HR Transformation: Building Human Resources From the Outside In [Hardcover]

Dave Ulrich (Author), Justin Allen (Author), Wayne Brockbank (Author), Jon Younger (Author), Mark Nyman (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 22, 2009 | ISBN-10: 0071638709 | ISBN-13: 978-0071638708 | Edition: 1

Named as BusinessWeek's #1 Management Educator, expert Dave Ulrich and his team of authors bring human resources a whole new way of thinking and practicing—moving the focus from internal issues to actively helping to set business strategies. Businesses of the future need "all hands on deck" when implementing new ways to stimulate grown and cost efficiency, and this includes human resources.

In HR Transformation, the team presents a four-phase model of transformation that shows you step-by-step how to make meaningful progress in contributing to the performance of your company by redesigning HR to work as a strategic partnership.

From the “#1 Management Educator & Guru”-BusinessWeek

“The authors have presented us with an accessible, readable, and practical illustration of a clear path for successful strategy execution in a complex environment.”
-Majed Al Romaithi, Executive Director, Abu Dhabi Investment Authority

“HR can only transform organizations if it transforms HR. This book shows us how. HR Transformation would have been important in the past-it is critical now! We are entering a new world. HR Transformation can help our organizations thrive in the midst of uncertainty.”
-Marshall Goldsmith, author of the Wall Street Journal bestsellers What Got You Here Won't Get You There and Succession: Are You Ready?

“Ulrich and his colleagues talk tough and provide a detailed blueprint for how those of us in the field can use our own tools to do a “720-degree” evaluation of ourselves. We cannot contribute to the success of our organizations until we upgrade ourselves.”
-Linda A. Hill, Wallace Brett Donham Professor of Business Administration, Harvard Business School

“Based on groundbreaking research with hundreds of companies and thousands of executives, HR Transformation provides compelling theory and practical tools to create alignment between strategy, systems, and people. This important book should be read carefully by leadership teams everywhere.”
-Mark Huselid, Professor of HR Strategy, Rutgers University, Co-author of The HR Scorecard, The Workforce Scorecard, and The Differentiated Workforce

Turn to the front matter for more than thirty rousing endorsements of HR Transformation.

INCLUDES CASE STUDIES FROM Intel, Pfizer, Takeda, Flextronics

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Dave Ulrich is an author, speaker, management coach, and consultant.
Wayne Brockbank is a Clinical Professor of Business of the Strategic Human Resource Planning Program at the University of Michigan's Ross School of Business.
Jon Younger career has been a mix of consulting, executive management and HR leadership.
Justin Allen is the Managing Director of The RBL Institute and a consultant with the firm.
Mark Nyman is a Principal with The RBL Group.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 256 pages
• Publisher: McGraw-Hill; 1 edition (June 22, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0071638709
• ISBN-13: 978-0071638708
• Product Dimensions: 6.4 x 0.9 x 9.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #15,432 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #62 in Books > Business & Investing > Industries & Professions > Human Resources & Personnel Management

More About the Author

Dave Ulrich is a Professor of Business at the University of Michigan and a co-founder of The RBL Group, a consulting firm that helps organizations and leaders deliver value. He has published many books and over 100 articles.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

20 of 20 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Everything begins (and often ends) with HR August 6, 2009

By Robert Morris HALL OF FAMETOP 100 REVIEWERVINE™ VOICE

Format:Hardcover

I have read and reviewed all of the other books that Dave Ulrich has authored or co-authored and consider this one to be his most informative and most valuable thus far. Written in collaboration with Justin Allen, Wayne Brockbank, Jon Younger, and Mark Nyman, Ulrich and his RBL associates offer what they characterize as "a handbook for HR transformation" in which they synthesize and summarize everything they have learned about it. Specifically, what a transformation is and what it requires; what it isn't; what works, what doesn't, and why; how to plan it; how to mobilize the resources needed (especially people); how to launch it; how to measure progress throughout the transformation initiatives; and how to apply the lessons learned to sustain a constant refinement of what HR is and does to increase its impact and value.

