IPM 2nd Research Symposium Contributes to Understanding of New HR Frontiers
IPM Sri Lanka – the Nation’s leader in human resource management – conducted the IPM 2nd Research Symposium on the theme “Exploring new frontiers in HR: Creating Value” on Friday 24th March at the Galadari Hotel in Colombo. This is the 2nd consecutive Research Symposium conducted by IPM Sri Lanka to encourage and explore new areas in HR and to understand their impact on organizational efficiencies. Professor Ajantha Dharmasiri – President, IPM Sri Lanka, Chief Guest Dr. Chandra Embuldeniya – Founder Vice-Chancellor, Uva Wellassa University, Keynote speaker Prof. Danture Wickremesinghe – University of Glasgow UK, Co-chairs of the 2nd IPM Research Symposium Dr. Bhadra J. H. Arachchige and Dr. Tissa Ravindra Perera, IPM Council Members, the researchers themselves and a large gathering of HR professionals, academics and students were present at the Symposium to witness the coming together of academic research and HR professionals.
Emphasizing on the need and importance of conducting research on topics related to human resource management, Prof. Dharmasiri said that such research goes a long way in helping to understand human behavior in working environments.
“The research effort is a coming together of HR professionals and academics to find answers to problems affecting organizations, and the findings of the research will no doubt make a significant contribution towards the benefit and development of organizations” aid Prof. Dharmasiri.
“The 2nd IPM Research Symposium is an opportune initiative undertaken by IPM Sri Lanka to encourage research into understanding important areas of human behavior in organizational settings. It also helps to position IPM Sri Lanka as a research based professional body in the HR sphere. The efforts of the researchers are truly commendable as currently there is not only a dearth of research effort into HR but also a lack of understanding of how HR initiatives and programmes in organizations contribute to the efficiency and effectiveness of the organization itself” he added.
“We are encouraged that 28 research papers covering a wide array of interesting and timely HR topics were received by the deadline for submission of research papers” said Dr. Bhadra J. H. Arachchige, Co-Chair of the 2nd IPM Research Symposium.
“These research papers were evaluated by an eminent panel of evaluators comprising experienced HR professionals, HR consultants and academics who selected 13 of them to be presented at the technical sessions of the Symposium. We are impressed by the high quality of research and their findings that were presented by the researchers today” she added.
During the proceedings of the 2nd IPM Research Symposium, Prof. Ajantha Dharmasiri presented his thoughts and research on Employee Engagement Measuring Scales while Dr. Sunil J. Nawaratne presented his thoughts and research on a Conceptual Model for the Use of Human Capital Development. These were well received by the audience and set the stage for the presentation of the selected researches during the two technical sessions which were chaired by Dr. Trevor Mendis and Dr. P. Kailasapathy supported by panelists Dr. Seshika Kariyapperuma, Dr. Arosha Adikaram, Janaka Kumarasinghe (1st technical session) and Dr. Alan Robertson, Ms. T. N. S. De Peiris and Ms. Dulani Nissanka (2nd technical session).
IPM Sri Lanka keeps pace with the new trends and concepts in HR by engaging continuously with the business community to share experiences, thoughts and insights in order to enrich and enhance the HR profession. It actively encourages and promotes members’ participation at international conferences and forums to provide exposure, build networks and conduct research into areas of interest to the HR profession in Sri Lanka.
IPM was founded in 1959 and was subsequently incorporated by an Act of Parliament in 1976. IPM is affiliated to the Asia Pacific Foundation of Human Resources Management and also to the World Federation of People Management Association. IPM, being a professional institute is also a constituent member of the Organization of Professional Associations [OPA] Sri Lanka. Currently IPM comprises of over 900 Professional Members who serve in both public and private organizations.
