2012 Agenda

Registration Opens

Breakfast sponsored by ACUITY & Baird

Welcome & Opening Keynote

The High-Trust Organization: Walking the Talk at Whole Foods Market

John Mackey, Co-Founder and Co-CEO, Whole Foods Market

The single most important requirement for the creation of higher levels of trust for any organization is to discover or rediscover the higher purpose of the organization. Why does the organization exist? What is it trying to accomplish? What core values will inspire the organization and create greater trust from all of its stakeholders?

In this session, John Mackey, Co-Founder and Co-CEO of Whole Foods Market, will explore how placing “higher purpose” at the core of Whole Foods Market’s business model inspires trust from all major stakeholders: customers, team members, investors, suppliers, and the larger communities where they do business. Learn how leadership walking the talk, small team structures, a culture of empowerment, fairness, and a sense of caring creates a single purpose and contributes to both a great workplace and a great business.

Industry-Specific Networking Sessions

Breakout Sessions

Creating micro-environments for innovators at w.L. Gore & ASSOCIATES

The trusting and supportive cultures of great workplaces are fertile environments for innovation, and W. L. Gore & Associates—a long-time Best Company and lauded innovator—knows this well. Beyond workplace culture, individual behaviors can fine tune an employee’s experience of the work environment to create optimal conditions for innovation.

At Gore every associate is provided with a “sponsor,” a 50-year old practice that has helped to create highly-individualized work environments that meet the unique needs of each associate. In this session, Debra France will introduce attendees to the findings of an internal study that identified the conditions innovators need to thrive. The study also revealed how sponsors manage a series of polarities that support an optimal level of creative tension and result in an environment that is individually tuned for each innovator. Participants will be led through a guided reflection of the findings and consider opportunities and barriers for creating “micro-environments for innovators” in their own organizations.

W.L. Gore & Associates

Building a culture of generosity at bridgeway capital management

A Generous Business is an organization committed to challenging its owners, staff and families to lead transformative change through the joy of giving. A Generous Business creates and shares a culture of stewardship where staff members are actively engaged in giving as part of the businesses’ purpose.

Since its founding in 1993, Bridgeway Capital Management, has been committed to making an impact on its Partners and community through their commitment to donate 50% of company profits to charities and non-profit organizations. In this session, Mike Mulcahy, President and COO, will explore the business rationale for building a generous business, examine how being generous impacts the workplace culture and business operations, and offer tips on how to get started.

Unlocking the numbers: using predictive analytics to drive increased employee engagement and trust

We all know that a more engaged workforce is a more productive workforce, and if employee engagement is linked to organizational success, being able to assess what drives engagement is vital.  

In this session, hear how Devon Energy’s Human Resources department uses sophisticated analytics as the backbone for all human capital decisions. Participants will learn how to employ data-driven intelligence in their human capital decisions and actions, and tips for how a basic statistical analysis can be employed to identify the factors that most influence engagement and trust.

Breakout Sessions

Career Progression Roadmap: redefining career movement beyond traditional models

An evolving business model forced a shift in how employees at Best Small & Medium Workplace, Noblis, understood their job roles, expectations, and overall career progression. For a hierarchy-entrenched organization where “time in level” and “technical excellence” were the primary promotion criteria, this new paradigm demanded an evolution in how Noblis assesses performance, identifies role and competency gaps, and integrates employee engagement and career planning.

In this session, learn how Noblis, through a collaboration of HR and OD and a Stakeholder Engagement Committee, created and unrolled a new Career Progression Roadmap. Participants will learn the key components of this new model, from the progression readiness milestones to the “career band levels.” Understand how this model addresses key needs by providing employees with quick progression at the lower levels, multiple roles at every level, continued career development opportunities, and how the company benefits through a flexible and agile workforce that can successfully evolve with ever-changing demands.  

