The great HR Debate 2009 finale

The great HR Debate 2009 is about to reach its climax with the finals, billed as the ‘Clash of the Banking Giants’, namely between HSBC and Commercial Bank, is to be ‘fought to a finish’ at the BMICH on June 24 at 4pm.

The Institute of Personnel Management [IPM] Sri Lanka came up with an innovative and trail-blazing idea of initiating a series of debating topics with an underlying HR theme and invited Sri Lanka’s corporate entities to send in their teams to enter this much awaited ‘Debating Contest’ where 16 teams were originally in the fray which whittled down to 8, then to 4 and now the Grand Finale with the topic for the finals been There should be a Cap on Executive Pay.

The topics debated commencing from the first round, right up to the finals were Money is the dominant motivator, An HR Professional cannot become a good CEO, People Join and Organization but leave managers, Hiring for skills is better than hiring for attitude and interest, Stretch goals are just another way of exploiting the employees, A line Manager will make a better HR Manager, than a qualified HR, Professional, Political affiliations of trade union have helped in the creation of better ER/IR practices in SL and Outsourcing your HR function that is the way forward.

At the quarter finals the topics were, Financial parameters are more important than people parameters in a Balanced Score Card, An Employer Brand is more important than a Customer Brand, Human Resource is the most critical factor in achieving competitive advantage and Performance ratings in an organization should be based on a bell-curve.

Topics for the semi finals were, In an economic recession, retrenching staff is inevitable for organizational survival and Performance is more important than Potential when it comes to identifying and developing top talent.

Their task proved to be arduous as all teams, from the first round to the quarter finals leading up to the semi-finals proved to be mostly nail biting affairs with pitched ‘battles’ which saw the pendulum of debating thought and voice reaching a crescendo as the minutes wore on!

The team members of the Commercial Bank who are the Proposing Team are Delakshan Hettiarachchi (captain), Samanthika Gonagala, Sugath Wijewardene and Sabira Caffoor. Memebers of the Opposing Team HSBC are Nimali Welikala (captain), Charmila Perera, Dinal Edirisinghe and Sohantha Wijesinghe.

As CEO of the IPM, I was delighted to meet separately the two opposing captains of the ‘Debating Finals’ Nimali Welikala and Delakshan Hettiarachchi. Here is a transcript of the interview, wherein both were posed same questions.

Q: When and how did you first get to know about ‘The Great HR Debate’? Describe your emotions when you decided to take part.

Nimali: We were delighted to have received an e-mail from IPM on the Great HR Debate competition. This was an exciting opportunity for us to hone our skills at a professional forum with HR colleagues from leading organizations in Sri Lanka. We are indeed honored to represent HSBC.

Delakshan: Being an internal resource person, I was invited to lead the Combank Team and certainly having considered the opportunity involved in driving the Best Bank in Sri Lanka I was determined to take on the challenge.

Q: As Captain of the HSBC Debating Team were you also part of the ‘selection procedure’ or were they [team members] thrust upon you?

N: Actually the Head of Learning and Development whom I report to, was requested by Head of HR to lead the team. However, since she was going to be overseas for an extended period of time she wanted me to take over the captaincy.

Therefore, I had the double honor of not only leading the HSBC team but also for a couple of rounds leading a team where my boss was a team member. The appointment of the team was a collective decision made amongst my colleagues in HR.

D: It was real team spirit as the final outfit emerged among few others on mutual consent and with an understanding and respect for individual abilities.

Q: Your team has impressed many, by your ability to articulate the ‘points’ either proposed or opposed with finesse and aplomb, what’s the secret?

N: Our success is due to the fact, that all of us worked as one team to achieve a common objective. There is a very strong team dynamic amongst the four of us which helped us to appreciate each person’s point of view, but work as one team towards the bigger cause. This helped us to articulate better as we all understood each other’s strengths.

D: Each of us in the Debating Team were entrusted with the responsibility of researching and thereafter we discussed in detail how to structure our speeches and points for rebutting.

Q: When a Topic is ‘given to you’, take us through the methods you adopt to prepare yourself for the Debate - i.e. research, planning, giving different tasks to each member and practicing.

N: Firstly, we research on the topic and then debate among us, the outline and key points each member should articulate. Each member is assigned with the task of presenting the points researched.

Secondly, we align ourselves to the debate guidelines and the roles of each speaker to ensure we debate within the parameters set by IPM. But to be honest, we have not had much time to rehearse as a team due to time constrains but relied on each other to do their own part to the best of their ability at the debate.

D: It is a mix of everything, co-ordinated research, time management and over all team work.Special mention needs to be made regarding the great support given to us by our HR and Marketing Team. We extensively use our internal resources to share knowledge, develop a case and to achieve excellence.

Q: Are you of the opinion that the IPM should organize such ‘Great HR Debates’ as an annual event? If so why?

N: Indeed. This gives HR professionals a great opportunity to think differently and challenge each other on some controversial topics. This has also been a remarkable opportunity for HR professionals to think deeper and apply that learning on the job, rather than looking at a problem from the surface. It also helps us to stimulate discussions and go into deeper research to enrich our pattern of thinking.

D: We welcome and hope this event would be an annual feature in IPMs activities, as it would provide a forum to discuss the contemporary HR issues.

Q. In what ways [please spell out] could or should corporate entities assist their teams to shine in sphere of such activities?

N: Corporate entities should encourage and support their teams in these endeavors. It’s not only about doing your job but these forums help individuals to become all rounder’s, which in turn would result in a stronger workforce.

Organisations need to also understand that events such as these provide significant exposure for the company and the brand, in the market. Therefore, we strongly recommend that corporate entities encourage more participation and support, for staff to actively engage in such events.

D: Corporates could consistently provide support to harness effective communication skills and allow an atmosphere of knowledge sharing to exhibit individual talents and to optimize performance.

Q: What’s your advice to younger, untried people who are longing to be debating in public in the manner you and your team have so eloquently and forcefully done, yet too nervous and/or scared to come forward?

N: To get what we never had we must do what we have never done. If someone is keen to debate in public, this is an excellent forum to do so. In fact our team too did not have a lot exposure in debating in public but what is required is a lot of confidence. This helped us to be successful.

D: Initially to build the confidence and grab opportunities whenever possible to gain exposure. Take up the challenges, get involved in activities that will enhance your knowledge.

Q: Have you and the rest of your team added value to your reservoir of knowledge pool, thinking process, attitude by such experiences as in participating in such a high profile debate, the run up to the finals? Please specify.

Nimali: Absolutely. Our thinking broadened on the topics we researched and debated. We thank IPM for organizing the Great HR debate and for creating the stage for young HR professionals to display their debating skills.

These skills are very important for a HR professional. We hope that IPM will continue to organize such exciting events for the HR community.

Delakshan: Certainly, it brought about immense value in building confidence and enhancing logical thinking beyond the boundaries to make effective presentations.