CIPM highlights role of people mgt in enhancing organisational performance

The Chartered Institute of Personnel Management of Nigeria (CIPM) has emphasised the essential role that effective people-management plays in driving organisational excellence and achieving sustainable success.

President and Chairman of the Governing Council, CIPM, Ahmed Gobir, said this at the CEO/CHRO/HRD Forum, where Human Resource (HR) experts gave insights into illuminating the vital role of strategic people management in achieving business goals.

He said in an era where the business landscape is constantly evolving, “it is the strategic management of our most valuable asset – our people – that differentiates successful organisations from the rest”.

Citing a recent study by McKinsey & Company, he said companies with highly engaged employees experience 21 per cent higher profitability and 20 per cent higher productivity than their counterparts.

The statistics, the CIPM boss said, highlight the undeniable impact of effective people management on business outcomes.

“In a world where talent is increasingly the primary driver of competitive advantage, leveraging our greatest assets – our people – becomes not just a strategy but a necessity for success,” he said.

Managing Director, Seven-Up Bottling Company Limited, Ziad Maalouf, who spoke on ‘Strategic People Management: Leveraging Your Greatest for Business Success’, stressed the importance of the workforce to the survival and success of an organisation.

He called for strategic collaboration as part of the techniques that would make for a successful Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and Chief Human Resource Officer (CHRO) relationship.

For organisational growth, he urged chief executives to consider the potential list of people that might provide them and their company with a safety zone that could lead and ensure the business runs smoothly.

He said this could involve getting a lower cost, help, advice, a better payment term and speeding up a process.

Group Chief Human Resource Officer, Dangote Cement Plc, Gloria Byamugisha, spoke on the need for organisations to imbibe the culture of sustainability, citing instances of how the HR team of her organisation through sustainability has driven major projects to make sure the world of work is sustainable.

Panellist and Head of People and Culture at Stanbic IBTC, Carol Olayi, said for the CHRO/CEO relationship, there is the need to understand where the business is operating from, where it is going and where it would be in a period.

According to her, this is critical as it would shape what the people’s strategy is and what the future of the business would be like.

She added that there was a need for proper understanding, cultivating and communication of business relationships.