 Dear Reader,
Years
ago, I was quite taken with a house on Chicago’s lakefront. The
graceful lines captured my fancy, evoking the grandeur of a bygone era.
On a recent trip back to the area, I chanced upon the home again only
to discover it replaced by a glass and steel structure, the essence of
contemporary living. When I inquired about the home now gone, I learned
it had been demolished out of necessity. Beneath its grand facade, the
house was architecturally unsound and had slowly begun to collapse
upon itself.
Whatever
the design on the drawing table—a stately home or an HR tool or
program—the underpinnings determine longevity and soundness. Too often
the focus is on the design itself, yet without the right foundation and
support, even the most elegant design will fail. The articles in this Perspectives focus
on underpinnings—the right foundation for human capital planning, sales
success and pay delivery—and the right support, in the form of
communications, for health care plans and executive compensation.
Corning, Incorporated, knew the right foundation was critical in order to connect business strategy and talent management. Maximizing Value for the Business Through Strategic Human Capital Planning shares
the evolution of human capital planning at Corning and provides lessons
learned in designing and implementing this vital business process.
The importance of communication as a supportive measure is underscored in two articles: The Honeymoon Is Over: Consumer-Driven Health Plans examines
why effective communication strategies are at least as important as
financial incentives in making consumer-driven health plans work.
Executive Compensation Trends and Issues discusses
methods for improving stakeholder understanding and appreciation of
incentive compensation plans. The article also highlights executive
compensation trends among Fortune 100 companies.
Job role design can mean the difference between success and failure in the sales arena. Are Your Sales Job Roles Too Broad? explains how to align sales job roles with business strategy and sales objectives to realize business results.
Developing a Compensation Philosophy that Goes Beyond Mom and Apple Pie
explores one company’s challenge and success in fashioning a
compensation philosophy that would enable executive compensation to be
a strategic lever rather than just a way to stay competitive.
We
hope these articles will spur readers to take a closer look at the
underpinnings of their programs to make sure they are built to get
results. We look forward to your comments and feedback.
We appreciate your readership. Let us know what issues you are facing and whether this issue provided insights for you.
David C. Kuhlman
Chief Operating Officer
Sibson Consulting
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