FEATURE/Humax Social Capital Tool Helps Companies in Slowing Economy

    ANN ARBOR, Mich.--(BUSINESS WIRE FEATURES)--March 27, 2001--Humax Corporation has introduced an assessment, training and coaching program that helps make companies "recession proof," according to CEO Cheryl Baker.
    The program features the Humax Assessment, the first and only Web-based tool for measuring an organization's social capital -- connections between people and the results they produce.
    While the benefits of social capital have been known for decades, only in the past year was an on-line system designed that could actually measure your social capital . . . and help you build relationships within your corporate community.
    "The creation of a fulfilling community within the organization is absolutely essential for better performance," says Baker, an expert in corporate performance feedback systems. "We promise our client companies that if they fully integrate the principles of social capital, their performance will go up, even in a slow economy."
    Baker points out that recent articles in the business press have shed new light on the central role of relationships in successful companies. Research has shown that rich social capital leads to increased influence and effectiveness, breakthrough ideas, entrepreneurial leaders, and higher profits. Research also shows that most people have inaccurate perceptions of their networks.
    The Humax Assessment, training and coaching program helps corporations measure individual fit vs. corporate fit from a social capital point of view. Do employees have the types of networks that support them in their connections to the organization and its goals? How can networks be improved?
    Unlike any other program of its kind, the individual Humax Assessment analyzes each employee's social capital and produces a customized, on-line report in real time. The report includes a colorful network diagram based on algorithms of "closeness" among the person's relationships. Humax combines the individual profiles into a composite profile that shows the structure, composition and focus of networks in your organization. Your company's networks are compared to those of a typical corporate population.
    The follow-up workshop trains employees in powerful techniques for building community inside and outside the company, reinventing networks to enhance bottom-line performance. On-going management coaching integrates these results into everyday business practices.
    Humax Corporation has broken new ground in the practical application of social capital research developed over several years by Dr. Wayne Baker, Humax research director and a professor at the University of Michigan Business School. His book, "Achieving Success Through Social Capital" (Jossey-Bass, 2000) recently became a business best seller. It is available through the company's web site, www.HumaxNetworks.com.
    Humax Corporation is headquartered in Ann Arbor, MI. The company has been a pioneer in transforming corporate networks through social capital since 1993. Humax delivers programs and technology that ignite in people the natural desire to connect and contribute. As a result, organizations and their employees build corporate communities that lead to improved performance.