Industry executives gather at Carnegie Mellon to discuss human resource practices

Human resource practices and the policies that support them are a critical element to the success of a firm.

Strong firms such as Southwest Airlines or Toyota often cite the alignment of human resource strategy with competitive strategy as their competitive advantage and a driver of their success.

Dr. Mark Fichman, an associate professor of Organizational Behavior and Theory at Carnegie Mellon University's Tepper School of Business led the discussion. Dr. Fichman received a B.A. in Psychology from Brown University and a Ph.D. in Organizational Psychology from the University of Michigan. He has done research in a number of areas related to organizational behavior, including absenteeism, dynamic decision making and inter-organizational relations in industrial markets. He has published and presented over 50 papers in his research and academic career.

Fichman said:

"What was exciting about this meeting was the opportunity for different people who are trying to address the challenges of managing human resources here in Qatar to engage in discussion and share ideas. Human Resources professionals have a big role to play in the future of Qatar and the Gulf. We at Carnegie Mellon hope that we can build a relationship with these professionals to both help them and learn from them."

Contributing to the discussion were Ms. Janis Kelly and Mr. Syed Hassan of Qatar Airways, Mr. Mark Wojcik of Shell and Mr. Declan Ball of QNB.

The group discussed controversial topics such as the effectiveness of downsizing or "rightsizing", where organizations shed positions in order to reduce operational costs, and the viability of "pay for performance" as a compensation tool. Implementing proven changes and investment in human resource management were also on the table for discussion.

"Recruiting, developing and retaining talented employees lies at the heart of Qatar's unprecedented economic growth. All organizations, both in the private and public sector, will have to build pipelines of talent. Human Resources departments are uniquely placed to drive this ongoing corporate success," said Declan Ball.

The Carnegie Club hosts forums for in-depth discussion on relevant and significant business topics in Qatar and the wider region. The next forum topic will cover business processes and the healthcare industry. Events are held throughout the academic year at Carnegie Mellon University in Qatar's new building at Education City in Doha. Carnegie Club provides a forum for discussion that acts as a catalyst for Qatar's progress as a global business leader.