Workshop for SAAPM members and HR academics

Strategic HR in the V4:

Evidence, Model Presentation and Co‑Creation

5 February 2026 (Thursday), 09:00 a.m.–13:00 p.m.

An intensive morning workshop where, drawing on recent, comparative V4 HR research – including the Past, Present and Future Challenges of HRM in the V4 project and the Best HR Solutions in the V4 study – we synthesize the main patterns emerging from the evidence and explore what they imply for strategic HR thinking and practice in the Visegrad region.

Location: Staré Hory (within the SAAPM semi‑annual meeting)

The event will be held in Slovak.

Our central question:

How can evidence from V4 HR research be translated into a coherent Strategic HR model – and which elements of this model truly matter for impact in research, teaching, and organizational practice?

BACKGROUND OF THE EVENT

Across the Visegrad countries, HR systems face increasing pressure to deliver measurable strategic value while responding to regional labor market constraints, digitalization, sustainability requirements, and changing organizational expectations. Recent V4‑level research projects provide a unique evidence base on these challenges and on the HR solutions that are proving effective in practice.

This workshop builds on that evidence and takes the next step: the joint validation and refinement of a Strategic HR model tailored to the V4 context. The session combines research findings, model presentation, and structured co‑creation with participants.

Goal and expected outcomes

Goal: To share key insights from two V4 HR research projects and connect their findings to a proposed Strategic HR model, then validate and improve the model through structured participant feedback and collaborative group work.

Expected outcomes

By the end of the workshop, participants will achieve:

A shared understanding of the main HR challenges and trends across the V4 region
An overview of best HR solutions identified in V4 organizations
A clearly presented Strategic HR model, including its structure, logic, and intended use
Concrete, prioritized proposals for improving the model

The workshop outputs will include:

A SWOT summary of the Strategic HR model (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats)
Prioritized improvement proposals (content, terminology, structure, usability)
A list of open questions and elements requiring further external validation

What are we working from?

The workshop draws on two mutually reinforcing V4 research streams:

“Past, Present and Future Challenges of HRM in the V4” – comparative research on key HRM trends, constraints, and strategic implications across the region
“Best HR Solutions in the V4” – a practice‑oriented project identifying patterns and examples of successful HR solutions by HR domain and thematic focus

Together, these projects provide the empirical foundation for the proposed Strategic HR model and ensure that discussions are grounded in regional evidence rather than abstract concepts.

Who is the event for?

For SAAPM members

Who are interested in evidence-based strategic HR development and regional HR perspectives.

For HR academics and researchers

Who work on HRM, strategic HR, and comparative or regional HR studies.

For engaged participants and contributors

Who wish to actively shape and improve a Strategic HR model through structured feedback, group work, and professional discussion.

Program

09:00-09:15

Opening

Welcome, objectives of the workshop, introduction to the structure of the morning.

09:15–09:30

Project introduction: Past, Present and Future Challenges of HRM in the V4 + results

Brief overview of the project aims, methods, and scope. Presentation of key findings:

Major HRM challenges and trends across the V4
Implications for HR practice
Consequences for strategic HR architecture

09:30–10:00

Project introduction: Best HR Solutions in the V4

Project logic: what counts as “best” HR solutions and why
Typical patterns of successful solutions
Main HR domains and thematic areas covered by the research

10:00–10:15

Coffee break, informal conversation

10:15–10:45

Presentation of the proposed Strategic HR model

Why a Strategic HR model is needed now (link to V4 research findings)
Overview of the model: key components and their relationships
How the model works in practice
Intended users and use cases (research, teaching, organizational application)

Followed by clarifying questions.

10:45–10:55

Instructions for group work and team formation

Explanation of tasks, templates, and expected outputs
Formation of 3–5 working groups
Assignment of roles and supporting materials

10:55–11:45

Group work: Improving the Strategic HR model

Each group works on two linked activities:

A) SWOT analysis (25 minutes)

Strengths: what is strong, unique, or valuable in the model?
Weaknesses: what is unclear, missing, or overlapping?
Opportunities: how could relevance, usability, or impact be increased?
Threats: risks related to adoption, ambiguity, feasibility, or context sensitivity

B) Improvement proposals (25 minutes)

3–5 concrete change proposals (wording, structure, dimensions, indicators, implementation guidance)
Prioritization of proposals by impact (High / Medium / Low)

11:45–12:00

Coffee break, informal conversation

12:00–12:50

Group presentations and plenary discussion

Each group presents its main conclusions (approximately 10 minutes per group)
Joint discussion of converging and diverging perspectives

12:50–13:00

Workshop summary and conclusion

Synthesis of key insights
Next steps in model development and validation

Post‑workshop follow‑up

Step 1

Internal synthesis

Integration of the most important improvement proposals
Development of a revised Strategic HR model (Version 2)
Preparation of a short validation pack, including:
- Model description and visual representation
- Definitions of key dimensions

Step 2

External practitioner review

Distribution of the revised model to selected HR specialists
Recommended approach: Delphi‑style validation (two rounds)

Round 1: evaluation of suitability, clarity, completeness, usability, and context fit; collection of suggestions
Round 2: feedback on anonymized aggregate results and revised elements; re‑evaluation for convergence