At the center of action is Chief Global Member Engagement Officer China Gorman.
Her first job out of college was as an HR generalist for the Christian Science Monitor. Its training program gave new employees exposure to every job in the profession. When she was turned down for a job as a recruiter, she headed to greener pastures.
She quickly found a long-term home in the outsourcing business, working her way up through a series of jobs with broader responsibilities. A pioneering executive, Gorman moved between the big players in outsourcing, through mergers and then back again. She knows a balance sheet and understands mahogany row politics.
She was COO at SHRM for two years before becoming chief global member engagement officer this past August. Some of that time was spent as interim CEO as SHRM hunted for a permanent chief executive. She is that remarkable blend of great leader and powerful follower that one always hopes to find.
There's no one funnier on a Friday afternoon at 4 p.m. than China. A conversation with her is a pleasant flow of smiles and action items. A sense of humor and a good checklist are essential in a role like hers.
"The ground is shifting in HR. An array of forces, from technology to economics, are driving companies to squeeze more and more value from fewer and fewer resources. HR is in the position of both delivering and receiving this message. In some circles, the coming change is referred to as a disruption, echoing the changes in the music industry, media and every discipline impacted by technology," China said.
"We are seeing it. There are really significant changes headed our way. Companies are seeing themselves as global organisms, boundaries are breaking, styles of management are changing quickly. In response, the SHRM Board is crafting a new strategy in an organizational change process that includes a deep review of our businesses.
"We've crafted, focused and are about ready to deploy a new mission statement.It broadens and expands our charter. The elements are thought leadership, community, legislative advocacy and professionalization. We're expanding in a variety of ways.
"The Wal-mart story is instructive. Wal-mart decided to centralize its HR operations several years ago. The HR person was pulled from the stores and went to work in regional and national centers. After a good try, it was clear that the idea wasn't working. They are moving the HR people back into the stores. SHRM is now its training and development team.
"All sorts of things are changing. Here's a picture of a part of the disruption. From here it looks like the bifurcation between Compliance and Talent is strengthening."
I asked her if she'd offer advice for a newly-minted graduate who was interested in HR.
"Hopefully, you're talking about someone with a business degree who has a focus on HR. Obviously, they'd want to join SHRM at a national and state level to keep up with the networking. We've launched a new mentorship program that seems to be taking off.
"Two things can really turbocharged a career: volunteering in a nonprofit and serving as the HR committee for a local trade association. Both bits of service will expose you to the breadth of HR issues."
Unlike some of our commercial subjects, China sees HR coming back after the recession.
"Outsourcing is still problematic. We are in the middle of a reverse cycle. Things that were initially outsourced are coming back in."
Of the trends that are changing the role of HR, she sees two: demographic change and workforce development. The two are interrelated.
"The common interests of the business and the community are all about people. Executive teams are focusing on the marriage of community and organizational workforce development. You can't do the work if you don't have the people with the skills. Increasingly, talent acquisition really means development outside of the company. Integration with community plans allows you to make that a predictive process."
As part of John Sumser’s ongoing Top 100 Influencers project, in which the key influencers working
in recruiting, staffing, HR, HCM and HR technology are identified and
profiled, John shares additional perspectives and compelling insights
from those who are profiled here in Salary.com HR Voice each Friday.
John Sumser is a member of the Salary.com Board of Directors as well as the founder and president of Two Color Hat,
Inc. Contributions to Salary.com HR Voice and this Website reflect the
opinions of the authors and are not an official opinion of Salary.com,
Inc., or any of its subsidiary or affiliated entities.
Recent Comments