Human Capital Leadership Awards Introduction

It’s nice to be recognized by your peers and those outside your profession for a job well done. But, it’s almost as nice to discover from your peers how they executed a job well—especially when, in the process, they raised the performance of both HR and their organization.

In the following articles, you will learn not only about the winners of the inaugural Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) Human Capital Leadership Awards but also about the challenges they faced and how they overcame them. To celebrate your colleagues’ achievements and learn from their experiences, click the links below to read about the winners of the following four awards

• The Human Capital Business Leader of the Year Award is presented to a senior HR professional who is a leading force in executing organizational strategy that directly affects the organizations performance and prominence. Kalpana "Kal" Mistry, SPHR, won this award for her HR leadership at VITAS Healthcare, which is in an industry facing severe labor shortages and emotional challenges for employees.
  
  
  
• The Competitive Workforce Award is given to the HR department that recognizes and successfully responds to key workforce trends and needs in an ever-changing economic climate. Infosys Technologies Ltd.based in Mysore, India took the prize for its comprehensive recruiting, training and onboarding program that brings new U.S. recruits to India for an immersion process lasting six months or longer.
  
  
  
• The Innovative Business Solution Award is given to the HR department that successfully develops an innovative and ethical solution to a new or ongoing organizational challenge. The U.S. Army in Europe took home the award for creating a comprehensive toolkit that meets the enormous challenge of communicating to thousands of deployed troops, families and civilian workers.
  
  
  
• The Strategic HR Leadership Award is given to the HR department that played a key role in driving the performance and reputation of an organization by leveraging organizational human capital. This years winner, Kimberly-Clark's HR department, created HR initiatives and tied them to a companywide transformation that redefined the way the business manufactures and distributes its brands globally.

To jump directly to information about a particular winner, click the corresponding link below:

• Kalpana Mistry, SPHR
  
  
• Infosys Technologies Ltd.
  
  
• U.S. Army in Europe
  
  
• Kimberly-Clark Corp.

  How the Winners Are Selected

  Winners of the inaugural Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) Human Capital Leadership Awards were selected from 141 applications received earlier this year from 80 public- and private-sector organizations based in the United States and internationally and including both SHRM members and nonmembers.

  The awards are presented in four categories: Strategic HR Leadership, Innovative Business Solution, Competitive Workforce, and Human Capital Business Leader of the Year.

  The Human Capital Business Leader of the Year Award is presented to an individual HR professional based on career service and impact on the profession.

  The remaining three awards are given to HR departments and are based on HR programs implemented since January 2005. Nominations for these three awards are judged on complexity of issue, innovation, deployment, overcoming obstacles and results.

  All four categories were reviewed by a 20-judge panel made up of corporate HR executives, business leaders outside HR, educators/researchers, journalists and SHRM executives

  To learn more about the eligibility requirements and nomination process for the 2007 awards, go to the SHRM Leadership Awards web site. Applications will be accepted starting in January 2007.