Shining the Volunteer Spotlight on Dr. Lynn Turner, HRIP, Professor Emeritus in Management and Human Resources at Cal Poly Pomona

IHRIM shines the Volunteer Spotlight on Dr. Lynn Turner, HRIP, Professor Emeritus in Management and Human Resources at Cal Poly Pomona and a new member of the IHRIM Education Committee.

Please tell us a little about your professional life.
Currently, I am a Professor Emeritus in Management and Human Resources at Cal Poly Pomona. I teach Human Resource Information Management several times a year. I continue to be on a task force that is integrating enterprise systems into the curriculum. I also continue to do research on the use of HR metrics and analytics by line managers.

Early on, as a training and development professional, I saw the growing importance of learning (training) management systems. This interest grew into a broader interest in HR Information Systems. I started educating myself in the field and developed a course in Human Resource Information Management. Along the way, I consulted with Vincent Ceriello on several large HRIS requirements definition projects. In the Nineties, I moved from teaching into administration, serving as Associate Dean and, later, Interim Dean. My interest in enterprise systems and HR information systems persisted with the adoption of PeopleSoft by the College for teaching purposes. I was also on the campus steering committee for the implementation of PeopleSoft for the University’s business operations. After serving as Interim Dean and Interim Vice President, I returned to teaching the course HR Information Management and have integrated SAP’s Human Capital Management into the curriculum as well as several analytics tools. I reactivated my membership in IHRIM and was certified as a Human Resource Information Professional.

When did you join IHRIM and why?
I first joined IHRIM in 1987. I was expanding my HR focus from training and development to HR information management and IHRIM seemed like a valuable resource for learning and for networking. Because of my interest and the apparent gap in our curriculum, I started a course at Cal Poly Pomona in Human Resource Information Management. IHRIM was an invaluable resource for the course. When I returned to teaching from administration, I reactivated my membership in IHRIM largely for the professional development opportunities it offers.

What is the greatest value you get from your membership?
Unquestionably, the greatest value is the educational opportunity it provides through its webinars, courses, and conferences. I thing the HRIP certification is an excellent program and I look forward to continuing my education for recertification. Is there any advice you would give other members? Stay engaged. Take advantage of as many educational programs as possible and make an effort to meet the members. They are a great group.

What was the primary reason you became an IHRIM volunteer?
As an educator I have had a strong interest in enabling HR professionals and future professionals to optimize their use of information technology. I also believe that a key to HR professionals’ respect across all divisions of their organizations is their effective use of HR data. Over the years, I have been very impressed with IHRIM’s efforts in the education and professionalization of its membership. I’ve also been impressed with the responsiveness of IHRIM to its membership. In short, it’s a great organization to be a part of and I want to contribute my service to it.

As a new member of the Education Committee, what do you hope to bring to the volunteer committee and IHRIM?
I want offer my years of experience in HR education to help develop and offer the very best educational opportunities for IHRIM members. More specifically, I believe I can add value in the areas of using enterprise systems and big data to manage human capital. I can also provide insights on helping HR professionals work with line managers to improve productivity. Finally, my earlier education and experience in the areas of training and development and instructional design may be of value in improving the delivery of IHRIM’s educational content.

If you could have dinner with one person – living or dead - who would it be and why?
I’d like to have dinner with C.S. Lewis. His writings have had a real impact on my life. I would like to know what inspired him to write in such a diverse range of genres and what inspired him to make philosophy and faith so fun and interesting. Also, I’d like to ask him what his conversations were like with J. R. R. Tolkien in an Oxford pub.

For more information on IHRIM’s Volunteer Program and how you can get involved, go to http://bit.ly/IHRIM_Volunteer_Program.  

Kicking the Tires at HR Technology: what’s trending today in HR technology and what’s in store for 2015

Three IHRIM members were challenged to “kick the tires” at the  2014 HR Technology® Conference and Exposition and here are the results!  

By Lynne E. Mealy, HRIP

IHRIM has long believed that the expo hall at the IHRIM annual conference is a natural extension of the education program. Through the demos and conversations with the various system and service providers, conference attendees are provided with a better understanding of the solutions available now and in the future to help them manage HR information. A constant reminder to attendee goers is - even if you are not looking to buy today, you never know what may happen in the next 3, 6 or 12 months. So you need to walk the trade show floor to see what is offered.

As I was working with the IHRIM Education Committee in planning our October 29, 2014 webinar, I thought what better place to continue the systems and solutions learning begun at the IHRIM Conference than at the 2014 HR Technology® Conference and Exposition. While I did not personally attend HR Technology this year, my three panelists did and were given the directive to “kick the tires” in the expo hall in preparation for today’s webinar.  Joining me on the webinar and providing me the information for this posting were Jeremy Ames, President, Hive Tech HR; Nov Omana, HRIP, CEO/Founder, Collective HR Solutions; and Steve Secora, HRIP, Sr. HRIS Manager, International Game Technology. The focus of the questions posed to the panelists was on the trends they saw or heard about – the buzz coming from both the attendees and the exhibitors.

What are the top technology trends based on audience buzz?

• Talent acquisition remains strong, perhaps indicative of the improving economy as hiring continues to be a large part of HR, especially social recruiting.
• Performance management showed a greater presence on the trade show, including social performance management (SPM).
• The number of learning applications highlight the importance of corporate learning and employee development. 
• Move toward integrated systems – prompting buyers to ask “how much do you have – how many modules are available in your application?” 
• The softer side of HR – applications supporting employee recognition and rewards and employee engagement.

Looking at the distribution of exhibitors by category – as interpreted by Steve – the top applications were Recruiting, Talent Solutions, and HRIS/Talent Suites. Of note was the rise in Surveys/Engagement solutions and the continuing presence of Benefits & Wellness (a hot trend coming into 2014).

 

 

 

What are people looking to buy over the next 18 months?

• For those with a core HRMS: many not necessarily looking for a new total solution but rather applications that can be integrated into an existing core HRMS; others with a core HRMS are looking to replace an antiquated product.
• For those without an HRMS – especially smaller organizations - they are looking for a new system or automating manual processes via point solutions.

What are the top technology trends based on the buzz from the vendors?

• HR analytics and metrics as part of a dashboard are becoming commonplace.
• Onboarding is trending now and the ability to engage employees once they accept an offer. Onboarding encompasses cultural and job orientation and is being done sooner than before, thus ensuring a fully engaged employee on start day. 
• The integration of survey and engagement applications into the various core applications. 
• Mobile and applications that run on multi-devices are now the norm. 
• Wellness, lots of offerings around wearables and socialization in a portal.

If you could compile your HR technology wish list for 2015, what would be on it?

• An integrated system that does not sacrifice the performance of the modules – everything is done well.
• Workforce analytics that come with a person (as the missing ingredient to success seems to be lack of skilled staff members). 
• Learning applications on a mobile platform. 
• A more intuitive, frequent, career/self-improvement directed performance management system. 
• True technology to manage the contingent workforce. 
• Socialization of talent management – applications that leverage employees’ LinkedIn profiles for recognition, performance, or succession planning.

If you missed the live broadcast, you may listen to the full recording (complimentary to all) by registering at http://bit.ly/IHRIMWebinarRecording_KickingTiresHRTech.

Lynne Mealy, HRIP has over 30 years experience in HR and HRMS, including technology strategy, product selection and implementation. A published author and presenter on HR technology issues, Lynne serves on the IHRIM Education Committee and is the CFO of the HRIM Foundation.