Human Resources: Forum for People Performance Management & Measurement at Northwestern University

EVANSTON, Illinois, February 15, 2008 – The Forum for People Performance Management and Measurement at Northwestern University today announced its Executive Board of Trustees for 2008 while also reporting its key research in 2007.

New officers for The Forum for People Performance Management & Measurement include:

·President Michelle M. Smith, CPIM, CRP - Ms. Smith is vice president, business development, of O.C. Tanner, Salt Lake City, Utah. She also is the immediate past president of the Incentive Marketing Association and serves on the Boards of Directors of the Incentive Federation and Recognition Professionals International.

·Vice President Jennifer Rosenzweig - Ms. Rosenzweig is the global employee practice leader of Carlson Marketing, Minneapolis, Minnesota. She also is the current chair of the Forum’s Education Committee.

·Treasurer Beth Schelske - Ms. Schelske is vice president, Performance Solutions Group, ITAGroup, West Des Moines, Iowa. She also is the current chair of the Forum’s Marketing Committee and marketing chairperson for the Incentive Marketing Association’s Performance Improvement Council.

·Secretary Scott Siegel - Mr. Siegel is president and owner of recognition awards manufacturer R.S. Owens, Chicago, IL. He also is a member of the Promotional Products Association International Board of Directors.

Incoming Forum President Michelle M. Smith commented, “The 2008 officers are charged with implementing the Forum’s ambitious new three-year Strategic Plan, designed to deliver new research, education and corporate outreach initiatives. This is an exciting time for the field of people performance as organizations throughout the globe are finally realizing that all people who touch their business are vital factors in its success. As the vanguard in the industry, the Forum must be prepared to help organizations maximize this opportunity.” Smith continued, “Trustee engagement is essential to advance the work of the Forum, and increasing our participation levels will be one of my personal goals for 2008.”

The Forum is the unified industry voice on employee engagement as it relates to corporate bottom-line profitability. The discipline of people performance focuses on the impact employees, customers, and other stakeholders have on the financial results and success of an organization. The Forum is committed to ensuring its growing body of research reaches a vast audience in corporate America and around the world.

The Forum Reflects on 2007 Accomplishments

In 2007, the Forum released multiple research studies and white papers related to key issues in People Performance Management and incentive programs.

The Economics of Humanity in Business - this study outlines the increasingly important role of the emerging field of people performance in the new pull economy.

Testing the Internal Marketing Model: An Empirical Analysis of the Relationship between Employee Attitudes, Customer Attitudes and Customer Spending - this study revealed that employee effort and customer behaviors are intrinsically linked to financial outcomes.

Making the Case for Sales Incentives to the Tune of 10 Percent ROI - this white paper delves into the mechanics of sales incentive programs, providing managers with useful information to design successful sales initiatives and presenting their corporate decision makers with hard evidence in support of sales incentives.

Awards Selection: Guidelines for Implementation - this study addresses the role of cash and noncash reward systems in corporations to provide a better means of determining when to use which type of award system.

The Forum’s trustees represent prominent global organizations including Carlson Marketing Group, Dittman Incentive Marketing, EGR International, The Incentive Group, Incentive Marketing Association, Incentive Performance Center, ITAGroup, Maritz Performance Improvement, Marketing Innovators International, O.C. Tanner, Recognition Professionals International, Promotional Products Association International, Incentive Research Foundation, Hallmark Insights, Michael C. Fina, and MotivAction. B.I. Worldwide and Marriott International also have joined as participants.

In addition, the Forum’s Board of Advisors boasts industry-leading corporations and firms throughout the United States including Nordson Corporation, United States Postal Service, Verizon, AstraZeneca, Ernst & Young, and New York Hospital Queens, among others.

About Forum for People Performance Management & Measurement:

The Forum for People Performance Management & Measurement (www.performanceforum.org) is a research unit affiliated with the Medill Integrated Marketing Communications graduate program at Northwestern University. A central objective of the Forum is to develop and disseminate knowledge about the proven strategies and tactics to assist businesses in achieving their objectives through effectively designed people-based initiatives, both inside and outside their organizations.