Tools and Trends for human resource professionals

Wednesday, May 16, 2007
5:30-8 p.m.
Opus Hall, Room 202                                                      University of St. Thomas
1000 LaSalle Avenue
Minneapolis Campus
(Corner of 10th Street and LaSalle)

Free admission!                                 

As the field of human resources (HR) continues to change and evolve to meet the demands of organizations, today's HR professionals need the skills to enhance an organization's strategic potential.

At this interactive seminar, University of St. Thomas faculty member Dr. Rama Kaye Hart will discuss best practices in building strong virtual team relationships and how those processes differ from face-to-face team building. Department chair and faculty member Dr. John Conbere will present mediation techniques to resolve workplace conflict in a healthy, productive manner. You will have the opportunity to:

• Meet HR professionals from a spectrum of industries.
• Leverage your insights into workplace team-building and discover how strong interpersonal relationships are critical to the success of virtual teams.
• Advance your knowledge of conflict resolution and explore effective mediation techniques. 
• Explore educational opportunities in human resource and change leadership.
• Listen to faculty, current students and alumni share information about the Master of Arts in Human Resource and Change Leadership program.
• Add new proficiencies to your professional skill set and put them into practice immediately in your workplace.

Building strong relationships in virtual teams:  One message at a time

Many virtual team efforts have floundered, not for the lack of sound processes and technology, but due to the neglect and immaturity of strong interpersonal relationships between team members.  Strong relationships are critical for a variety of goals in distributed contexts (knowledge transfer, shared project design, problem solving, customer/vendor relations, etc.) but what makes relationships successful is often treated as an abstract, elusive concept, rather than as tangible dynamics, built through interaction and communication. In this interactive session you will:

• Learn about the process of relationship development that occurs in virtual teams and how this process parallels and differs from face-to-face relationship development.
• Understand the types of communication that contribute to strong relationships.
• Practice using tools to assist in assessing virtual team relationships.
• Examine the possible implications for successful interventions to improve and strengthen virtual teams.

Mediation in the workplace and conflict management systems

Unresolved conflict takes a huge toll on the modern workplace.  Most organizations are not prepared to resolve conflict in a healthy and productive manner.  This session will introduce conflict management systems for the workplace and will examine the use of effectiveness of mediation as one of the methods for resolving conflict.  In this interactive session you will:

• Gain an understanding of how conflict is--or is not-- resolved in your workplace.
• Discover how and when to use mediation in the workplace.

Who Should Attend 

Professionals in human resources, training and development, organization development and those interested in expanding their knowledge are encouraged to attend. Those considering a Masters of Arts in Human Resource and Change Leadership at St. Thomas will also find this seminar beneficial.

Schedule

5:30-6 p.m.      Registration, check-in and welcome
6-6:40 p.m.      Building Strong Relationships in Virtual Terms,
                      Rama Kaye Hart
6:40-6:50 p.m. Break
6:50-7:30 p.m. Mediation in the Workplace, John Conbere, Ed.D.
7:30-8 p.m.     Master of Arts in Human Resource and Change
                      Leadership information session/panel discussion

Light refreshments will be served.     

The Master of Arts in Human Resource and Change Leadership 

Designed to help you excel in organizational effectiveness. Learn how the Master of Arts in Human Resource and Change Leadership can impact your career.

1. Competency-based Learning                                      Designed to enhance the knowledge and skills needed for a variety of roles within organizations.
2. Learning for the Real-world                                   
   Taught by faculty with professional experience, the program's focus is practice based in theory.
3. Convenient Scheduling                                               Most classes offered one evening per week or on Saturdays. Students learn at their own pace, often completing a degree in two and a half years .

Tools & Trends is sponsored by the University of St. Thomas Department of Organization Learning and Development.

Rama Kate Hart, Ph.D.

Rama Kaye Hart, Ph.D., is an assistant professor in Department of Organization Learning and Development at the University of St. Thomas. Hart has had a varied
background, starting her career in market research and international marketing strategy
at AT&T. Then she shifted her efforts to organizational development, and has spent the past 15 years as a consultant to organizations in leadership and team development, employee
communication and management consulting.
She has consulted with many non-governmental
organizations and Fortune 100 firms. Hart’s research interest is in relationships in virtual and global teams. She also focuses on technology-mediated communication in teams. Hart earned a B.S. from Louisiana State University, an M.B.A. from Rutgers University and a Ph.D. from Case Western Reserve University.

John Conbere, Ed.D.

John P. Conbere, Ed.D., has been an associate
professor and chair of the Department of Organization Learning and Development at the
University of St. Thomas since 2002. Prior to joining the St. Thomas faculty, he served as
deputy director of the United States District
Attorney’s (USDA) Conflict Prevention and
Resolution Center, where his work included the development of an evaluation process for
Alternate Dispute Resolution (ADR) programs in USDA. A mediator since 1988, Conbere has presented at numerous conferences on
topics such as design and development of conflict management systems, mediation, and systems theory as it applies
to organization development. He received a B.A. from Brown University, a M.Div., with distinction, from the Episcopal Divinity School, a M.ED. in Training and Development and an Ed.