USC summit pushes ERGs toward strategic business roles

USC Marshall’s Center for Effective Organizations will host its 14th annual Strategic Resource Group Leadership Summit virtually Sept. 29-30, 2026, focused on turning employee resource groups into drivers of innovation, talent development and business performance. Registration is open through Sept. 22, with team discounts and SHRM recertification credits available.

Why it matters: - Employee resource groups are being recast as Strategic Resource Groups, or SRGs, with a broader role in innovation, talent development, culture and business performance. - USC Marshall’s summit is aimed at leaders who want research-backed ways to connect ERGs to organizational strategy instead of treating them only as engagement programs. - The event also reflects growing demand for measurable outcomes from employee communities, not just participation or morale gains.

What happened: - The Center for Effective Organizations at the USC Marshall School of Business will host its 14th Annual Strategic Resource Group Leadership Summit virtually on Sept. 29-30, 2026. - The two-day event will bring together ERG leaders, executive sponsors, HR executives, researchers and senior business leaders. - Registration is open for individuals and organizational teams. - Registration closes Sept. 22, 2026. - Teams of five or more can receive a 15% discount. - Sponsorship opportunities are available. - More information and registration are available here.

The details: - The summit is grounded in ongoing academic research and organizational data. - Participants will examine findings from CEO’s Strategic Resource Group research. - The agenda includes practical frameworks for evolving ERGs into SRGs aligned with organizational priorities. - Attendees will also review emerging practices from organizations across industries. - The event includes collaborative learning, networking and peer discussions. - Participants can benchmark their organization’s progress against research findings. - The summit offers Professional Development Credits for SHRM recertification. - CEO says participants stay connected after the conference through year-round research participation, virtual learning sessions, innovation challenges, leadership development opportunities and collaborative action teams. - CEO has spent more than a decade running one of the nation’s longest-running research initiatives on the impact of employee resource groups. - Annual studies, benchmarking and partnerships have helped create validated measures across three areas: talent management, organizational culture and business vitality. - Talent management includes leadership development, recruitment and retention. - Organizational culture includes inclusion, collaboration and employee engagement. - Business vitality includes innovation, organizational effectiveness and stronger relationships with customers and external stakeholders.

Between the lines: - The research has pushed the discussion away from whether ERGs create value and toward how organizations can design them for greater strategic impact. - Dr. Theresa M. Welbourne, senior affiliated research scientist at USC Marshall’s Center for Effective Organizations and founder of the SRG initiative, said the most effective organizations are intentionally integrating these groups into business strategy. - Welbourne said employee communities can become sources of innovation with measurable business value when they are tied to strategy. - The summit is designed differently from conferences that mainly showcase success stories, with an emphasis on why certain practices work and how to apply them.

What’s next: - USC Marshall’s Center for Effective Organizations will continue its SRG research and year-round community activities after the summit. - Organizers are positioning the event as a pipeline for ongoing learning, benchmarking and cross-company collaboration. - Leaders who register by Sept. 22 can participate in the virtual summit and pursue SHRM recertification credits.

The bottom line: - USC’s summit is making a case that ERGs are no longer just internal affinity groups. The next step is turning them into business tools with measurable strategic impact.