“Soft” HR operating figures, if applicable, enhanced with “hard” HR operating figures, are increasingly summed up in a clear HR management cockpit for decision-makers.

There is no standard, generally accepted definition of an HR Management Cockpit. We define the HR Cockpit as the technical realisation of an HR system of operating figures, comparable to the dash panel on a plane. In contrast to the Dashboard, the displays of the Cockpit are fixed installations. 

Just like the dash panel on a plane provides the pilot with a complete overview of the current operational state, a powerful HR Management Cockpit should present the most important information about HR in numerical operating figures and visualise them through graphics.

It is controversial what should be part of the HR Management Cockpit’s content and what should not, since there are far more than 100 relevant HR operating figures, and the number keeps growing. We must differentiate between “soft” HR operating figures (e.g. results from organisational surveys) and “hard” HR operating figures with data from HR statistics and financial controlling.

The HR Management Cockpit by ISPA consult in fig. 2 consists exclusively of “soft” HR operating figures, which are based on data from the organisational survey. It can easily be supplemented and enhanced by “hard” HR operating figures.

HR managment Cockpit

Fig.: HR Management Cockpit (demo example)

(1) Each of the mentioned operating figures measures something different which is why its included in the Cockpit (integration approach; counters the one-sided highlighting of a single operating figure such as satisfaction or commitment, for example);

(2) Each operating figure is graphically represented in a box plot. Box plots visualise the distribution of data with a box and the so-called whiskers, the vertical lines at the top and bottom of the box. In the box, a horizontal bar shows the median value and a square point visualises the average value;

(3) An assumed given 4-point scale results in extreme average values of “1.0” and “4.0”. The multi-coloured displays in-between signalise positive and negative areas of the actually produced average values (green = very good/good; yellow = satisfactory; red = insufficient) with a gradual problem pressure in order to initiate measures for improvement.

(4) The operating figures compiled in the HR Management Cockpit and their ascertained specifications can be transferred into an operating figures spinmap for better comparison (see fig.)


Fig.: Operating figures spinmap (demo example)