Academics ponder the value of human capital at 2nd People & Organizations Conference
Some 50 academics specializing in Human Resource Management gathered at the Wharton School on June 25-26, 2009 to share their research on "understanding human capital as a valuable and variable asset." The objective of the conference was to explore the intersection of value, variability, and management of human capital at both the level of the individual and the level of the organization. The multi-disciplinary discussions focused on new theoretical perspectives on human capital, the value of star employees, the role of human assets in firm strategy, and the determinants and impact of employee mobility. The event, sponsored by the Center for Human Resources, was the second People and Organizations Conference to be held at the Wharton School. For more information, please contact Professor Benjamin Campbell.

2009 Leadership Conference focuses on leading in an unpredictable world
Speakers at the 13th annual Wharton Leadership Conference focused on Leading in a Dynamic and Unpredictable World with presentations ranging from the power of storytelling to propel business and personal success to the need for inclusive leadership in turbulent times. Peter Guber, CEO of Mandalay Entertainment, entranced the audience with his own storytelling on how effective narrative can manage the states of fear, uncertainty, and change. Ellen Kullman, CEO of Dupont, shared four leadership principles she implemented to guide the company through the current financial crisis while reinforcing its 200-year-old culture of innovation.
   
Beth Brooke, Global Vice Chair at Ernst & Young, highlighted the need for inclusive leadership in turbulent times and cited studies that have found groups of diverse problem solvers can outperform groups of high-ability problem solvers. Fiona MacLeod, President of BP Convenience Retail, urged leaders to break their addiction to episodic change and move to the more "healthy habit of continuous business improvement." And Presidential Historian Richard Norton Smith laced his presentation on "Ten Rules to Judge a President" with entertaining tales of American leaders. Other speakers at the June 16, 2009 conference included Lt. Col. Todd Henshaw on "Leadership as Capacity Building - Three Stories from Afghanistan," Imation CEO Frank Russomanno on "The Role of Leadership in Today's Economy," and Wharton Professor Harbir Singh on "How India's Top Business Leaders Are Revolutionizing Management." See also the July 2009 issue of the Wharton Leadership Digest for more on the conference.

Senior HR executives confront board-level talent issues
On June 18, 2009, the Center for Human Resources co-hosted a one-day workshop with Dennis Carey from Korn/Ferry around the topic of the board-level issues senior human resource executives now confront. The attendees, all top executives at their respective companies, described interactions with boards of directors around a wide range of talent management issues, executive compensation topics, and broader compliance issues that affect overall company strategy. Some of these issues are not new to board involvement, but the combination of a more active role for outside directors today and rising concerns about topics like succession, talent development, and executive compensation are creating new responsibilities for top HR executives to address.

Peter Cappelli talks about "changing your mind"
Professors Peter Cappelli and Andrew Newberg were recently interviewed on NPR's Radio Times with Marty Moss-Coane on the "science and psychology of changing your mind," a show prompted by Sen. Arlen Specter's dramatic announcement that he was switching political parties to become a Democrat. The show, which is available at NPR's archives, includes Peter's thoughts on the impact that a company's "change of mind" can have on employees - and how best to "explain" such changes in direction.

Center hosts program on downsizing and its alternatives
In response to the severe economic downturn and its implications for company and HR managers, the Center hosted a program that looked at how companies are restructuring in order to save money. The program, headed by Peter Cappelli, George W. Taylor Professor of Management and Director, Center for Human Resources, explored the array of cost-cutting approaches, the consequences of each, and how to choose among them. In addition to downsizing, the program also examined a range of alternative approaches, such as reductions in salaries and work hours, elimination of perks, etc. The program featured company representatives who discussed their experiences with restructuring and included advice about navigating the myriad legal issues involved, especially in layoffs and other options that affect employees. The event took place at Wharton West, the school’s San Francisco campus, on February 12, 2009.

Center sponsors Marcus Buckingham talk
A leading expert on career success and author of The New York Times bestsellers, First, Break All the Rules; Now Discover Your Strengths; and Go Put Your Strengths to Work, Marcus Buckingham presented new wisdom on career satisfaction to a live audience on campus. The event, held on September 30, 2009, at the Zellerbach Theater at the Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts, marked the release of Buckingham's new book, The Truth About You, which offers insights into finding one's true career direction and creating a worklife that plays to one's strengths. To learn more about Marcus Buckingham, visit his website.

Center’s Leadership Conference voted top 10
The Center’s Leadership Conference was listed among the top 10 most influential corporate conferences, according to corporate communications and marketing executives at Fortune 500 companies. Other conferences listed on the "Most Valued Podiums" study of 2008, which was conducted by Burson-Marsteller, a global public relations and public affairs firm, include the World Economic Forum at Davos, Switzerland and the Consumer Electronics Show. The Leadership Conference was the only university-sponsored conference to make the top 10.

Leadership Conference breaks attendance record
The 12th Annual Wharton Leadership Conference, held on June 18, 2008, in Philadelphia, was the most well-attended in the Conference's twelve-year history. The sell-out crowd heard about emerging trends in the search for leadership from an array of experts, including: Colleen C. Barrett, president and corporate secretary for Southwest Airlines; Peter Cappelli, the George W. Taylor Professor of Management and director of the Center for Human Resources at The Wharton School; Ken Chenault, chairman and chief executive officer of American Express Co.; Stew Friedman, Practice Professor of Management at The Wharton School and Director, Wharton Work/Life Integration Project; David Gergen, professor of public service and the director of the Center for Public Leadership at the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University; S.A. Ibrahim, chief executive officer of Radian Group Inc.; Joe Nocera, a business columnist for the New York Times, contributor to the New York Times Magazine, and regular business commentator for NPR's Weekend Edition with Scott Simon; and William C. Weldon, chairman of the Board and chief executive officer of Johnson & Johnson.
Media coverage of the event includes three articles in Knowledge@Wharton: 1) Judgment, Character and Ambition: David Gergen on Leadership in the 2008 Presidential Race, 2) Johnson & Johnson CEO William Weldon: Leadership in a Decentralized Company, and 3) Southwest Airlines' Colleen Barrett Flies High on Fuel Hedging and 'Servant Leadership', which includes an interview of Barrett conducted at the Conference by Mike Useem, director of the Center for Leadership and Change Management.

Two new books by Peter Cappelli available
Talent on Demand: Managing Talent in an Age of Uncertainty, by Peter Cappelli, is now available. The book looks at the difficulties managers face in forecasting their talent needs and offers solutions from the perspective of supply chain management.
Employment Relationships: New Models of White Collar Work, edited by Peter Cappelli, is now available. In this edited volume, contributing authors trace the latest developments in employment arrangements as employers struggle to meet the diverging demands of their product markets.

Senior Fellow publishes book on studying social dynamics
Emilio Castilla, Senior Fellow at the Center and assistant professor at MIT Sloan School of Management, recently published Dynamic Analysis in the Social Sciences. The book looks at models and methodology currently available to study social change over time. Visit the book's website for more information or to order the book.

Best restaurant in India inspires HR column
Peter Cappelli's latest column in Human Resource Executive Online was inspired by his recent whirlwind global tour, which culminated in a visit to the best restaurant in India. How this restaurant has stayed at the top of its game for 37 years offers some important human resource lessons.

Peter Cappelli Predicts how economic downturn will affect jobs
How will the current economic downturn affect jobs? In a recent Wall Street Journal article, Peter Cappelli predicted that "in coming months, we'll likely see companies laying off employees but also crying that they can't find people with the skills they need."