One of the things I love about Twitter (find me at @DanBobinski) is the ability to rapidly broaden my horizons through reading blogs and posts from others with similar interests.

One such gold mine is the Punk Rock HR blog written by Laurie Reuttimann. In one of her recent posts from the SHRM09 conference, Laurie makes several keen observations and asks an excellent question.

Key observation: HR people are old

Laurie keenly points out that most of the people attending this year’s SHRM convention are of an older demographic.

Key observation: Networking is changing

Laurie predicts that trade shows, expos, and industry conventions will be extinct 50 years from now. Reasons she gives: Expenses, lower productivity, and “general distractions.”

Personally, I think Laurie is on to something, and I’m pretty sure she realizes these observations are linked. After all, “older” folks are accustomed to attending conventions as a “conventional” way to network (sorry about the pun). Younger people in HR have grown accustomed to networking in other ways.

Therefore, it may be as Laurie suggests: As the next generation matures (and brings its own version of networking along with it), traditional expos and conferences may go the way of the dodo bird.

Will they go totally extinct? Probably not. But they will evolve. Human beings still crave face time with other human beings, so although the conference of the future may not look like it does today, it will probably exist in some form or another.

Key question: Does HR need a face?

Laurie points out that “If MBA graduates have Jack Welch to emulate, who is the face of Human Resources?” Then she poses the question “Do we need a face?”

Yes, I think HR does need a face. Just who it is and how that face will emerge are questions yet unanswered, but when that face emerges, I think it’s going to be someone adept at tying three things together:

–> HRM (human resource management)
–> HRD (human resource development)
–> Strategic vision and business operations

How that face will emerge

Two main obstacles are in the way of that face emerging. First, a closer partnership of HRM and HRD must occur. Right now, too much “us versus them” thinking separates the two HR camps. A future HR face will have to bring these teams closer together.

Second is a lack of understanding among too many C-level execs on the importance of having an HRM/HRD perspective in the executive boardroom. A few years back, when Keith Hammonds at Fast Company wrote a piece entitled “Why We Hate HR,” it didn’t take long for me to see that he was criticizing HRM for not doing HRD’s job. His fundamental misunderstanding of the two disciplines underscores the need for more C-level execs to grasp the value of both HR disciplines and how they both contribute mightily to structuring strategic vision and business operations. A future HR face will someone who has enlightened corporate boardrooms with this wisdom.

So does HR need a face? I say yes. But that person will have to be adept at connecting the HRM / HRD camps as well as showing how both of those disciplines are necessary for optimal strategic thinking and business decision-making.

What are your thoughts on Laurie’s question?

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Filed in Business, Management, Leadership, Workplace, Corporate Culture