Social networking and collaboration, integrated learning and talent management, and training the extended enterprise are among today’s important trends in workforce technology, according to delegates at Cornerstone OnDemand’s client and partner conference, Convergence 2008.

Cornerstone OnDemand has hosted Convergence 2008, Cornerstone’s annual client and partner conference. The event, which took place from 12th to 15th May at The Fairmont Miramar in Santa Monica, California, brought together industry thought leaders and organisations from around the globe to discuss best practice and the emerging trends in successful talent management strategies.

In addition, a primary focus of the conference was ‘client success’ – how clients can reap even more benefits and value creation from their Cornerstone deployments.

Highlights from the event include:

• Dr John Boudreau, Research Director at the Center for Effective Organizations and Professor at the Marshall School of Business at the University of Southern California, gave a keynote speech - ‘Beyond HR to Talentship: A New Science of Human Capital’ - in which he discussed the importance of identifying pivotal roles within organisations as well as his breakthrough work on ‘talent decision science’ that challenges business leaders to make their talent a true source of competitive advantage.
• Heidi Spirgi, President of Knowledge Infusion, a strategic workforce consulting organisation, who spoke on ‘Emerging Trends in Talent Management: People, Process and Technology’. Spirgi discussed how talent management requires a paradigm shift in the way HR defines its mission and measures its success, and went on to show how leading organisations are redesigning people structures, rethinking talent processes and using new technologies to transform the way talent is managed.
• In a well attended session which attracted interest from representatives of some of the world's largest companies, Vincent Belliveau, Cornerstone OnDemand's General Manager EMEA, spoke on how to prepare for, and deliver, global multi-country, multi-brand learning and talent management programmes.
• The conference’s Talent Management Industry Analyst panel brought together some of the most well-respected industry experts at the forefront of the learning and talent management industry today. The panel included Josh Bersin, President of Bersin & Associates; Jason Corsello, Vice President of the Center of Excellence at Knowledge Infusion; and Claire Schooley, Senior Analyst at Forrester Research. Each brought a unique perspective on trends and best practices for effective human capital management. Connecting people through social networking collaboration emerged as an important theme - and a key pillar in an integrated talent management strategy.
• Josh Bersin also led a session on ‘Enduring Organizations’, discussing how strong companies that we all know and respect put strategies in place that are responsible for their lasting success.
• Cornerstone OnDemand previewed their upcoming compensation module and their social networking and collaboration platform, Cornerstone Connect.
• Conference sponsors included Astadia, Core Competence, Element K, getAbstract, Intrepid, Lominger International, MindLeaders, People at Work AG, rapidLD, and We Comply.
• Cornerstone clients Arthur J. Gallagher, BECU, Pearson, Pitney Bowes, Trend Micro, United Stationers, and Websense won awards, honouring them for their innovative uses of, and success with, Cornerstone OnDemand products and solutions.

Many of the sessions discussed and underlined the importance of integrating learning and talent management; the impact of social networking and collaboration on workforce performance and engagement; and the opportunity to train the extended enterprise to positively affect an organisation’s bottom line.
Convergence was an excellent opportunity to share best practice, knowledge and collaborate with Cornerstone clients, thought leaders and partners," said Chris Stewart, Director of Learning Services, Ticketmaster. "We particularly appreciated the focus on client success - something Cornerstone seems fully committed to, day to day."
"This year was a monumental one for the conference," said Adam Miller, CEO of Cornerstone OnDemand. "It was a true convergence of top thought leaders, leading analysts, and Cornerstone’s valued clients and partners. The most rewarding aspect is seeing people connect to share their innovative and integrated approaches to how they manage talent with Cornerstone."