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The aim of this paper is to identify how human resource (HR) professionals can best approach the measurement of human capital. This is an evolving area and those organizations held up as exemplars are constantly reviewing their approach and measures and striving for better understanding of people contribution.

The paper draws on experience and research from within the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development in the UK since 2000 and up to 2011, as well as external research sources.

The paper finds that there is no one way to carry out human capital measurement as it is context‐specific. However, there are certain people management measures that when applied would provide managers with useful insights in most organizations. More important than specific measures is that the processes around measurement are accurate and trustworthy.

All forms of capital must be evaluated and analyzed in context to understand how people drive business performance. Human capital only adds value if it can be successfully converted into goods and services that will make a profit.

The paper examines people management measures which provide managers with useful insight in most organizations. However, it concludes that it is more important that the processes around measurement should be accurate and trustworthy.

Knowledge management (KM) is a key driver of organisational growth and development. It is a major conduit for the development of varying organisational capitals, and pivotal to learning, innovation and employee engagement. It is the authors' belief that KM has over‐focused on structures, processes and technologies and not enough on learning, innovation and engagement. This paper aims to discuss these issues.

The paper draws on experience and research from within the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development in the UK since 2000 and up to 2012, as well as external research sources.

This lack of alignment can be attributed to three issues: the often diffuse and vague nature of the concept itself; the undue focus on tracking, capturing and storing KM assets; and the lack of a coherent organisational purpose and focus for knowledge management.

The paper suggests that by focusing on the three key areas of learning, innovation and engagement, both a business rationale for KM and a “why bother” focus for employees can be developed, as well as contributing to sustainable organisation performance.

The paper examines knowledge management and links it to core HR processes.

This paper aims to discuss how and with what employees engage at work. It seeks to offer an explanation of “locus of engagement” – what aspects of their work individuals engage with to a lesser or greater extent – and “emotional” and “transactional” engagement – demonstrating that people can engage at different levels, both of which might result in performance but also in very different behaviors.

The paper is based on research completed for CIPD by The Kingston Engagement Consortium drawing on both quantative and qualitative data collected from member companies over a six‐year period of study.

The paper argues that managers need a deeper understanding of how employees are engaging with their work to effectively leverage performance through engagement. It finds that despite much work on engagement, the issues of with what and at what level people are engaging is still relatively unexplored. It also finds that how and with what people engage can have implications for their performance and other behavior which will impact on the success of the organization.

This has practical implications for managers and demonstrates that engagement surveys alone will not give sufficient information to enable them to manage engagement effectively.

Looks at the different types of role that the human resource function has to play in TQM and where it fits in at key stages. Describes the research project. Asserts a link is increasingly being made between the quality of service, product or process, and the quality of staff. Discusses the role of HR in TQM and the potential pitfalls. Concludes that human resources has a key contribution to make and that the role is increasing in significance. Considers that a possible major reason for the lack of success of some TQM initiatives is too much emphasis on systems and techniques to the relative neglect of HR considerations in the conceptual and planning stages of TQM. Suggests that HR professionals become more closely involved in TQM.

Shows that work‐related stress has immense costs for the industry. Asks whether the costs of stress are a problem which should be accepted as part of business today, or whether it should and can be minimised. Reviews a number of causes for work‐related stress. Recommends total quality programmesto relieve some of the costs of stress.

Describes how a large service organisation, Post Office Counters Ltd, has applied total quality principles to the development of customer care initiative. Reviews the organisation′s approach to customer care and details its customer charter, a complete package which comprised training for staff and a series of service commitments. Discusses how the customer charter fits in with the government′s recently imposed Citizen′s Charter. Outlines two keys for achieving total quality.