FMS Human Resources Conclave

Faculty of Management Studies, New Delhi, organized “FMS Human Resources Conclave 2006” on the theme “Personality behind the enterprise” on 17th September, 2006, at the University Conference Center, Delhi University.

The conclave comprised two panel discussions focusing on different aspects of the contemporary human resource challenges. It featured towering industry experts and faculty members who discussed the new paradigms in Human Resources in the industry sectors of IT/ITES and Manufacturing.

The panelists were Mr. Rahul Gangal from the Tata Group, Ms. Pradnya Parasher and Ms. Medha Jain from Microsoft, Mr. Abraham Samuel from Mitsubishi Ltd. and Mr. Hari Om Sharma from Sono Koyo Limited. The panel was chaired by Prof. K Mamkoottam and Dr. Tanuja Agarwala, eminent faculty members in the area of Human Resource Management at FMS.

The welcome address was delivered by Professor Vivek Suneja, Professor of Strategy, FMS and Dean (Planning), Delhi University. He remarked that an enterprise is made up of diverse personalities and it is the task of the Human Resource practitioners to synthesize these myriad personalities with the culture of the organization. He further elaborated how critical it is for organizations to create unity in diversity.

The first panel discussed contemporary issues in Human Resources Management in IT/ITES sector. The main issue discussed was that of the changing contract between the employer and the employee.  Mr. Rahul Gangal made an interesting observation that the notion of “long term employment” in this sector is about 3 years compared to 25-30 years in the other sectors. According to him, compensation, work environment and employment branding are the factors that are responsible for employee engagement in this sector. According to Ms. Pradnya Parasher, the need of the hour was to give risk weighted values to each employee and to delegate the responsibility of risk mitigation to the immediate line managers who are in direct contact with the employees. The panelists agreed that to manage an organization with high employee turnover, it is imperative to achieve operational excellence.

The second panel featured Mr Abraham Samuel, Senior Manager, Mitsubishi Corporation and Mr. Hari Om Sharma, Manager HR, Sono Koyo Steerings Limited. The discussion focussed on the various Human Resource issues plaguing the Manufacturing sector.

The session discussed on how it becomes imperative to shift the focus of the HR personnel beyond operational issues towards a more strategic role that is aligned with the organizational culture and objectives. Mr. Hari Om Sharma pointed out that there has been a paradigm shift in the role of HR as the challenges of today are very different from those faced twenty years ago. Mr. Abraham Samuel spoke about how organizations in the manufacturing sector are becoming more sensitive to the needs of professionals. The panel agreed that there is a change in the mindset of manufacturing organizations, with their HR practices becoming more in-sync with those of other industries.

The conclave was organized by Praxis, the HR & OB Society at FMS. Enthusiastic participation from the audience, consisting of academicians, human resource practitioners as well as the students ensured that the conclave was a resounding success.