In 1943, Edward N. Hay began a venture designed to help organizations create innovative business solutions by focusing on people and jobs. He saw that the people side of management was neglected and under-developed.
With thirty years of work that included a public-service role during World War II as Deputy Administrator for the Office of Price Administration, and a long-standing job as the head personnel officer for First Pennsylvania Bank in Philadelphia, Hay wrote as he lay the groundwork for his new enterprise:
The human element in industry has not received adequate or sufficiently skillful attention. ... The most successful companies of the future will be the ones that take full advantage of improved personnel techniques.[1]
In the fall of 1943, while retaining his position at First Pennsylvania, Hay balanced his post at the bank with the management of his nascent consulting business, which usually focused on pay and the evaluation of jobs.
In 1945, Hay got his first major breakthrough: a contract with General Foods Corporation to study and evaluate 450 management jobs. Subsequently, he resigned from First Pennsylvania Bank and incorporated his company.
Edward N. Hay died unexpectedly in 1958 at the age of 67. His company, Hay Group, is still active as a global management consultancy.