Conversations on what the market wants from HR graduates, and how can we institutionalize innovation in teaching

In this article, we summarize the results of two question and answer sessions held at the Fourth Conference on Innovative Teaching in HR/IR, Park City UT, April 2005. In the first conversation, Debra Cohen of SHRM asks two expert practitioners to present their perspective on what the market demands from HRM graduates at the undergraduate and graduate level. Their insights suggest new areas for innovation in HR/IR education. In the second conversation, representatives of three major professional institutions (Society for Human Resource Management, Labor and Employment Relations Association, and the Academy of Management) discuss the need for, and possibility of, innovation in teaching in HR/IR and the role that these institutions can play in institutionalizing the process of innovation.