Approximately 20 HR leaders gathered together at Samsung’s Innovation Centre in Istanbul to discuss HR Innovations and its impact on business. With companies representing most sectors, the session saw HR Directors from both large multinational organisations, as well as local firms including Roche, BAT, Unilever, Deloitte, General Electrics, Accenture, Cargill, Arçelik and Anadolu Efes.

Our host at Samsung, Meric Tunç, discussed the challenges many HR leaders face when they are operating outside of global headquartered locations. He specifically shared the cultural differences between Samsung’s headquarters in Korea and locally in Turkey. He shared how important communication was in bridging those culture differences. They conducted coaching sessions with the management team as well as their sales team to develop a foundation of open communication.

Sibel Bostancı Çelebi, Region Learning and Development Leader, MENAT for GE presented and led the discussions about GE’s “no ratings—performance management” model. Sibel shared how they integrated a digital Performance Development platform with its existing one, and she discussed the challenges of administering a Performance Management system without ratings and the impact it has on employees.

This HR leadership session was well received by all who attended, and most attendees participated by either asking questions or sharing their own case studies. This is now the 8th HR Leadership session to be held in Istanbul, and it appears the senior HR community are embracing these types of events as a valuable means of networking with their peers, learning from others, or simply showcasing their organisation.

Our next session in Istanbul is scheduled for October 2017.