Click here for the PowerPoint slides (in PDF format). People Analytics has made great strides in the world of HR, rapidly becoming a core capability that most CHROs feel they cannot do without. Yet even as organizations continue to build greater people analytics capability, the field struggles to find the best ways to engage with […]
Research and Insights Archive
Research and Insights from the Center for Effective Organizations
Available Content
Analytics and OD: Twins Separated at Birth?
During the development of the modern HR function over the past half century, four disciplines emerged that define the essential expertise for strategic HR: business strategy, organization design, organizational development (OD) and analytics. As Dave Ulrich has often noted, the traditional HR function was very inward looking. In contrast, each of these disciplines requires an […]
The Practitioner-Academic Gap: A View from the Middle
The practitioner-academic gap has been widely discussed for decades along with recommendations for increasing the practical application of management research. We review some of the reasons for this disconnect and argue this has been the norm going back to the beginnings of the field. At the same time contemporary management practice has obviously been greatly […]
Your Operating Model Needs a Brand Strategy
A winning brand strategy is essential for a successful business strategy. Done right, the brand strategy clearly articulates the customer value proposition – why our customers pick us over the competition. Leaders know this and strive for the clarity of purpose a winning brand strategy provides. A simple and compelling brand strategy can focus everyone’s attention on a very small number of strategic priorities that define strategic success, providing a “true north” to focus on.
Working for the (three-day) weekend: As more companies experiment with four-day work weeks, could we ever see them in the US?
Alec Levenson, senior research scientist with the Center for Effective Organizations at the Marshall School of Business at USC, discusses on KPCC AirTalk.
Investing in People: Financial Impact of Human Resource Initiatives, Third Edition
The demand for organizational accountability has never been greater. The future of work, talent, and employment are changing at an unprecedented pace, and organizational decisions about how to invest in people are under increasing scrutiny. Leaders realize their decisions about human resources are crucial in an uncertain and interconnected world, yet decisions about people remain among the least systematic and evidence-based, compared to resources such as money and technology. Investing in People draws upon state-of-the art practice and research across disciplines including psychology, economics, accounting, and finance to provide HR professionals and leaders with proven guidelines for evaluating key HR initiatives.
Mind the Gap: How Human Resources Can Become More Integral to the Corporate Boardroom Agenda
A chapter for the second edition of “The Handbook of Board Governance,” authored by Jay A. Conger, Ph.D. and Edward E. Lawler III, Ph.D.
Human Resource Excellence: An Assessment of Strategies and Trends
Tracing changes in a global sample of firms across the US, Europe, and Asia, this landmark volume by Ed Lawler and John Boudreau (Stanford University Press, 2018) provides an international benchmark against which to measure a company’s HR practice.
Benjamin Schneider (CEO) selected the winner of the 2017 Walker Prize
We are delighted to announce that Ben Schneider of the Center for Effective Organizations has been selected as the winner of the 2017 Walker Prize (honoring the best paper) for his article “How Companies Can Really Impact Service Quality” in the SHRM publication called People + Strategy.
How Companies Can Really Impact Service Quality
Benjamin Schneider (CEO)
Fall 2017
How Companies Can Really Impact Service Quality
A new paper by Ben Schneider in People + Strategy. Abstract: Over time, my colleagues and I have developed, tested, and refined measures of a climate for service quality that can actually predict three years out company corporate market value (Tobin’s q), as well as performance on the American Customer Satisfaction Index. When improvements in service quality can deliver those types of returns, most senior executives want to know what really makes the difference.
Workforce Planning that Really is Strategic
Alec Levenson and Alexis Fink share how most workforce planning efforts are fairly short sighted and narrow, and could more accurately be called 12 month hiring plans. Strategic workforce planning promises to deliver greater value by using a longer time horizon and a talent supply chain approach.