We had a theory and wanted to test it. So we typed "HR holy grail" (no quotes) into a Google search box and, sure enough, what popped up on the first page were various articles about HR metrics and analytics. There was one result on determining the return on investment (ROI) in HR development, one on predictive analytics and another on measuring the value of human capital.
It's easy to see why attaching hard numbers to the notoriously soft and fuzzy issues of people management has become one of the secular "holy grails" - or elusive goals - of organizations. Metrics and analytics help organizations know where their strengths and weaknesses lie and allow them to plan for the future more effectively. They are particularly useful in times like these, when organizations need to carefully leverage scarce resources so they can emerge stronger than ever when the economy recovers
