Wale Jagun
L-R: Mrs Bosede George, Chairman,Membership Committee; Mr Victor Adebayo, Guest Speaker; Mrs Chidinma Obiejesi, National Treasurer, CIPM; Mr Olusegun Mojeed, President CIPM; Mr Henry Onukwuba, Chairman, Education Committee CIPM; Pa Diah Azuka, First CIPM Vice President, at the 46th CIPM Induction Ceremony in Lagos.
Mr Victor Adebayo, Chief Operations Officer, CIG Group, has described Human Resources (HR) personnel as change agents critical to the survival and sustainability of businesses and organisations in the country.
Adebayo made the assertion at the 46th Induction Ceremony of the Chartered Institute of Personnel Management of Nigeria (CIPM) in Lagos on Thursday.
Speaking on “Optimal Performance: HR as a Change Partner”, Adebayo noted that the 21st-century human resource professional must be able to anticipate change and come up with practical solutions.
This change initiative, he said, was critical to any organisation, following the volatility, uncertainty and ambiguity of the business environment.
“HR professionals should utilise tools by following laid-down processes or creating new ones to achieve optimum performance.
“Being a human resource professional is beyond workplace activism but about achieving organisational objectives through people such that they find fulfilment.”
According to Adebayo, optimal performance refers to a mental state in which people feel immersed in the performance of the task, regardless of the tools they use.
“As far as management or business owners are concerned, people and processes leverage tools to optimise productivity, and that for them is optimum performance.
“The role of the HR manager as a successful change agent in an organisation is to foster business leaders who can anticipate change, analyse the environment, act decisively, collaborate and affirm the values of positive active change.
“Change begins with understanding and knowing the business of your organisation, knowing the daily work life of the entire team, demonstrating good emotional intelligence working with employees,” he said.
The chief operation officer advised inductees to constantly engage in self-development, upgrade their skills, and lean on the wings of professionals in the industry such as CIPM.
He said this was necessary considering the rapid rate of change in all sectors.
In his address, Mr Olusegun Mojeed, President and Chairman of the CIPM Governing Council, said that the theme of the induction was apt.
Mojeed said that this was because of the unprecedented contexts and situations HR professionals and business leaders are constantly faced with.
These unprecedented contexts, he said, required new approaches, including tactics to cope with the ‘Japa’ (migration) phenomenon, which many organisations were faced with.
Mojeed congratulated the inductees for joining at a time when the institute was experiencing rapid change and improvements in service delivery.
“For instance, our multi-million Naira technology project is very much on course, starting with our newly launched website. It is already impacting the ease of doing business with your Institute.
“I just want you to know that you can always make a difference anywhere you are. With the right set of knowledge and skills, the sky becomes your launching pad.
“We would also like you to please note that the CIPM induction is not just a commencement event, it is the rite of passage to professionalism, collaboration and performance.
“It is therefore not enough to be inducted. After induction comes integration and blending through active engagement in the activities of the institute which include up-to-date subscription payment,” he said.
He urged the inductees to wear the CIPM badge with pride and become good ambassadors of the institute.
“Please take our values to heart and know that the Institute will keep exploring avenues to ensure your continuous professional development,” Mojeed added.
In her valedictory speech, Oluwatosin Omoniyi, the overall best graduating student, urged fellow inductees to make efforts to build on the knowledge and training acquired.
Omoniyi said that the training acquired would give them the edge to forge ahead in the highly competitive world.
Another inductee, Mrs Marylin Maduka, said that being an HR practitioner was an honour and privilege because it provided an opportunity to be there for people at their lowest moments.
She advised fellow inductees to avoid abuse of position, adding that being an HR manager was a role of service.
CIPM is Nigeria’s apex regulatory HR body.
It is empowered by legislation to determine the standards of knowledge and skills to be attained by persons seeking to become registered as HR professionals and practitioners.
It also involves raising standards periodically, enabling effective and impactful people management and organisational development.
At the event, 273 people were inducted as Associates through the professional examination route; 98 as Associates through the HR practitioners route; and 27 as full members through the executive route.
