THE HR SCORECARD
Linking People, Strategy
and Performance
BRIAN BECKER, MARK HUSELID, DAVE ULRICH
BRIAN BECKER is Professor of Human Resources and Chairman of the Department of Organization and
Human Resources in the School of Management at the State University of New York at Buffalo. He
specializes in the relationships between human resources systems, strategy implementation and firm
performance.
MARK HUSELID is Associate Professor of HR Strategy in the School of Management and Labor Relations at
Rutgers University. He specializes in the linkages between human resources management, corporate
strategy and firm performance. Professor Huselid also serves as Editor of the Human Resources
Management Journal.
DAVE ULRICH is Professor of Business at the University of Michigan. He specializes in building leadership
brand, creating organizational capabilities, developing a shared mind-set and shaping the HR agenda.
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The HR Scorecard - Page 1
MAIN IDEA
The HR (human resources) scorecard matches business strategy against HR deliverables and objectives to provide a statistical
basis by which HR efficiency and contribution to strategy implemntation can be measured.
As such, the HR scorecard is a management tool which allows a business to:
1. Manage HR as a strategic asset and a source of competitive advantage.
2. Quantitatively demonstrate HR’s contribution to the firm’s financial results and bottom-line profitability.
3. Create and measure the degree of alignment between the strategy of the business and its HR architecture.
When used effectively, HR scorecards link the things people do with the strategy of the company. The HR scorecard also allows a HR
architecture to evolve which is measurement managed and systematic. And the HR scorecard allows the human resource function to
fill a strategic role in the business – participating fully in the balanced goals of cutting costs and creating added value.
In total, the HR scorecard makes it possible for HR to enhance its role as a strategic business asset.
The Seven-Step Model For Using HR as a Strategic Business Asset
1 Clarify and articulate the business strategy
2 Develop the business case for HR as a strategic asset
3 Create a strategy map for the firm:
• Business indicators – leading and lagging
• Results – tangible and intangible
4 Identify HR deliverables within the strategy map
Periodically
test HR
5 Align the HR architecture with HR deliverables: measures
• HR function against the
• HR system firm’s strategy
• Strategic employee behaviors map and
adjust as
required
6 Design the strategic measurement system:
• The HR scorecard
• Results measurements – tangible and intangible
7 Execute management by measurement
Step 1 – Clarify and articulate the business strategy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 2
Step 2 – Develop the business case for HR as a strategic asset . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 3
Step 3 – Create a strategy map for the firm . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 4
Step 4 – Identify HR deliverables within the strategy map. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 5
Step 5 – Align the HR architecture with HR deliverables . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 6
Step 6 – Design the strategic measurement system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Pages 6 - 8
Step 7 – Execute management by measurement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 8
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