Huselid is a pioneer of the strategic human resources field. His groundbreaking insights are featured in his three best-selling books and his seminal article, “The Impact of Human Resource Management Practices on Turnover, Productivity, and Corporate Financial Performance,” is the Academy of Management Journal's most highly-cited piece.
His current research focuses on the linkages between human resources management systems, corporate strategy, and firm performance. He brings instrumental findings and leadership to D'Amore-McKim's new workforce analytics research and executive programming initiatives.
Huselid's active consulting projects focus on the development of balanced measurement systems to reflect workforce contribution, workforce management systems, and the connection between the human resources management function and business success. He currently serves on the American Heart Association's board of directors and as an advisor to many Fortune 500 firms worldwide.
His new book “Disrupting Workforce Competition: Executing Strategy through Strategic Work, Workforce Differentiation, and Workforce Analytics,” is currently in development.
Q:What are your areas of expertise/research focus?
My current academic research and consulting activities focus on the linkages between HR management systems, corporate strategy, and firm performance. I also have an active research and consulting program focused on the development of balanced measurement systems to reflect the contribution of the workforce, workforce management systems, and the HR management function to business success.
Q:What industries are or could be impacted by your research?
I am a frequent speaker and consultant to professional audiences, having delivered over 600 presentations throughout the Africa, Asia, Europe, Latin America, and the United States. I serve on the Board of Directors of the American Heart Association and as an advisor to many Fortune 500 firms worldwide.
Q:What research projects are you currently working on or planning?
My new book, entitled “Disrupting Workforce Competition: Executing Strategy through Strategic Work, Workforce Differentiation, and Workforce Analytics,” is currently in development. I direct the Center for Workforce Analytics, which was founded in 2015 to help advance the science and practice of applied workforce measurement and analytics. Through the creation of close partnerships between the academic and practitioner communities, the CFWA is focused on helping organizations identify, prioritize, implement, and assess workforce investment opportunities, rooted in the execution of firm strategy. Focusing on the talent issues unique to each business' strategy will enable firms to develop the predictive analytics and workforce insight needed to create value for shareholders and better, more meaningful jobs for employees.
Q:What are some of your most seminal publications?
- Becker, B.E., Huselid, M.A., & Beatty, R.W. 2009. The Differentiated Workforce: Transforming Talent Into Strategic Impact. Harvard Business Press.
In this follow-up to The HR Scorecard and The Workforce Scorecard, we make the case for why and how the workforce should be managed like an investment portfolio – with disproportionate investments in resources, development opportunities, and rewards for high performers in strategic roles. Based on over two decades of research and comprehensive hands-on experience, The Differentiated Workforce provides readers the tools to transform their organization's talent into powerful strategic impact.
- Becker, B.E., & Huselid, M.A. 2006. Strategic Human Resource Management: Where Do We Go From Here? Journal of Management, 32, 898-925.
In this article, we identify the key challenges facing the field of Strategic Human Resources Management and discuss several new directions in both scholarship and practice. We argue for a clearer articulation of the “black box” between HR and firm performance and for the importance of integrating strategy implementation in this process. According to the authors, the practice of HR strategy has moved beyond whether or not there is a significant return to better workforce management – with managers now asking questions like, “What are the key strategic positions in our organization, and how should they be managed?” and “How can we design and implement a workforce management system that helps us execute strategy and create wealth?” They further argue that, although SHRM was initially an HR-centric paradigm, it is rapidly moving out of the hands of HR professionals and into the hands of line managers and senior executives. This article was the recipient of the Journal of Management's Best Paper Award, given to the paper judged to have the greatest impact over the period 2006 – 2011.
- Huselid, M.A. 1995. The impact of human resource management practices on turnover, productivity, and corporate financial performance. Academy of Management Journal, 38, 635-672.
This study comprehensively evaluates the links between systems of high performance work practices and firm performance. Results based on a national sample of nearly one thousand firms indicate that these practices have an economically and statistically significant impact on both intermediate employee outcomes (turnover and productivity) and short- and long-term measures of corporate financial performance. This paper is the most frequently article in the history of the Academy of Management Journal (1958-2015).
Q:What are some awards that you have received?
I am among the most frequently cited scholars in the field of management, having authored the most frequently cited article in the history of the field's the leading academic journal, the Academy of Management Journal (1958-2015). I have published more highly cited papers in AMJ (top 10 and top 50) than any other scholar in the field of management.
- Distinguished Alumnus Award. SUNY Buffalo School of Management. 2012.
- Best Paper Award. Journal of Management. 2011.