The President of the Institute of Human Resource Management Practitioners, Ghana, Mr. John Wilson has urged HR Practitioners, especially, the newly inducted Graduants of the Institute to innovate to become relevant in the modern economic development of our nation and the World.

Mr. Wilson said this when he addressed the Graduants at the 6^th Graduation ceremony of the Ghana Institute of Human Resource Management Practitioners (IHRMP) at the KAMA Conference Centre, Accra on Thursday, 4^th December, 2014.

“You have a role to play in the changing face of innovation. Think about this; 7 year ago Nokia owned 50% of the handset market. Apple owned 0%. In fact, it was only 7 years ago that Apple shipped its first iPhone and Google introduced its Android operating system. Fast-forward to today, Apple is the most profitable smartphone company in the world and in Spain, Android commands a market share of more than 90%; whilst Nokia worldwide market share of smartphones has dwindled to 5%. This is as a result of the changing face of innovation by Apple. Let us not perpetuate the old HR practices but rather look for opportunities for improvement. Challenge existing Policies and Procedures armed with your new Knowledge and skills and add more value to your business",  Mr. Wilson explained.

Speaking on the theme: “Attracting and Retaining Top Talent for Competitive Edge”, the Guest Speaker of the ceremony, Mr. Austin Gamey said the business environment in Ghana today was very challenging.

"Managers and Staff are faced with a complex situation with a backdrop of almost unprecedented technological change, challenging economic conditions and ever increasing sources of competition. There is no doubt that finding and keeping the right-mix of people, skills and capabilities is crucial to achieving business agility and ultimately sustainable competitive advantage”, Mr Gamey.

Mr. Austin Gamey outlined seven ways in which organization can attract and retain top talents for competitive edge to include: Communication methods; Working Environment; Management Styles; Organizational Reputation; Clear Career Progression; Training and Development as well as Workplace Conflict Resolution.

Touching on communication method to retain top talents in organization, Mr. Gamey recommended the use of emails, intranet and other ICT methods to communicate in organization since they encourage and appeal to all generations in the workforce.

“Hold quarterly networking meeting for employees to attend and socialize with senior individuals, including the CEO. Approach the workforce as internal customers – segment each generation as they have different needs. Understand your employees’ working style and communication preferences and give them a choice delivery”, Mr. Austin Gamey admonished.

In all, 38 HR Practitioners graduated comprising 37 Associate members and Ms. Susana Manu graduated as a Certified HR Practitioner.