Although the SHRM 2009 conference ended on Wednesday, I wanted to take a few days to think about the experience before drawing my conclusions. It was wonderful spending time with a wide variety of terrific individuals, so thanks to those of you who shared a meal, a drink, a conversation and a laugh. Let’s get right to it:

The Event Itself

It was very well executed. The complexity of hosting nearly 7,000 individuals through a multitude of activities and personal preferences is quite a taxing affair. I personally did not witness a single mishap or misstep - and I’m sure there we several - making this one of the most organized events I’ve attended in some time. Yes, the choice of New Orleans in late June probably had more to do with cost than common sense, but the event staff pulled it off without a visible hitch. Well done!

Attendance and Attendees

There is no two ways to say this - attendance was way, way down year over year. This 40% drop can be partially attributed to the economic crisis, but SHRM should be worried about broader concerns such as sustainability of it’s core base among an increasingly fragmented market’s understanding of their future direction. I spoke to a wide variety of attendees, and their feedback directly correlated to their seniority. My conversations have no scientific bearing, but in general, what I heard was this:

• HR generalists/managers were thrilled. At this early stage in their career, this event exposed them to a wide array of content that they would not have been privy to otherwise. Without the benefit of experience, this truly accelerated their learning curve.
• HR directors were happy with the general sessions/keynotes but were left scratching their heads during most of the breakout sessions. One such director (from a very large firm) was visibly upset that the content appeared to be targeted at such a lower level.
• HR VPs (when I could find them) were really there for the guru sessions and a partial family vacation. They spent more time with vendors than in sessions (good news), but those I spoke with said they had never procurred a single product/service from a SHRM event (bad news).

Sponsors and the Expo

I’ve written about this already, but when you have hundreds of vendors attempting to lure HR people into their booths with shiny objects (versus valued products/services), the whole system falls apart. The flaw in this entire model is that a badge swipe is considered a “lead” - a number largely used by marketing to justify the next year’s expenditure. However, the sales people I spoke with really were challenged in identifying truly qualified leads from the show. This directly correlates to the seniority of attendees, and recognition vendors (whose programs are administered by lower level HR personnel) seemed to be some of the only victors in the “Short Attention Span Theatre” of the Expo.

Embracing New Media

I applaud SHRM - and more specifically COO China Gorman - for taking it upon themselves to invite new media representatives from across the country, myself included. Not surprisingly, the number of blog posts, real-time Twitter feeds and general coverage by “new media” well exceeded that of traditional media. However, the more informal nature of new media also means that every flawed presentation, bad quote, misguided speaker and ridiculous activity would be exposed to the masses. From where I sat, the appearance of dissonance among SHRM leaders relative to our presence was palpable. This ranged from barely concealed “tolerance” to outright joy. My message to SHRM is this - new media is not going away so you better get everyone one the same page ASAP. You cannot have it both ways, so either get on the train fully or reject it outright. Anything in between sends mixed messages and makes bloggers have to choose with whom they associate within your organization. China got you off to a good start, but you need to take it to the next level.

SHRM Itself

SHRM appears to be struggling with it’s identity and this was readily apparent. Lon O’Neil elected not to give a “State of SHRM” address, leading many to question the future direction of the organization. Most are aware of the strategic review that is happening internally, but some statement of purpose under Lon’s leadership was required. It was a mistake to have passed and a missed opportunity. Moreover, the sense that the SHRM leadership team is not in alignment was also quite apparent. As the largest HR organization in the world, the struggle for a new clarity of purpose is no simple task. But SHRM must move swiftly, because members will vote with their feet, and the choices they have for their specific needs are unlimited.

Conclusions

With an emphasis on growth over the past several years, SHRM has trapped itself into the business of commoditization. And with such a strong emphasis on certification, they have created a self-fulfilling prophecy of ensnaring the lower echelon of the HR function. This, in turn, has largely disassociated SHRM from the senior most in our profession. SHRM’s new CEO is a very senior HR professional, but he doesn’t hold SHRM certifications and was not a member upon his appointment. How does that appear to the massive base of members? These are the questions they will have to address and reconcile.

I don’t have all the answers, but I do believe that the dichotomy between the sheer power and strength of SHRM and the way in which their wield that power is an enormous problem. SHRM can and should be doing more to move this profession away from the stereotypes that have held it down for so long. This requires an agility and responsiveness that will force SHRM to break away from a mentality of the “way we’ve always done things”.

I do believe SHRM intends to work in the best interests of the market, but I fear that they will be unable to get out of their own way. Even the most cynical of us would love nothing more than to be pleasantly surprised by this powerful group. I see glimmers of hope, but my fear is that they will fade as a result of time and indecision.

I’m glad I attended, but I leave with more questions than answers. What was your experience? Please share your thoughts and let’s keep the conversation going.

This entry was posted on Friday, July 3rd, 2009 at 9:04 am and is filed under Human Capital/Human Resources. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.