The Association for Human Resources Management in International Organizations (AHRMIO) held its Inaugural Conference at the headquarters of the ILO, Geneva, on 12 and 13 September 2000. The theme of the Conference was "New Thinking for HRM in International Not-for-profit Organizations in the 21st Century."
AHRMIO is a not-for-profit organization where information is exchanged on research and practices that are at the cutting edge of HR management in the international environment and where HR practitioners can develop their professional expertise to enhance their effectiveness. The Association intends to provide ideas and solutions that can be used by its members to support the strategic development of international organizations by bringing together staff from those organizations with others who share common interests.
While AHRMIO is targeted to HR professionals, the Association's activities and journal will be of interest to staff representatives and staff at large who wish to stay abreast of current trends in HR management and understand how they are best applied in the UN system organizations. Since members participate as individuals, and not as representatives of their respective organizations, it is hoped that discussions will be wide-ranging, open and innovative.
At the Inaugural Conference, keynote speakers addressed the following themes on the two mornings of the Conference:
In the afternoons, participants attended sessions on the following subjects:
Training workshops were held following the Conference on 14 and 15 September. Work focused on "New thinking in HRM: techniques and approaches".
The speakers ,without exception, were excellent. Their professionalism, knowledge of and experience in their respective fields was impressive. Above all, each was energetic and lively in his or her own way, with an apparent pleasure in addressing such an international crowd. They very fortunately did not attempt to solve problems in our international system; instead they offered new ways of looking at situations to better enable the HR professionals present to develop their own approaches tailored to unique organizational needs. A wealth of research was shared with participants.
Several speakers shared their own experiences with organizational reform. It became clear that the process is not easy, and that communication is key. It is important from day one to share and explain what will happen and why. Staff can be capable partners throughout the change process. The involvement and understanding of staff go a long way to preventing cynicism and resistance.
The atmosphere was friendly and relaxed, with ample opportunity to meet new people from outside the UN system. This was reflected in the question and answer sessions; participants seemed willing to ask questions on any subject, without reservation.
Details about individual membership in AHRMIO are available at www.ahrmio.org.