The Art of War is one of the oldest and most successful books on military strategy. Author Sun Tzu defined strategy as rapid and appropriate responses to changing conditions rather than planning in the sense of working through an established list. Planning works in a controlled environment, but in a changing environment; competing plans collide, creating unexpected situations. What can be truer, considering the current challenges HR is facing today?

In this session we will discuss these principles, with examples and ideas on how to use them to implement HR strategy, processes and tools.

Workplace application – This session will view HR strategy through the perspective of the The Art of War, which applies to competition and conflict in general. Its aim is invincibility, victory without battle, and unassailable strength through understanding the physics, politics, and psychology of conflict. The presentation will examine how some of these aims can be applied to HR.

Globally, economies are stabilizing, and the proverbial “green shoots” are alive and well. But a lot has happened -- not since Personnel came into existence after WW II, have there been such significant changes to business… and to Global HR. Both destructive and rich in opportunity, those changes are now afoot.

In this engaging session from one of Global HR’s thought leaders, we’ll hear about how the post-recession talent world has changed dramatically, and the seven imperatives that global HR practitioners must understand. You, as a global HR professional, and your organization, must understand these seven imperatives if you’re going to survive and thrive through the coming talent shortage and the macro changes that are shaping HR worldwide.

Based in Singapore, Lance J. Richards, GPHR, SPHR is one of SHRM’s highest rated speakers, and an internationally sought-after lecturer on HR.

Workplace application – Ranging from changes global in scope to changes hitting even the smallest company, this session will inform you about the steps you must take now to move forward from surviving the chaos to thriving in the recovery.

The Canadian Wheat Board (CWB) has over 25 years experience in leading innovative employee benefit programs such as an onsite wellness facility and childcare centre. Metrics and trend analysis over this period of time reveal a tangible return on investment (ROI). These low cost/high value benefits have had a measurable impact on culture change and enhancing the work environment for the mutual benefit of employees and the organization. Through an integrated approach with the business, wellness has been ‘branded’ into the heart of organizational development to increase productivity, foster engagement, and create innovation.

The CWB will share its pioneering journey of how these ideas gained support where no industry benchmarks existed; how they were implemented; how they were sustained to remain highly successful over two decades; and how they are being modernized today to leverage and drive culture change. In the blueprint model you will see how the CWB has integrated a comprehensive wellness approach into mainstream HR programs, as well as supporting the CWB’s Farmer First initiative to support the achievement of the corporate strategic plan. Metrics, as well as compelling individual employee success stories, will demonstrate a solid return on investment and illustrate the mechanics of building and integrating a workplace wellness philosophy that goes well beyond traditional limits.

Workplace application – This session will provide participants with a cost benefit analysis and blueprint plan for building and integrating a sustainable model of workplace wellness that covers the realm of culture change, fostering employee and manager accountability, defining the workplace as a competitive advantage, and building a framework for Corporate “People” Responsibility.

In a profession continually challenged to be more business astute and connected to the core of the organization, the need for driven and street-smart HR professionals is stronger than ever. HR openings flourish; titles compete for creativity. When we read HR profiles, we walk on water. When we ask senior leaders of organizations what they think of their HR leaders or professionals, they often respond that they’re (just) good, or sometimes not even good enough to bring expected results. Using her extensive experience, leadership literature and interviews conducted according to the appreciative inquiry approach, the speaker will share observations and data on what makes an HR professional (or leader) great and what brings recognition for his or her contribution to the commercial success of an organization.

Suggested prerequisite: being totally open-minded and ready to move out of your comfort zone!

Workplace and personal application – This session will describe how HR professionals can push their own limits by being more than good HR professionals - looking back at their personal standards and how to possibly raise the bar. This will make HR professionals reflect on their own definition of success and the impact they may have on the business and professional community they are part of. HR leaders and professionals will return to their workplace with renewed ambition and desire to be and do more.

In this session, the speakers will share the key findings of the CIPD's ground-breaking research program “Next Generation HR,” which will redefine the HR function and suggest where it is headed as we enter the second decade of the 21st century.

How can HR drive sustainable business performance -- and help create the agile organisation? How will authenticity define which businesses fail and which succeed over the next decade? And what have we learned, in the wake of the recent global financial crisis, about managing risk and HR's role as “Chief Integrity Officer”?

Using high-profile case studies to illustrate their findings, Jackie Orme and Lee Sears will define the HR of today and tomorrow.

Workplace application – Following this session, attendees will be able to assess how their HR functions' strategies and priorities are in shape to deliver what the 21st century needs; and to apply what they have learned to develop the HR functions of tomorrow.

Canada’s multicultural mosaic is a source of national pride, marked by welcoming communities and celebrations of our diversity. However, internationally trained immigrants continue to face barriers to obtaining recognition of their credentials and finding jobs commensurate with their skills and experience. Join our panel discussion to learn about how governments, regulatory bodies, immigrant serving organizations and employers are working together to develop local solutions to address the issue. Learn about employers hiring immigrants not only because they want to help, but also because it makes good business sense to maximize talent in a global economy.

Workplace application – Participants will learn about the characteristics of successful immigrant workplace integration strategies used by Canadian employers and agencies that serve immigrants, as well as the role of governments in supporting immigrants, employers and professional regulatory bodies.