With more things to do than time to do them, our Cultivating Organizational Excellence Conference presents participants the opportunity to take time out for reflection on strategies to help their organization rise above and stand out in your industry.
Want to optimize your "status quo" and lead your organization to the next level? Join us for this action packed, one day session
and walk away with real world, practical advice, guidance, and ideas that can be put into action immediately.
Conference Agenda
8:00–8:25 / Registration and Continental Breakfast
8:25–8:30 / Welcome and Opening Remarks / Jennifer Ward, Esq., Arizona President
8:30–9:00 / Introductory Session: The Joy of Wrong /Deborah Dale Brackney, MA, SPHR, Executive VP
This year’s conference is designed to challenge us to question the assumptions we hold in
our organizations. Through observation, we are given the opportunity to explore new ways of performing. In that reflection, we may discover our long-held work notions could use a little revamping; perhaps, we come to realize we might have been “wrong”. Exploring four common work assumptions, we look at reframing “wrong” into new possibilities for our work, how we manage, and organizational achievements. This session introduces the conference and lays out a framework for the day. Participants learn techniques for challenging perceptions that limit personal and organizational success.
9:00–9:50 / Trust: From Shattered to Restored /Eric Daly, MA, GPHR, ODL Consultant
We have all experienced broken trust in our working environments. When trust is broken it can feel impossible to rebuild. Explore the distinctions that help leaders create a trusting culture and repair damaged relationships.
9:50–10:10 / Break
10:10-11:00 / In Search of Pay/Performance Equilibrium / Armand LaCasse, M.Ed., SPHR, SHRM-SCP, HRS Consultant
Pay grades and ranges are a standard tool in compensation management. The range should be a proxy for the market and a tool to communicate generally how much we are willing to pay for the performance of a job. However, the maximum of the range should not be a one size fits all top pay point. Is it good business to pay a 20% premium for average performance, or pay 20% less for outstanding performance because of merit system imposed limits? In this time of low unemployment combined with a highly mobile workforce, it is time for employers to explore true pay for performance rather than mechanical increases for performance.
11:00–11:50 / Entitlement: Building a Rewarding Culture, Not a Culture of Rewards / Alyssa Leonas, SPHR, SHRM-SCP, PHRca, ODL Consultant
What is the tipping point at which employees move from feeling engaged to feeling entitled? What do we know about what brings people joy at work? As our social standards for comfort expand, we are called to identify how this widespread culture of entitlement has emerged. Explore what you can do to create or enhance a rewarding workplace culture in this interactive session.
11:50–1:00 / Lunch
1:00–1:50 / Gen Z: Not a Millennial Reboot / Evan Abbott, MA, SPHR, Director, Organizational Development and Leadership
Call them what you will – Generation Z, The Founders, Centennials, iGen – they’re coming (and in some work environments they’re already here!). Who are they? What are they like? What will they want as employees? These are all good questions – some of which have answers and some don’t. What we do know is that they are not just a repeat of the Millennial generation. Like every generation that has come before, they bring their own unique view of the world as well as expectations of the workplace. This session explores and helps prepare employers for this next generation.
1:50–2:00 / Break
2:00–2:50 / World Cafe
Join us for an interactive, impactful, and fun “World Café” activity session focused on immediately turning the day’s topics into action plan items.
2:50–3:00 / Break
3:00–3:50 / The State of LGBTQ AZ: Awareness and Inclusion/ Angela Hughley, Cofounder and President, ONE Community
ONE Community’s “State of LGBTQ AZ” presentation offers an interactive deep-dive into the current state of affairs for LGBTQ people in Arizona. Featuring existing policies, issue analysis, economic data, and action items, the presentation serves as a road map detailing where we are, where we need to go, and how to get there to become a state that celebrates, respects, and protects all equally.
3:50–4:00 / Closing Remarks and Adjournment / Jennifer Ward, Esq., Arizona President
Who Should Attend
Managers, supervisors, human resources professionals, business owners, or any member of management interested in organizational excellence and workplace trends