DOING WELLNESS WELL: DESIGNING A HEALTHY LIVING PROGRAM AT AMERICAN EXPRESS

From HR to CR: the Corporate responsibility and talent connection

Becoming a great workplace doesn’t just mean offering the best benefits and highest pay. It means providing employees with opportunities for growth and leadership, aligning with employees' personal values, and encouraging them to make a difference in their jobs and within the communities where they live and work.

Lunch

Keynote: The Mayo Effect — The Power of One

Dr.  John Noseworthy, President & CEO,  Mayo Clinic

How do you motivate 56,000 employees in five states to adopt a single mission? By showing them the powerful effect one person can have in achieving a company’s mission and driving success.

At Mayo Clinic, the primary value is to put the needs of patients first, no matter the ever-present challenges of the economy, regulatory agencies and the ambiguities of health care reform. 

In this session, John H. Noseworthy MD, President & CEO of Mayo Clinic, will speak about The Mayo Effect and Mayo Clinic’s strategic vision. Learn how Mayo Clinic inspired its current generation of employees to recognize their role in putting the patient first. Through a series of powerful stories, Dr. Noseworthy will explore how Mayo Clinic’s values thrive in the challenging environment of 21^st century health care providers, how Mayo Clinic employees provide patients with hope and solutions, how they earn patient trust, how they bring the latest research to the patient’s bedside, and how the power of one has enhanced the power of the whole. 

Breakout Sessions

ENHANCING YOUR GREAT WORKPLACE DURING CHALLENGING TIMES: TWO CASE STUDIES FROM ERNST & YOUNG

Diversity as a strategic imperative: Creating diverse and inclusive environments at teach for america

At Teach For America, attracting, recruiting, engaging, and retaining staff members who identify as people of color as well as those who identify as coming from a low-income background is a top priority. Diversity is fundamental to this non-profit's mission, with 90% percent of the low-income students they teach identifying as African American and Latino. Creating a diverse workplace, enables the organization to model the fairness and equality of opportunity that Teach For America envisions for our nation. 

In this session, Aimée Eubanks Davis will explore why Teach For America prioritizes diversity and how diversity contributes to better business outcomes; steps any company can take to create a high-level of diversity; and the multi-pronged approach Teach For America employs to disproportionately recruit diverse candidates. Learn how Teach For America creates a culture of inclusiveness, engaging and retaining a diverse workforce, while bridging lines of difference.

Aimée Eubanks Davis, Executive Vice President for People, Community and Diversity
Teach for America

Key Ingredients for social media success at sas: Training, Empowerment, Trust

World-class software company, SAS, has incorporated social media into its communications plans—both internally and externally. Now, it is a model for any company seeking to create a cohesive and unified brand presence in the social space. However, building a corporate social presence is only a tiny piece of the puzzle when it comes to embracing social media as a mechanism for encouraging communication and an exchange of ideas both among employees and external audiences.

Examining their own workplace as a case study, the SAS team will share how they got started and what makes social media work for the company. You will learn about the workplace conditions that made social media adoption possible for SAS, the process by which they assessed needs and developed a social media plan, policy and training, and why a high-trust work environment is absolutely essential to achieving social media success.  

Keynote: Exploring a Culture of Creativity and Innovation with Jeffrey Katzenberg

Jeffrey Katzenberg, CEO, DreamWorks Animation

Jeffrey Katzenberg, Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder of DreamWorks Animation SKG, highlights the studio’s culture of creativity and provides insight into the factors that distinguish DreamWorks Animation as the only entertainment company to be named a Best Company to Work For.  Learn about the DreamWorks Animation process, from hiring and retaining the best employees, to the development of award-winning animated feature films.  Katzenberg details an employee environment unparalleled in the industry thanks to philosophies, programs and benefits that emphasize the value of every individual in the Company.  What’s next for DreamWorks Animation?  Enjoy an inside sneak-peek at some of the upcoming projects from the world’s largest animation studio. 

Reception sponsored by Ernst & Young