There is an absolutely fantastic article (which is also the cover story) over on CFO.com about workforce performance management / human capital management / talent management or whatever you want to call it (more on this topic of naming in a future post (also see this post)). It has some interesting points including how WPM falls neatly in the domain of CFOs who are responsible for both people and information – the core assets owned by that function. Another key point: that the intagible called employee engagement can be harnessed and driven through WPM solutions.

Disclaimer: our client Kimberly-Clark is featured prominently in this article and we’re mentioned as part of their effort.

Click for a quote after the jump.

From the article:

Often described as “the right person in the right place at the right time at the right price,” workforce optimization combines managerial discipline with newer forms of information technology to produce, in theory, everything from perfectly staffed assembly lines to efficiently deployed consultants to well-crafted succession plans. At its most basic, it builds on earlier time-keeping and attendance systems in order to improve staff deployment. At its most sophisticated, it is essentially synonymous with human-capital management (HCM), a “full life cycle” approach to employees that encompasses everything from recruitment and hiring through training, career development, and compensation. While the ultimate goal — greater productivity and efficiency — is certainly in a company’s best interest, many facets of workforce optimization are explicitly designed to improve the career prospects and job satisfaction of employees.