Evidence-based HR: The bridge between your people and delivering business strategy (via KPMG.com)

Defining evidence-based HR: Debating a definition A major division has emerged between the corporate world and academia in how evidence- based HR is actually understood and defined. As a result of this gap in perception, world-renowned academic experts believe that HR practitioners are missing out on a vast pool of evidence, some of which may be directly relevant to their own company practices. When executives talk about HR evidence, they generally focus on the internally generated information that can influence people decisions. "Simply put, evidence-based HR brings together data that can then be analyzed as a potential solution to business problems," says Iain McKendrick of AstraZeneca. However, the academic experts interviewed for this report maintain that the definition excludes the results of voluminous past research in the field of human resources. They cite research that questions the efficacy of cherished cornerstones of corporate life, such as performance-related pay and annual performance appraisals, and even casts doubt on the business impact of employee engagement. "Several years ago, I was sitting on a remuneration committee of a publicly listed company," recalls Jeffrey Pfeffer, Professor of Organizational Behavior at the Graduate School of Business, Stanford University. "I brought up very recent research on stock options by Professor Donald Hambrick, which highlighted their very

negative consequences, such as excessive risk-taking and unsuccessful mergers. Nobody wanted to know. If you went to a doctor, and they told you they were not interested in the latest research, you would run screaming from their surgery." ?