The answer to every people management question

Some of the worldís leading occupational and behavioural psychologists will meet at the 2004 Life Orientations Global Conference in London on September 9 and 10 to discuss, debate and dissect why we work and behave as we do.

Life Orientations (LIFO) is one of the worldís leading and longest established people assessment and high performance creating tools; it is the first time the conference has come to London.

The answer to any and every question anyone would ever have about the behaviour, approach and development of people at work probably lies in the minds of the people who will be in the conference room at the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors on September 9 and 10, said Bridget Biggar, Maidenhead-based UK MD of Life Orientations.

The speakers - including Life Orientations founders Allan Katcher and Stuart Atkins - are from around the world; the delegates are a select audience of cutting-edge Human Resources professionals and company executives from UK, European and worldwide businesses intent on getting and giving the best for their employees.

Speakers will give an íover the horizon viewí on what is happening elsewhere in the world in HR and people development - íover the horizoní for two reasons: while some countries are, indeed, geographically over the horizon, some of their approaches are ahead of the game, said Bridget Biggar.

The delegates will gain the opportunity to see how other countries deal with developing high performance, but also perhaps a glimpse into the future of HR in the UK. A great many ítrade secretsí will be aired, she added.

Companies and organisations represented will include Camelot plc, Carrefour, Johnson & Johnson and T-Mobile amongst others.

As well as presentations, talks and debate there will be some practical activities including a demonstration of the strengths of behavioural styles and their reaction to change - which involves rapid team working to manoeuvre traffic cones, and which Bridget Biggar describes as being like showing what could happen if an SAS man is dropped into a team of nuns.

In other words, demonstrating that some of the most unlikely people structures and combinations can deliver great results - but it will also help to illustrate that the vast majority of businesses still do not manage change and communications to ensure their people can perform to their true potential, she said.