“Productivity is never an accident. It is always the result of a commitment to excellence, intelligent planning, and focused effort.”
-Paul J. Meyer
Xavier School of Human Resource Management (XAHR) in collaboration with
XIMAHR: The HR Association of XAHR, hosted its annual business conclave,
Kshitij, on August 26th, 2018. The conclave aimed at providing the students of Human Resource Management (HRM) with a comprehensive view of
“Agile HR”, which was the theme for the event. Being an annual business conclave for the students of Human Resource Management, Mr. Shivam Sharma, the Coordinator of XIMAHR, has a lot of interesting insights to share about conducting such events and managing teams:
1. In the run up to Kshitij, what was the last one month like for the organizing committee?
The last one month before Kshitij was hectic. Before organizing such a big event, a lot of uncertainties keep cropping up in one’s mind while preparing. The importance of planning is realized when the last month is approaching. As we had planned the event well, we did not face many issues. However, a lot of unanticipated situations occur, which require the presence of mind and sudden decision-making ability. These sudden decisions hold a lot of importance in the success of the event. The interesting part is that, we get to know the outcome of these decisions only on the day of the event itself. So, the mantra is to just take a decision and to chill!
It was basically a roller-coaster ride which ended with deep satisfaction.
2. How did you come up with the theme ‘Agile HR’?
We had decided to choose a topic which would relate to the prevalent practices in the HR domain. The core team came up with a list of topics, and after researching on the current trends in the HR industry and consulting with the Dean, we went ahead with ‘Agile HR’.
3. How big is the XIMAHR team? How was the work for Kshitij divided?
There are 11 core members in the XIMAHR team and 22 shadow members. The work had started way before the shadow team was selected. We used a Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) to divide the work. Here, we assigned a POC for the smallest deliverable possible. The WBS looked like:
- Overall POCs for major heads like Corporate Relations, Design, Content, etc. (Core Members as Overall POCs)
- Task POCs for every other task/deliverable under the major heads. For example, the design for HRXpert (an annual magazine by HR), Hospitality of Speakers, Flexes and Standee placement etc. (Core Members as Task POCs)
- Shadow POCs for the above tasks/deliverables. Shadow POCs were guided by the Task POCs for their part of the work (Shadow members as POCs). Every POC was responsible for his/her task and the Overall POC was responsible for the major head
This kind of planning made everybody clear about his/her responsibility and helped us in communicating effectively.
4. Did you apply any HR concept while preparing for Kshitij? If yes, please share it with us.
Yes, a lot of HR concepts were applied:
- Recruitment & Selection: As the work for Kshitij had started way before the shadow team was selected, our shadow selection was majorly focused on acquiring talent which could ensure the successful conduct of an event like Kshitij
- Training & Development: Every core member guided the shadows of his/her respective vertical to improve their skills and make them efficient in their work by identifying the gaps
- Group Dynamics: For handling such a major event, networking among various verticals was required, and thus Group Dynamics played a major role during the preparation of the event
5. What is your biggest takeaway or learning from organizing a conclave of this scale?
Everything seems difficult before you take the first step. So, my only advice to everyone out there is to stop thinking and to start taking action!