Ultimate Performance: Measuring Human Resources at Work

Executive Reporting

1. Don’t look back—start with current data.

2. Don’t overwhelm people with data—a single, simple-to-read page is best.

3. Once you start reporting, make sure you don’t stop—keep it on time, every time.

4. Answer questions before they’re asked; if the data raises a question, answer it with the report.

Let people draw their own conclusions.

The development of Human Resources metrics relates to the direct correlation between individual performance and the company’s performance as a whole. However, the degree and number of employees varies. If you find it difficult to measure human capital, defined by Margaret M. Blair, co-author of the Brookings Institution study, “Understanding Intangible Sources of Value,” as “part of a set of intangibles that a company simply cannot control: the way employees work together, not just the sum of what an individual knows” (Workforce Management 2001) blueprinting may be the solution you are looking for. Undoubtedly, Human Resources professionals throughout the past several decades experienced frustration when trying to measure human capital. Then, as now, leaders are always looking for the solution to issues that arise as a result of differing personalities.

As is often the case today, this solution addressed one aspect of human capital. After force was no longer effective or permissible, managers often responded by replacing people. Now many also tend to focus on a single solution such as a selection program or management practice. Most improvements ...