Fearless HR

“Fearless HR”

The economy’s evolution from industrial factories and physical labor to the white-collar knowledge industries of the Information Age took more than a century. Yet, a new Creative Age has emerged just since about 1995. Today, organizations in advanced economies derive the majority of their value from “intangible assets,” including skilled leaders; talented employees; and the ideas, networks and enthusiasm they provide. Human resources professionals manage the critical resource that drives success, mediocrity or failure for today’s organizations: their people.

In the past, administrators deliberately kept HR’s work separate from the mainstream business. Able but isolated, HR managers helped their firms stay out of regulatory trouble, deal with unions and manage workers’ needs. Since the turn of the 21st century, however, increasing pressure on HR pushes it to step up, transform and contribute more to the business and the bottom line. HR must “multiply” its impact by driving greater performance and stepping into a more strategic role.

“The Evidence”

In the 1990s, Sears’ stores found that investing in employee engagement led to subsequent improvements...