The ROI of Human Capital: Measuring the Economic Value of Employee Performance, Second Edition

HUMAN LEVERAGE 17

resource unless we know how, why, and when to share it.

Experience has proved repeatedly that without the knowl-

edge of what to distribute and the motivation to do it unself-

ishly, information is just another expensive, underutilized

asset. The inevitable conclusion must be that long-term

profitability is dependent on the creation of an information-

sharing culture. It is the perquisite to any attempt to man-

age intellectual capital.

Modern success stories exemplify the value of informa-

tion in changing the game and leading an industry. Wal-

Mart was built largely on its inventory and sales informa-

tion system. Knowing what was moving at what rate in each

store kept it from being out of stock, which is a cardinal sin

of retailing. ...