Launched in 1991 Investors in People is a business improvement tool administered by UK Commission for Employment and Skills and supported by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS).
According to Cranfield School of Management, in 2008 there were almost 40,000 organizations currently working with Investors in People. These organizations employ approximately 7.5 million of the UK workforce [1]. Though UK-based, the Standard has been licensed to a number of other countries, through Investors in People International.
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The Investors in People framework (consisting of The Standard and the wider framework) has three fundamental principles: • Plan – developing strategies to improve the performance of the organisation • Do – implementing these strategies • Review – evaluating and adjusting these strategies These three principles breakdown into 10 indicators; each indicator is subdivided into a number of evidence requirements. These detail the criteria organisations are required to meet in order to achieve the Standard. There are 39 evidence requirements in total.
The assessment process is undertaken by licensed Investors in People Centres. Organisations apply to be assessed and if the external assessors can find sufficient evidence of policy and practices in line with each indicator, the organisation is awarded 'recognition' of its Investors in People status. Evidence is gathered via interviews with employees and is based on outcomes.
Recognised organisations are able to display the Investors in People plaque and use the logo on recruitment advertisements and stationery.
In 2009, Investors in People launched bronze, silver and gold status, which organisations can achieve by meeting additional evidence requirements from across the broader Investors in People framework.
The Standard is regularly reviewed by UK Commission for Employment and Skills and research is conducted on the benefits of working with the Investors in People framework and the impact of achieving recognition [2] . This research has indicated that Investors in People has a positive impact on performance [3] .
Investors in People, Managerial Capabilities and Performance. Publication By Cranfield School of Management, Authors Prof. Mike Bourne, Dr, Monica Franco-Santos, January 2010. [4] Taking Stock: CBI education and skills survey 2008. Publication By CBI, Author CBI April 2008. [5] Impact of Investors in People Research Findings. Publication By Cranfield School of Management, authors Prof. Mike Bourne, Dr. Monica Franco-Santos, Andrey Pavlov, Dr. Lorenzo Lucianetti, Dr. Veronica Martinez, Dr. Matteo Mura. Publication Date November 2008. [6] Does Investors in People add value to businesses? Publication By Institute of Employment Studies [7] (IES), author Marc Cowling, Principal Economist. Publication Date January 2008. [8]