HR Quiz 2015: the quest to be the best

It was an impressive show of young talent at the recent HR Quiz 2015. With 50 teams representing leading corporates, a battle between brilliant brains took place. I remember the first ever HR Quiz in Sri Lanka organized by the Institute of Personnel Management (IPM Sri Lanka) last year where I was head of the panel of judges.

As head of the panel of judges, this time too, my task was quite comprehensive. Today's column is a reflection of HR Quiz 2015 in the broader context of Human Resource Management (HRM) in Sri Lanka.

There is a growing awareness and enthusiasm on people management in Sri Lankan organizations. This is evident by the increasing number of activities related to Human Resource Management (HRM) on many fronts. Yet, we have a long way to go in unleashing the true potential of our productive workforce, in the wake of post-war economic expansion and the development drive.

One key element in such an endeavour is to have clarity of what really HRM is all about. The HR Quiz has come to the forefront enriching us on this aspect.

There are hundreds of ways of describing HRM. Some are over simplistic while some others are highly scholastic. What is the best way to approach HRM in defining it related to local needs?

A think tank from the Institute of Personnel Management (IPM) took the initiative of developing a suitable definition of HRM for Sri Lanka. This move is very significant with IPM being the pioneering and premier HR institute in Sri Lanka, moving towards Charter status.

Our approach was specific and straightforward. We looked at what was available in terms of HRM definitions, identified salient points and listed them and brainstormed its relevance to Sri Lanka. That was one aspect. On the other hand, we also had brainstorming sessions on how to accommodate the socio-cultural and religio-political dimensions influencing management practices in Sri Lanka. Our aim was to find the best fit. Based on the brainstorming sessions we had as a team and feedback from professionals and professors, the following definition emerged:

A strategic and integrated approach in acquisition, development and engagement of talent, using relevant tools, with proper policies, practices and processes in creating a conducive climate to achieve organizational excellence and societal well-being (IPM, 2014).

The end result of all HR endeavours, the way we see it, has twin aspects, Organizational Excellence and Societal Well-being. What we mean by organizational excellence is its overall performance with continuous improvement. It, obviously, includes financial results, customer satisfaction, process efficiency and people development, the four perspectives of a typical balanced scorecard.

HR professionals cannot function in isolation ignoring social realities. This is more relevant to a developing country such as ours, where issues such as poverty, unemployment and ethnic tensions cannot be ignored.

That's why we included Societal Well-being as a key outcome of HRM. It highlights the need to support people outside the organization and protect the environment as well.

Defining HRM clearly was one step towards delivering sustained results. We need to put the acts together, in ensuring awareness, appreciation and application among Sri Lankan HR professionals.

In bringing HRM to the forefront, initiatives such as the HR Quiz occupy a prominent place. The necessity of finance for an organization is more easily understood than the need to have right person in the right place. HRM is slowly moving to the top. More emphasis on people-matters in the board rooms through sub-committees is an encouraging sign.

The key feature of the HR Quiz was the enthusiasm and engagement of the young employees representing their institutions. They were not necessarily from the department of HRM. The spirit of actions and the synergy of interactions were indeed significant. It was a battle of the brains with regard to people management.

High tech

The use of high tech was a remarkable feature of the HR Quiz program. The responses of each team were relayed within seconds, summarized and the results were displayed on the wide screen efficiently.

There were a wide range of questions on various aspects of HRM. There were also questions on current affairs and sports. Some questions were easy and others were tough. There were questions based on brief video clippings as well. All in all, it was an enriching endeavour.

The spirited cheer whenever a team got the right answer was very evident. As the quiz progressed from round one to two and so on till the final round, the rise in energy level among the participants was demonstrated through their applause. Questions for the audience also added variety to the HR Quiz.

HRM

We are witnessing a growing awareness among the corporate fraternity on the aspects of HRM. This welcome sign should be well nurtured to ensure the rich harvest of human potential. People are being increasingly recognized as a factor that gives the competitive advantage.

As it has always been the case, the private sector, with much influence from the multinational corporations has spearheaded the best HR practices. The public sector is sadly lagging behind with overly emphasized domain of administration, neglecting the learning and development aspects. It appears as an interesting case where the engine of growth (private sector) has better people practices than the so-called driver of the engine (public sector).

People development cannot take a back seat if we are to grow as a nation. Sound practices of strategic HRM will be one sure way forward in ensuring the balance between organizational goal attainment and employee development.

The HR Quiz 2015 with fifty teams, created a motivating momentum for people managers to engage in an intellectually stimulating experience. The positive vibrations which emanated at the HR Quiz 2015 were encouraging to decision-makers. The need to be more professional in making people management decisions across a wide cross-section of society has been already felt. In essence, HRM should be practised in the private and public sectors for better results.

Prof. Ajantha Dharmasiri can be reached through [email protected] or www.ajanthadharmasiri.info