Over 900 People Leaders from diverse sectors converged at the TechHR 2015 Conference on August 19-20, 2015 held at The Leela, Gurgaon. Powered by People Matters which is India’s leading knowledge and media platform in the Human Resources space, in association with CareerBuilder India, Microsoft and Adrenalin, the conference theme this year was Driving on Digital.
“The partnership between Human Resources (HR) and Technology is now a given. However, the sheer pace of transformation that technology is bringing to the HR domain, and indeed our lives, demands a definite HR-Tech strategy. And this strategy needs to be collaboratively defined by the collective thought leadership of the entire HR-Technology ecosystem. We are delighted that the TechHR 2015 Conference has been able to bring this ecosystem together.” Says Ester Martinez, Chief Executive Officer & Editor-in-Chief, People Matters.
While opening the conference, Ester Martinez, Chief Executive Officer & Editor-in-Chief, People Matters said, “The digital revolution is changing the way we live. And it is forcing our businesses to transform too.”
The context for the conference theme – Driving on Digital – was set by Karan Bajwa, Managing Director, Microsoft Corporation India and Lyn Lee, VP HR, Global Shell Business Operations at Shell. Both business leaders presented their perspectives on how digital was indeed driving corporate and personal lives. How this defined the need for a definite strategy. Highlighting the power and engagement of digital in his keynote, Mr. Bajwa said, "Technology enables engagement in the form of free open conversations which results in way better outcome than when employees are forced into a conference room."
The conference went on to evoke discussions around challenge areas close to the hearts of the entire business fraternity. Ethics, privacy and the human elements of digitization of HR were brainstormed in highly interactive and participative session formats.
There were philosophical sessions where HR leaders shared their wish list for HR-Technology. At the same time The Big Debate - Who Holds the Power – Innovation or Risk brought out the importance of the balance between unbridled innovation and overwhelming risk. Said, Jyoti Rai, Vice President & Chief of Staff, Human Resources at American Express as she argued her case, “Risk assessment is not a question of slowing down, but of making sure you are aware of what is right”. The arguments for and against the motion were many and fierce, with the audience finally deciding that in today’s digital age, it is innovation that holds the power!
What was new this year was the introduction of TechWorks that brought out the application of Technology in the workplace. Actual stories of how technology has worked to resolve specific people challenges. Live case studies were presented by leading corporations like Facebook, Accenture, UB Group, Reliance ADA, Apollo Hospitals, IBM, Taj Hotels and Genpact. Living proof that if harnessed appropriately, technology works!
A second introduction was the Masterclass to facilitate some skill building in the Lab Theater. The Execution Masterclass by Franklin Covey on the Implementation of Technology in the Workplace was packed to capacity. Mark Stelzner, Founder & Managing Principal of IA-HR’s popular masterclass enlightened delegates that ROI is not just a number!
As Balaji Ganesh, CEO at Adrenalin eSystems Limited rightly pointed out, “Process simplification is not big enough a reason to get a business buy in for technology application. It requires a business case aligned with business strategy.”
Premlesh Machama, Managing Director - India, CareerBuilder, revealed, “The biggest take away from TechHR 2015 is the knowledge, that there is now openness to adapt, embrace and use technology.” The conference generated a huge amount of conversations on Social Media. As delegates put out over 9535 Tweets sharing their thoughts ideas and feelings about the topic and the event itself!
More than 90 companies vied for the coveted Spotlight Awards this year. In the Start-up category RippleHire took the prize for Futurism in HR Analytics. Tharakan Web Solutions won the award for Futurism in Recruitment, while KNOLSCAPE took the honours for Futurism in Talent Management.
Innovative products still in the conceptualization stage competed in the Seed category where TalentWoot bagged the spotlight.
The Unconference Area where the content was free flowing and informal, yet impactful, was always full of excitement. Mind-boggling quizzes, quick-group huddles and gamified interactions kept the area buzzing.
Ideas for the Future hosted some of the latest technology solutions. Service providers to the HR fraternity set up experiential stalls where delegates got a first-hand experience of what was available. Many relevant discussions and contacts were made.
After managing two action-packed days of learning, teaching, debating and brainstorming and connecting Ester Martinez said, “In our quest to generate awesome content, provoke thought leading conversations and facilitate lasting connections for the fraternity, we will continue to build the TechHR platform. We feel sure that the HR, Technology and Business leadership community will keep the buzz going as digital continues to influence people strategies. Next year, when we come together on August 4 & 5 2016 for TechHR – 2016, there will be much more to talk about.”
People Matters manages a suite of sharing-learning platforms for every HR domain. The platform specific to the HR-Technology ecosystem is TechHR 2015 on August 18-20, 2015 in Gurgaon, where this conversation will continue. Like the outcomes of the People Matters HR Technology Study, 2015, People Matters believes in sharing the highly experiential content from all its initiatives with the HR fraternity
About -
People Matters is India’s leading knowledge and media platform in the Human Resources space. We strive to create an HR community of practice and excellence that fosters amalgamation of new ideas between HR managers, HR service providers and CXOs, leading to the growth of HR as a business-critical function.
People Matters’ print, online, digital and events platforms provide thousands of HR stakeholders with information, best practices, trends and industry news. In a short span of 4 years, it has emerged as India’s single point of reference for knowledge in the HR industry.
As HR ups its role as a strategic business partner, our vision is to become an indispensable source of knowledge, information and inspiration for this community.
Twitter: @Peoplematters2
Facebook: PeopleMatters
LinkedIn: people-matters/26/594/158
Photo Caption:
The panelists setting the stage for TechHR'15, with the opening session on "Defining the need and strategy for HR tech : Driving On Digital"
Big Debate: Who holds the power - innovation or risk?
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