Beijing, June 27, 2008 – Nearly 40 Beijing-based HR directors from global corporations including Boeing, JP Morgan, Ericsson and Apple joined Cheung Kong GSB Professor Elizabeth Weldon at the Grand Hyatt Beijing for a discussion on “Making HR Strategic.”“A strategic HR department has a plan that is both closely coordinated with the corporation’s overall strategy and clearly communicated to the senior leadership,” Weldon emphasized, urging the audience not to take their departments and budgets for granted. Instead, HR departments should be run like businesses: serving clients (the CEO and other departments) to help the company meet its overall objectives.
To illustrate her point, Weldon guided the audience through the case of a hypothetical HR director whose corporation had cut her department’s budget drastically. Reactions from the audience were lively, with a variety of opinions put forward on what that HR director’s next step should be. A panel of three experts – Deng Tao, HR Director for Google Greater China, Jessie Bai, Vice President for HR at Morgan Stanley China, and Daniel Lee, Partner at IBM Human Capital Management– gave their opinions on the subject, sharing from their extensive experience. The Beijing HR Forum was the second in a series of HR-focused events hosted by Cheung Kong GSB. Opening remarks were made by Cheung Kong GSB Associate Dean Zheng Yusheng, and the case was followed by a buffet lunch where attendees further swapped experiences and advice. HR directors at this Forum and the Shanghai HR Forum in May have lauded the events as a valuable way to enhance the strategic elements of their busy jobs. Over eighty percent hope to take an active part in future Cheung Kong events.
About Professor Weldon: Cheung Kong GSB Professor Weldon is an expert in strategic human resource management with a particular interest in leadership and management development. She leads Cheung Kong GSB international executive education programs and works with multinational companies to design custom programs. Before joining Cheung Kong GSB, Professor Weldon served on the faculties of business schools in Hong Kong (HKUST), Europe (IMD), and North America (Kellogg).
