Avoiding fuzzy thinking

HR is often regarded as one of the woollier areas of management, yet all these cases indicate that information - hard facts - plays an increasingly important role. Misconceptions and assumptions were clouding Evotec's understanding of why employee turnover was so high: although the workshops and questionnaire yielded some uncomfortable - but incontestable - messages. ‘A certain amount of heart-searching went on,' says the company's HR director. ‘But you couldn't ignore data like this.'