Organizational health will surpass all other disciplines in business as the greatest opportunity for improvement and competitive advantage. Too many leaders are still limiting their search to conventional areas like marketing, strategy and technology. Patrick Lencioni asserts that organizations need to shift their focus to becoming healthier, allowing them to tap into the intelligence and expertise they already have. He defines a healthy organization as one that has minimal politics and confusion, high degrees of morale and productivity, and very low turnover among good employees. Lencioni will reveal the four actionable steps to achieving long-term, sustainable success.

Session discovery topics:

• Mastering organizational health despite challenging market conditions
• Using four disciplines to focus on practical advice and solutions
• Addressing the critical part that HR executives play as change catalysts, supporters and drivers

With the prospect of a 15 percent compounded annual growth rate of revenues and 9 percent growth of employees in a multi-billion business, how can HR drive business performance and scale simultaneously? The HR service delivery model at eBay, Inc. is designed to drive business value through a global, scalable, streamlined HR organization with the right tools and skills to proactively drive long-term business value. Led by Beth Axelrod, eBay’s HR organization supports a dynamic technology company operating three businesses and employing 28,000 people. Axelrod will give an overview of eBay’s journey in transforming the HR function. She will candidly discuss the challenges they have encountered and anticipate going forward.

Session discovery topics:

• Creating an agile organization to deliver against dynamic challenges and align with strategic needs
• Achieving operational excellence in HR
• Transforming the customer experience

Social media is profoundly transforming the communications and marketing landscapes, enabling businesses to develop real-time, direct engagements with a variety of its core audiences. John Noh, senior director of corporate communications at Brocade has developed a multi-tiered certification program for their employees that has promoted an active use of social media for nearly five years. This made social media a powerful branding tool that has allowed for enhanced internal communication, upgraded talent acquisition strategies and a rise in the industry profile of the brand.

Session discovery topics:

• Overview of the Brocade social media program from inception to current practice
• Candid assessment of the implementation challenges, both foreseen and unexpected
• Top ten considerations when developing and implementing a corporate social media program

Identify the key activities that will enable your organization to transform traditional HR metrics and analytics from being merely transactional processes, to driving strategic business decisions for every HR executive. Join Jaye Tanner, principal consultant, strategic membership services at SuccessFactors, as she examines the foundations of what HR is currently measuring, and explains how the data can be used in new and different ways to create a more efficient and effective workforce and HR function. This session will provide a new approach to analyze the costs of human capital that can be leveraged in formulating future business growth.

Session discovery topics:

• Utilizing HR metrics to answer business questions - positioning the workforce information in a business context
• Understanding the key drivers of workforce success
• Differentiating the workforce through increased awareness of interior and exterior dynamics

The decision to transition SYNNEX’s entire HR and payroll functions to a cloud-based operation was not without careful consideration. Join Debra LaTourette and her team as they discuss their HR and payroll evolution to the cloud, from incubation to automation. They will reveal the business needs that motivated them to implement this innovative change, as well as the internal and external successes they faced along the way. The team will share the project scope, the strategies employed and the methods used to demonstrate ROI.

Session discovery topics:

• Identifying needs and intended outcomes to determine the value of the conversion and leverage executive support
• Weighing and selecting marketplace partnerships optimized for success
• Maximizing creative communication methods to positively impact the organization

Whether they realize it or not, today’s leaders have access to more data than ever before, providing the opportunity to gain great insight into the habits, preferences and behaviors of their current employees, job candidates and competitors. What gives companies a competitive edge is knowing exactly how to utilize this intelligence to their greatest advantage. This session will review the latest talent intelligence available to leaders today and assess how this data can improve business and hiring decisions to help companies gain a competitive advantage.

An average large business has 23 different healthcare and wellness programs in place at one time, yet rarely are the performance of these programs measured or monitored. A startling reality attributed to organizational efforts trying to increase initiatives, often without a matching effort to divert resources from unsuccessful programs. Brad Kimler, EVP at Fidelity Investments, will showcase creative ways to address the rising cost of healthcare. He will talk through client case studies and best practice approaches that can be leveraged to meet workforce management and budgetary goals for today and the future.

Session discovery topics:

• Potential options to optimize the most favorable healthcare portfolio for employees and the organization
• Inspection of current factors recognized as contributors to rising costs — considering the implications looking forward
• Strategies to help mitigate costs

What does an engineer and computer programmer know about using corporate values to build a solid culture? Dave Hitz shares his original skepticism, and eventual change of mindset, to establish the attributes that have earned NetApp top rankings on Fortune’s 100 Best Companies to Work For list and the Great Place to Work Institute’s World's Best Multinational Workplaces. He will focus on how a strong partnership with the CEO facilitates a workplace where employees and innovation thrive. Hitz will share factual stories that demonstrate why motivation matters and how communication is the key to an award-winning culture.

Session discovery topics:

• Empowering employees to accomplish a mission they are passionate about
• Providing incentives does not create a good culture — it strengthens it
• Laying a foundation for a culture that perseveres even in times of trial

Do managers make a difference? Yes, much more than many organizations realize. Towers Watson’s senior practitioner Tom Davenport, co-author of "Manager Redefined: The Competitive Advantage in the Middle of Your Organization," will present a fresh look at the archetypal role of the manager, challenging assumptions and contending that managers can play a pivotal role in increasing employee engagement and driving performance. How? By managing everything except people.

Session discovery topics:

• Understanding why managers have a tough job - responding to the needs of employees and the demands of senior leadership
• What employees and managers have to say about the role of the manager
• The four-part manager performance model that defines what managers need to do well

The process of succession planning has become increasingly more complex. The fluctuating economy, demand for new skills in the workforce and the creation of new leadership positions are all challenges that Ann Weiser of Activision Blizzard, Inc. and her HR team have encountered. Listen as she shares her own experience as she transitions out of her position as CHRO and passes the role to her successor. She will give a firsthand perspective of the important considerations that should be examined when formulating a plan of attack. This will allow teams to stay ahead of the dynamics that complicate the succession planning process.

Session discovery topics:

• Engaging stakeholders in the process and implementation
• Evaluating your organization’s succession needs and candidate options
• Preparing the organization and the successor for a smooth transition

Leadership Development is changing at Wells Fargo. With the vision of creating a strategy that allows for more talent movement and experiential learning, Vanessa Wilcox, manager of leadership and professional development, describes this transformation. Join Wilcox for a candid discussion of the challenges they have encountered and anticipate facing as they select and prepare the next generation of Wells Fargo leaders.

Session discovery topics:

• Developing a holistic approach to leadership development
• Embracing the implications of a changing workplace
• Understanding development needs of future leaders and adapting strategies to meet those needs

Virgin America is committed to doing things differently. This theme is echoed on their HR website with the value proposition to potential employees that states “We’re into shaking things up. For that reason, Virgin America is not for everyone.” In this session, president and CEO David Cush discusses Virgin’s strategies to shake things up and the unique attributes that shape the company’s experience-oriented approach to the business and the HR function. Cush will share his perspective on continually challenging HR to be innovators and pushing them to perform at high levels while maintaining the exemplary service that has become associated with their brand.

Session discovery topics:

• Creating a service-oriented organizational culture, receptive to and prepared for change
• Engaging the workforce to go above and beyond expectations
• Challenging traditional approaches to the business and empower HR to drive these initiatives