Measure human capital because people really matter: development and validation of human capital scale (HuCapS)

Purpose

Notwithstanding the findings of several published articles on human capital, there is scarcity of a comprehensive instrument to measure it. In this direction, the objective of present research is to develop a valid and reliable scale to assess human capital.

Design/methodology/approach

This research was divided into two parts. Study 1 focused on literature review of human capital measures, development of items and exploring the factor structure of human capital construct on a sample of 184 employees. Study 2 was based on the survey of 212 employees, and reliability assessment and confirmatory factor analysis was performed to validate the factor structure of human capital construct.

Findings

The findings can be summarized in two ways. Study 1 present that human capital scale is multidimensional consisting of employee capability, leadership and motivation, employee satisfaction and creativity. The findings of study 2 confirms the validity and reliability of three factor structure of human capital construct consisting of 18 items in total.

Practical implications

The study provides a multidimensional psychometric instrument which can help in measuring the human capital of the organization from the perspective of capabilities, satisfaction and creativity and leadership and motivation. Moreover, it can serve as an aid to human resource (HR) and human resource development (HRD) professionals for human capital assessment in the organizations.

Originality/value

This study provides a measure to assess human capital in Indian manufacturing sector organizations that makes a novel contribution to the area.

Measuring Forgiveness

Abstract. Forgiveness is frequently investigated, and many methods of assessment have been used. However, discerning which methods of assessment to use for which purposes has generally not been based on systematic analysis. We searched four databases: Scopus, Web of Science, PubMed, and PsycINFO. Forgiveness measures were grouped into Forgiveness Scales (i.e., Dispositional Forgiveness, Episodic Forgiveness, and Dyadic Forgiveness) and Other Measures of Forgiveness (i.e., implicit, behavioral, and biological measures). We reviewed original articles that describe the development of 45 measures and compiled psychometric information (including instrument language and availability, original samples, instrument composition, estimated reliabilities of scores, evidence of construct validity, and an evaluation of each measure). Also, our review suggests a nomological network of associations regarding the construct validity of interpreting scores as forgiveness. Those associations inform the concept of forgiveness, describing which and how variables are associated with this construct. We evaluate the level of sophistication of research in forgiveness assessment and offer suggestions to consider when choosing specific instruments to assess dispositional and episodic forgiveness.