BOSTON, MA--(Marketwire - July 7, 2009) -
Aberdeen
Group, a Harte-Hanks Company (
NYSE:
HHS), announced the release of its
"
The 2009 State
of the Market: Mid-Year Insights Report" which shows that 60% of HR and
line of business executives believe that the current state of the economy
will increase the importance their organization places on Human Capital
Management (HCM) in 2009. The priority for HCM leaders is on enabling
execution of business strategy through an engaged workforce that has the
right skills in the right place at the right time.
The current economy has pushed organizations to have a laser focus on
execution, and 57% of respondents to "
The 2009 State of
the Market: Mid-Year Insights Report" cited "improving business
execution" as the number one strategy their organization will employ moving
into 2009. Collaboration between HR and business leaders to understand
business success criteria was cited by 65% Best-in-Class companies, and
should be a core part of any HCM strategy in the coming year.
"The ability to link the skills and abilities of the workforce to
organizational goals will be critical," said Mollie Lombardi, Research
Analyst, Human Capital Management. "Without a clear picture of what the
business will need in the future, human capital leaders can not hope to
create the right programs to attract, retain, engage and develop the talent
that will be required."
Key to that ability to attract and retain is an emphasis on engagement,
which was cited by 42% of Best-in-Class organizations at their top strategy
for 2009. Unlocking that engagement will be the underpinning of success in
all aspects of talent management from hiring to developing, and measuring
performance.
HCM leaders will also challenged to undertake all of these strategic
efforts while continuing to deliver all tactical HR services and activities
to the organization. A primary barrier that organizations of all sizes and
levels of technology sophistication must overcome is the burden on HR of
time spent on tactical activities. Forty-six percent (46%) of all
organizations responding to "The 2009 HR Executive's Agenda" study cited
time spent on tactical HR activities as the top barrier to HR becoming more
strategic. Whether through the implementation of technology to automate
processes, through strategic outsourcing of key activities, or by
reorganization to optimize operational efficiencies, finding ways to do
more with less -- the mantra of all functional leaders in 2009 -- will be
key to achieving strategic partnership.
About The 2009 Aberdeen Report "State of the Market: Mid-Year Insights":
Each section of the report is designed to serve two purposes: 1) educate
the CEO on key trends, initiatives and developments; and 2) provide
guidance to functional leaders as they encounter new challenges, embrace
new opportunities and adapt to the changing economic environment, providing
executive teams with a roadmap to navigate through uncertain times. A copy
of the report can be obtained at:
http://resources.aberdeen.com/2009AberdeenReport
About Aberdeen Group, a Harte-Hanks Company
Aberdeen provides fact-based research and market intelligence that delivers
demonstrable results. Having queried more than 30,000 companies in the
past two years, Aberdeen is positioned to educate users to action: driving
market awareness, creating demand, enabling sales, and delivering
meaningful return-on-investment analysis. As the trusted advisor to the
global technology markets, corporations turn to Aberdeen for insights that
drive decisions.
As a Harte-Hanks Company, Aberdeen plays a key role of putting content in
context for the global direct and targeted marketing company. Aberdeen's
analytical and independent view of the "customer optimization" process of
Harte-Hanks (Information - Opportunity - Insight - Engagement -
Interaction) extends the client value and accentuates the strategic role
Harte-Hanks brings to the market. For additional information, visit
Aberdeen or call (617) 723-7890, or to
learn more about
Harte-Hanks,
call (800) 456-9748.
© 2009 Aberdeen Group, Inc., a Harte-Hanks Company
451 D Street, Suite 710
Boston, Massachusetts 02210-1928
Telephone: (617) 854-5200
Fax: (617) 723-7897
www.aberdeen.com
Contact Information: Media Contact:
Tracey Jones
Aberdeen Harte-Hanks
(925) 264-1838
tracey.jones@aberdeen.com