XLRI to Set New Trends with Open Space Technology-based HR Confluence

Central to XLRI’s mission of providing the best in management education is the unshaken belief that continuous interaction with the Industry is imperative for a well-rounded, practical business perspective. In keeping with this firm belief, the biggest event on HR at XLRI, Jamshedpur to be held on December 20 and 21, 2003 is all set to set new trends in the Conference circuit. Christened HR Confluence, the National HR Conference, which is held once every two years is back in its 4th Edition. It is organized by SAPPHIRE (Students Association for the Promotion of Personnel Management, Human Resources and Industrial Relations at XLRI), under the aegis of Dr. Madhukar Shukla, Professor of OB & Strategic Management, XLRI.

There is a difference this year though. This year the design has been revamped radically based on Harrison Owen's Open Space Technology, which has been used by many well-known companies worldwide including World Bank, Peace Corp, AT&T, ABB, Boeing, Reebok, Pepsi, etc. In India, however, this will be the first such conference, which involves a whole professional community.

The 4th National HR Conference is centered on the following themes –

 How to manage the key HR Issues to facilitate Organizational Change & Transformation
 Given the new business realities how does one identify/develop Value-Adding HR Competencies
 What are the options and opportunities to Effectively Manage Talent and Knowledge

According to HR Confluence Coordinator Dr Madhukar Shukla, “This time we are planning to make it as a working conference without any speakers and the three themes that have evolved are based on feedback that we have collected from more than 200 HR professionals in the industry. We have adopted the Open Space Technology (OST) to structure the conference and hope to offer concrete solutions at the end of the two-day meet.”
The event would be an enriching experience for HR professionals from the Industry, Academia, Consultants, HR-oriented Business Managers and students. XLRI expects over 150 participants in this confluence of thoughts.