus identifying five broad areas that are imperative in increasing the competitiveness of firms as well as the entire country, which are applicable to both private sector and public sector firms. Therefore under the main theme of the NHRC, these five broad topics will be touched on; creativity in organisations, competitiveness, governance and ethical leadership, technology and people and public sector HR.  

The NHRC hopes to put together a statement for competitiveness based on empowering the business leaders, building up employee brand and manager performance, technology to support people and innovation in all areas of business so that the organisations are in a position to earn a competitive advantage in the respective industry. 

Amarapala is positive that the NHRC 2016 will evoke many ideas and thoughts on the various interdependencies that are necessary to determine the level of competitiveness in the country and create a platform for discussion and debate among HR and business professionals relating to the need to consider competitiveness from the perspective of an HR ecosystem.

“It is important that all leaders look at competitiveness from an ecosystem perspective rather than from a single pillar perspective. We are confident that the attendees at this year’s conference will have a lot to learn from the distinguished speakers,” added NHRC 2016 Organising Committee Chairman Aruna Dayanatha. 

This year a research symposium will also be a part of the conference, which will promote a research culture in the field of HR management. The main focus of this research symposium is to develop strategies for uplifting high performance through HRM. 

The objective behind said symposium is mainly the provision of a forum for HR researchers. It is expected to foster dialogue and discussion among various stakeholders such as policy holders, professionals, industry leaders, academics and students and thus promote and share knowledge and strategies in managing people for high performance in a business environment.

Furthermore it will provide a platform for stakeholders to share their experiences and research findings about various aspects of managing people.

Aside from the symposium, the national HR awards, the HR debate and business leaders’ breakfast forum and workshop will also feature as part of the conference activities as always.

The breakfast form and workshop for business leaders will take place prior to the conference on 25 May, with prominent business leader Omar Khan as the speaker giving his valuable insights. A total of 150 people are expected to attend. 

In terms of the National HR Awards, awards that will be given away include category awards and the PQHRM best student awards. 

For the HR debate, about 13 teams have registered to participate and the briefing for both participants and judges will be held on 11 May. The first round of the debate will take place from 17 to 19 May. The second round is to take place a week after with the finals being held on the first day of the conference. 

Also the NHRC 2016 website has been launched to provide a portal for those interested in following up with the activities and to register to participate as well.