Systems and methods to enable collaborative human capital management

• US 7,392,197 B1
• Filed: 06/04/2002
• Issued: 06/24/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 06/12/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: SAP SE
• Original Assignee: SAP AG (SAP SE)
• Inventors: Weber, Goetz, Fliess, Kevin
• Primary Examiner(s): OUELLETTE, JONATHAN P
• Application Number:
  US10/160,252
• Time in Patent Office: 2,212 Days
• Field of Search: 705/1
• US Class Current: 705/319
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/01 Social networking

Abstract

Systems and methods consistent with the instant invention may allow organizations to instantiate and participate in a collaborative network (i.e., a consortium) through which they can exchange intellectual capital. A governance may be established for regulating the collaborative network. In addition, a communications portal may be provided through which the organizations can exchange skills, competencies, and resources. Organizations may be able to publish, via the portal, their respective supply of and demand for intellectual capital. Organizations may be able search for and utilize employees of other organizations, collaboratively hire new employees, and collaboratively hire former employees.

Claims

1. A method for exchanging intellectual capital comprising the steps of:

establishing a consortium comprising a first organization and at least a second organization;

establishing rules for governing the consortium;

providing a communications interface to the consortium through which the first organization can publish information associated with its intellectual capabilities;

allowing the second organization to access the published information via the communications interface;

allowing the second organization to utilize the first organization'"'"'s intellectual capabilities, by allowing the second organization to utilize at least one employee of the first organization while the employee continues to be employed by the first organization;

allowing the second organization to publish information associated with its intellectual capabilities through the communications interface;

allowing the first organization to access the published information via the communications interface; and

allowing the first organization to utilize the second organization'"'"'s intellectual capabilities, by allowing the first organization to utilize at least one employee of the second organization while the employee continues to be employed by the second organization.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein providing a communications interface involves creating at least one of an internet website, an extranet website, and an intranet website.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein allowing the second organization to access the published information involves authenticating the second organization.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein establishing rules for governing the consortium involves establishing at least one of a non-compete clause, user access privileges, a confidentiality agreement, a dispute clause, a business objective, and a consortium administrator.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein allowing the second organization to utilize the first organization'"'"'s intellectual capabilities involves allowing the second organization to utilize at least one application for employment received by the first organization.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein allowing the second organization to utilize the first organization'"'"'s intellectual capabilities involves allowing the second organization to utilize at least one person formerly employed by the first organization.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of providing a subset of members of the first organization and a subset of members of the second organization with passwords which allow the members to access the communications interface.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the first and second organizations are business alliances.

9. A method for exchanging employees comprising the steps of:

establishing a consortium comprising a first organization and at least a second organization;

establishing rules for governing the consortium;

providing a communications portal to the consortium through which the first organization can publish information associated with at least one of its employees;

enabling the second organization to access, via the portal, the information associated with the first organization'"'"'s employees;

correlating the first organization'"'"'s employee with a requirement of the second organization;

enabling the second organization to utilize the first organization'"'"'s employee while the employee continues to be employed by the first organization;

enabling the first organization to access, via the portal, the information associated with the second organization'"'"'s employees;

correlating the second organization'"'"'s employee with a requirement of the first organization; and

enabling the first organization to utilize the second organization'"'"'s employee while the employee continues to be employed by the first organization.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein providing a communications portal involves creating at least one of an internet website, an extranet website, and an intranet website.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein establishing rules for governing interaction within the consortium involves establishing at least one of a non-compete clause, an employee conduct regulation, a business objective, a confidentiality agreement, a dispute clause, and a consortium administrator.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein publishing, by the first organization, information associated with at least one of its employees involves publishing information relating to at least one of prior work experience, education, training, availability, wages, and demographics.

13. The method of claim 9, wherein enabling the second organization to access the information associated with the first organization'"'"'s employees involves authenticating the second organization.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein enabling the second organization to access the information associated with the first organization'"'"'s employees involves enabling the second organization to search the first organization'"'"'s employees based on prior work experience, education, training, availability, wages, and demographics.

15. The method of claim 9, further comprising the step of providing a subset of members of the first organization and a subset of members of the second organization with passwords which allow the members to access the portal.

16. The method of claim 9 further comprising the step of automatically finding at least one of the first organization'"'"'s employees that will be suitable for use by the second organization.

17. The method of claim 9 further comprising the steps of:

enabling the second organization to provide feedback on the first organization'"'"'s employee after utilizing the first employee, and

using the feedback in a subsequent search, by the second organization, for an employee.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein enabling the second organization to provide feedback involves providing an on-line survey via the communications portal.

19. The method of claim 9 further comprising the step enabling the first organization to update the published information associated with its employees to reflect that said employees were utilized by the second organization.

20. A system for exchanging intellectual capital comprising:

a first organization coupled to a network having a plurality of employees and a demand for at least one employee;

at least a second organization coupled to the network having a plurality of employees and a demand for at least one employee;

a storage device for storing information associated with the first and second organization'"'"'s employees;

a portal through which the first organization can publish information associated with its employees and its demand and the second organization can publish information associated with its employees and its demand; and

a correlation mechanism coupled to the portal for searching the storage mechanism and presenting to the second organization at least one of the first organization'"'"'s employees that is able to fulfill the second organization'"'"'s demand and for presenting to the first organization at least one of the second organization'"'"'s employees that is able to fulfill the first organization'"'"'s demand.

21. The system of claim 20, wherein the storage device is a database.

22. The system of claim 20, wherein the portal is at least one of an internet website, an intranet website, and an extranet website.

23. The system of claim 20, wherein the correlation mechanism receives a search criteria from the second organization and presents the first organization'"'"'s employee to the second organization based on the search criteria.

24. The system of claim 20, wherein the search criteria includes at least one of prior work experience, education, training, availability, wages, and demographics.

25. The system of claim 20, wherein the first and second organization are coupled to the network via one or more servers and wherein the portal is maintained on said servers.

26. A computer-readable medium containing instructions for controlling a computer system coupled to a network to perform a method, the computer system having a display device, an input device, and a processor for executing the instructions, the method comprising the steps of:

presenting, via the display device, a communications portal through which a first organization can access information associated with a plurality of employees of at least a second organization and the second organization can access information associated with a plurality of employees of at least the first organization;

receiving at least one command from the first organization to search the information associated with the plurality of employees of the second organization;

receiving at least one command from the second organization to search the information associated with the plurality of employees of the first organization;

correlating at least one of the plurality of employees of the second organization with a requirement of the first organization;

correlating at least one of the plurality of employees of the first organization with a requirement of the second organization;

allowing the second organization to utilize the first organization'"'"'s intellectual capabilities, by allowing the second organization to utilize at least one employee of the first organization while the employee continues to be employed by the first organization; and

allowing the first organization to utilize the second organization'"'"'s intellectual capabilities, by allowing the first organization to utilize at least one employee of the second organization while the employee continues to be employed by the second organization.