HR Transformation

Featured Endorsements

A critical component of any winning business is an HR function that improves business results. I highly recommend this book to HR and business leaders everywhere.

—William S. Allen, Senior VP, Group HR, AP Moller-Maersk AS, Copenhagen, Denmark

Got business? This book does. By asking (and answering) the tough questions about HR relevance for line managers, shareholders, and customers, readers will clearly understand the why, how, and what of HR transformation.

—Rich Baird, Joint U.S. and Global Leader, Advisory People and Change, PwC

Wow, they have done it! Many HR shops need transformation but don’t have the answers. This book is the roadmap, answers the questions, provides the rationale, and describes how HR transformations should unfold. Read it, but better yet—do it!

—Richard W. Beatty, Rutgers University, coauthor of The Differentiated Workforce

A must read for an HR team that wants to add the most value to the business.

—Bob Bloss, HR Executive Vice President, Hallmark

Call to Action: We have enormous confidence and hope for the future of the HR profession. Over the last 20 years we have helped hundreds of organizations realign HR as a critical contributor to business success and seen significant results. In HR Champions and HR Value Proposition we provided models and ideas about how to improve HR effectiveness. In this book we lay out a clear and practical pathway to sustainable HR Transformation. The time to act is now…. HR must give value or give notice.

Handbook for Success: HR Transformation is a no-nonsense handbook offering a clear process and useful tools HR leaders and line managers can leverage to position their organizations for success. By accomplishing transformation, we envision HR continuing to be center stage as organizations face greater business changes than they have ever faced. We are advocates for the profession and the leaders who make it happen. We hope this work will help continue to make HR the essential source for strategic solutions.

What You will Learn: Many agree that HR needs to change, read this book to find out how. First, we suggest the reasons why HR matters to business leaders and ways in which HR can connect its work inside the organization to customers, investors, and community leaders outside. Next, we define outcomes of good HR work not in terms of activities, but organization capabilities. Then we offer specific guidelines for transforming HR departments or functions, HR practices, and HR professionals. These guidelines redesign, reengineer, and upgrade the HR profession. Finally, we suggest specific roles for line managers, HR professionals, employees, and advisers to deliver on the hope of transformation.