ARMONK, USA: IBM has tailored its human capital management consulting services for the mid-market by teaming with Lawson Software to help smaller companies meet their unique challenges in maximizing employee potential.

Effective people management is critical in today's economic climate, as a recent IBM study concluded, companies that manage talent well have better financial performance than their peers.

The Mid-Market Workforce Effectiveness service combines IBM's extensive human resource expertise with Lawson's Strategic Human Capital Management suite from Lawson software. It is a blend of services and software than can be hosted. Processes addressed by this service include payroll, benefits, recruiting, talent management, employee self service and succession planning.

"The combination of Lawson's core technology and IBM's mid-market service delivery model will allow our clients to deliver HR services to their employees much more effectively and efficiently than ever before," said Tim Ringo, global vice president, Human Capital Management, IBM. "In today's climate, where it is essential to do more with less, this delivery model is the cornerstone of creating an organization that is as lean and productive as possible."

IBM's Mid-Market Workforce Effectiveness service offers the advantages of smart human resource management services which previously have been available to large global companies. IBM is harnessing years of experience gained from improving HR service delivery within large global enterprises now for the benefit of smaller companies' bottom line.

IBM's approach offers workforce measurement capabilities that are aligned with business goals to drive workforce performance and business results. The service is further enabled by best-in-class mid-market workforce measurement tools developed by Lawson and the integration of effective business processes. It is a packaging of software and services to deliver high-value consulting that provides a quantifiable ROI with expedited results.

"Working with IBM, we can provide transformational HR solutions to help strengthen organizations during the tight economy," said Larry Dunivan, senior vice president of Global Human Capital Management Products for Lawson.