Illusionist
and TV showman Derren Brown provided the lunchtime entertainment at the recent
HR Futures event in London, but even his psychic powers were no match for the
latest IT gadgets on show.
The
buzz at the post-event drinks reception not only centred on Brown’s wizardry
and the themes of the day, but also the innovative technology used by
delegates.
At
the start of the day, everyone was given a Spotme handheld device, which
enabled them to send messages to other attendees, exchange e-business cards and
vote interactively on chosen topics.
The
challenges facing HR professionals managing a global workforce were key talking
points. Delegates identified risk management, compensation and reward,
organisational learning, merger and acquisition policy and remote team
management as issues for the future.
One
of the keynote addresses came from Heather Rabbatts, chief executive of change
consultancy impower, and former head of Lambeth Council.
She
told delegates that after accepting "the worst job in local
government", she realised the crucial role that strategic HR can play in
transforming an organisation.
"Good
HR – enabling you to communicate with your people – is fundamental in a change
strategy. Its most important contribution is not to concentrate on the
processes but work to find ways to make fair and proper decisions," she
said.
