Richard W. Beatty

New HR Metrics : Scoring on the Business Scorecard

T he role of the Human Resource function in firms has changed in parallel with the economic shift from agrarian to manufacturing to services—and now to information. Early on, HR was considered a staff function, not integral to the firm. Its role was administrative or transactional, its work-product often regarded as a commodity. One factor in changing HR’s role is the increased reliance on knowledge workers. In our transitioning economy, observers, both inside and outside of organizations, have come to view a firm’s workforce as far more valuable. Thus, if one views HR’s primary role as influencing workforce mindset, competencies, and behavior, HR’s role becomes central to the firm, for it is people who carry out its strategy. HR professionals need to recognize this change and adapt to it. To enhance HR’s organizational contribution, HR professionals not only will need to transform what they do but also how they are perceived. Early in its history, the ‘‘personnel’’ function was a refuge for line managers who were polite but ineffectual— employees ‘‘too nice to terminate.’’ Three decades ago, empowered by federal and state legislation, HR became known as the ‘‘personnel police,’’ often to the frustration of line managers. In the ongoing transformation to a services and information economy, HR wanted to be seen as a strategic partner, hopefully invited to the strategic planning party. But significant challenges await HR once invited to the party. It must have something to bring to the table. We wish to address what and how HR can contribute to the strategic success of firms by transforming itself from a partner (that can be removed or outsourced) to a player—on the field, in the game, with the ability to score. The ability to score necessitates a new understanding of the rules of the game—a new perspective on what HR is to contribute, how its systems enable it to contribute, and how its ultimate deliverables can be measured. The rules of the game mean that HR should only attempt to score on an HR Scorecard integrated with the firm’s Business Scorecard. The shift to a services and knowledge economy has accelerated interest in the ‘‘intangibles’’ that have fueled market capitalization growth in the equity markets. Baruch Lev and others at New York University offer annual seminars on intangibles. CFO magazine has reported on how the value of knowledge workers in various industries can be captured in financial terms. Several studies have found that 30 to 40 percent of market appreciation is due to non-tangible factors. An Ernst & Young study has shown that intangible factors (e.g., strategy execution, managerial credibility, strategy quality, attracting and retaining talent, management experience, and compensation strategy) Organizational Dynamics, Vol. 32, No. 2, pp. 107–121, 2003 ISSN 0090-2616/03/

Blacks As Supervisors: A Study of Training, Job Performance, and Employers’ Expectations

– see frontmatter 2003 Elsevier Science Inc. All rights reserved. doi:10.1016/S0090-2616(03)00013-5 www.organizational-dynamics.com

The Influence Of Role Prescriptions On The Performance Appraisal Process

This study of a training program designed for the development of black supervisors investigated the relationship of several training and nontraining variables with employers’ evaluations of black s...

Longitudinal Study of Absenteeism of Hard-Core Unemployed

The article discusses a study which examined the influence of role prescriptions on the performance appraisal process. The advantages of using multiple raters in the performance appraisal process a...

Incentive Systems and Task Types as OD Intervention Targets.

Hard-core unemployed absenteeism was studied over a 2-yr. period using variables to measure organization-wide, immediate work environment, job content, and personal factors as predictors. Results indicated that initial absenteeism of the hard-core unemployed (6 mo.) was predicted by organization-wide, immediate work environment, and personal factors while longitudinal (24 mo.) absenteeism was predicted by immediate work environment and job content factors. The implication is that the pattern of absenteeism of the hard-core unemployed, although initially influenced by total organizational and personal variables, is better predicted by the immediate social setting of the job and the job itself over time.

Research Notes. Information Relevant to the Task in the Risky Shift Phenomenon

This study explores the interaction effects of incentive systems and task types on group performance. The incentive systems are promotive and contrient and the task types are unitary and divisible. It is argued that a better understanding of the interaction effects of incentive systems and task types on group performance is needed to effectively implement OD group interventions.

Performance appraisal : assessing human behavior at work

This article examines the influence of key arguments in interpreting the information-relevant-to-the-task hypothesis. It argues that the discovery of a particularly persuasive argument favoring an ...