“I don’t know what I was expecting
But I’m sure I am detecting
The sounds of human beings connecting
And some pretty deep reflecting”
(Anon, previous ConnectingHR attendee)
It’s only 19 months since the very first ConnectingHR Unconference, and on 16th May we will be running our fourth. It has certainly been a revelation seeing the community come together, grow and develop in that time and how what could easily have been a one-off has become a regular event that inspires, challenges and entertains.
Looking back at my blog HR and the Social World, which previewed the very first event in 2010, it struck me how far the conversation has come…and how far we can still go.
The early discussions were around social media, the how and the why it should be used, the potential to change the way we work and shape the future of how we will be working. Subsequent events moved the debate on to people strategies and eventually to what the future of work may look like.
For #CHRU4 our theme is ‘The Power of a Socially Engaged Organisation’ and there are five key questions that we’ll be looking at:
- How can organisations embrace social media/strategies internally to increase engagement?
- What are the positive benefits and opportunities of embracing social and community strategies in organisations?
- What tools are there to help increase collaboration and conversation in organisations?
- Can a more social business create commercial value and increase engagement?
- What alternatives are there to the traditional employee survey?
As always the actual agenda on the day will be attendee driven, yet there will be something new at the very start. To get the creative thinking juices flowing we’ll be seeing a series of 5 minute presentations which will combine a mixture of short case studies and think pieces aimed at challenging the way we see everything from workplace design to HR metrics!
If you haven’t signed up yet then I urge you to come on down! It’s the attendees that make the event and we need you!
And here are two contributions of my own to throw in the mix and get you in the mood:
Democratic Workplaces
This session will involve Miranda Ash from WorldBlu. I’ve already had the pleasure of meeting her and I know that the conversation around the topics of allowing employees to self-govern and shape their own destiny will be quite liberating and thought provoking. Here’s a 12 minute video of her in discussion with Gareth Jones and Felix Wetzel at TruLondon – it will give you a flavour of what to expect.
Exploring New Approaches for the Next Era of Business
In previous blogs I’ve made reference to last year’s social jam by IBM in which they bought together over 2,700 participants to talk about social business and the way in which it will redefine the way we work. Here is the resulting report, displayed as a slideshare. It’s worth reading; there’s a wealth of thoughts and insights here from leveraging employees’ networks, to focusing on ‘soft’ infrastructure, building a customer-centric business…and even the end of middle management and e-mail!
Hope to be sharing the conversation with you at #CHRU4 🙂
Talent Trends & Insights 