Birkman International Releases HR Strategy White Paper: HR Metrics and Measurements - Getting a Seat at the Strategy Table.

HOUSTON -- Birkman International, creator of The Birkman Method[R] personality assessment, has released a white paper that details the development and utilization of measurement and reporting practices among HR Departments. The report indicates that the most commonly recorded and reported measurements are largely tactical and transactional in nature. It poses the hypothesis that the lack of meaningful metrics in the HR area and the use of non-integrated and largely invisible data collection and reporting systems have kept HR executives from being seen as a strategic resource within the enterprise.

"HR executives long for a seat at the strategy table, but they are not yet consistently delivering the bottom-line data on human capital management necessary to support an enterprise-level strategic role," said Richard Goldman, chief operating officer of Birkman International. "We look at ways to make this happen by exploring the data and how it is collected."

The report, "HR Measurement and Metrics," explores the functions, endeavors and initiatives currently measured by HR professionals and senior management, the diverse methods used to capture and record those metrics, the audience for those metrics, and the influence those metrics have on enterprise strategies.

The report can be downloaded here at no charge (a brief registration is required): https://www.birkman.com/consultantReferral/signup.php?refer=em012508.

The trends discussed in the report are supported by the "Birkman Metrics Survey" conducted by Equation Research during the fourth quarter of 2007 and first quarter of 2008.

In addition to examining current trends, the report looks ahead at trends to come.

Key topics discussed in the "HR Measurement and Metrics" report include:

* HR functions and initiatives currently measured in organizations

* Record-keeping best practices and common practices

* Data-capture and reporting methods

* Where these metrics are stored within organizations

* Challenges associated with HR measurement and metrics

The white paper explores how HR can become more relevant and important to business strategy by creating useful metrics and collecting data about employees that will matter long-term, such as finding high-performers and designing learning programs around them.

"This white paper presents some sobering findings," said Goldman. "HR professionals appear to be out of alignment with senior management and enterprise leaders who rely on measurements and metrics to guide the enterprise. However, there is a clear recognition on the part of our respondents about how to change that in the coming few years."

About Birkman International

The Birkman Method[R] has been in use for more than 50 years and has been used by more than 2.5 million people and 5,000 organizations worldwide, including corporations, not-for-profit organizations, governmental agencies and individuals. The assessment accurately measures social behaviors, underlying expectations of interpersonal and task actions, potential stress reactions to unmet expectations, occupational preferences and organizational strengths. For more information visit www.birkman.com or call 1-800-215-2760.