Here is a brief excerpt from the Introduction: "Simply stated, we propose that the biggest challenge for HR professionals today is to help their respective organizations succeed." Obviously, to accomplish this worthy objective, the authors correctly assert that there are certain factors that must be present. Here are three:

1. It is imperative that the HR professionals themselves recognize the authenticity of this challenge and not only accept but embrace it as a unique opportunity for their own development but also for what the transformation will enable their organization to accomplish.

2. It is even more important that senior managers recognize the need for the transformation and commit to its completion whatever resources that may require. They must also be patient. Change initiatives worthy of the name are messy, complicated, unpredictable, and sometimes stalled temporarily. The change agents need and deserve senior management's full support.

3. There must be a game plan for the transformation process and I think the one that the authors provide in this book is eminently worthy of careful consideration because it is cohesive, comprehensive, and cost-effective. What I like about it is that it combines some of the best features of Six Sigma and Lean methodologies without limiting the options of those who select it. In fact, the authors provide invaluable advice with regard to how to modify the four-phase model to ensure that it fully accommodates the needs, interest, and objectives of the given organization.

Readers will especially appreciate the authors' skillful use of various reader-friendly devices that include "Tools," "Tables," "Figures," and dozens of checklists that facilitate, indeed expedite frequent review of key points. In the Appendix (all by itself worth far more than the cost of the book), the authors provide (Pages 217-222) an inventory of all the tools that have been inserted throughout their narrative.

After they carefully identify all of the components of HR transformation, credit Ulrich and his collaborators with focusing almost entirely on how to complete one successful. They are clearly diehard, world-class pragmatists. For example, they explain

1. Why to initiate an HR transformation
2. What its probable outcomes will be if successfully completed
3. How to redesign the HR department
4. How to upgrade HR professionals
5. How to share accountability for the transformation
6. How to make it happen

In Part II, "Tales from the Trenches: Transformation Case Studies," they provide case study overviews of four companies (Flextronics, Pfizer, Intel, and Takeda) and suggest what lessons can be learned from each company's HR transformation initiatives. Presumably the authors agree with me that it would be a fool's errand to attempt to adopt all of the material in their book. It remains for each reader to determine (preferably in consultation with associates) which strategies and tactics as well as which people, timetable, and metrics would be most appropriate to their organization's needs, interests, objectives and resources.

In an uncommonly informative Introduction, the authors assert, "Our point is that HR professionals often focus entirely in the function of HR rather than externally on what customers and investors need HR to deliver. If HR professionals are to truly serve as business partners, then their goals must be the goals of the business. Transforming HR professionals into business partners isn't an end in and of itself; it's the means to a strategic, business-oriented end." Those decision-makers who have that specific objective would be well-advised to absorb and digest the material in this book. I commend Dave Ulrich, Justin Allen, Wayne Brockbank, Jon Younger, and Mark Nyman on a brilliant achievement. Bravo!

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars HR Transformation - New Thinking in HR September 27, 2009

By Rajendra Ambekar

Format:Hardcover

Time and again, we have the world of HR being revisited - in the hope that we discover something new. That the effectiveness of HR is not going to be co-related to the HR Leader in that organization or that transactional focus is IT! Jokes apart, this book does raise the bar and the level of insight it provides to us.

It is very specific, and helpful in terms of ensuring that HR is linked, derived from and responsive to the business it serves. One has to be a careful reader, as one could miss a gem like' Simply stated, we propose that the biggest challenge for HR professionals today is to help their respective organizations succeed' Or the fact that a HR function needs to be able to answer the following questions "Who are we? What do we deliver? And, why do we do it?" - for it to have any hopes of survival or earn the basic modicum of credibility in today's business context.

I'm particularly thrilled that the authors dedicate a little bit to what they call - "Contribution" - as a part of what drives the understanding of talent (Talent = Competence x commitment x Contribution). It's about helping employees find meaning in the organization where they spend most of their waking time - in the context that the same meaning used to be provided by family, neighbourhoods, hobby groups and religious affiliations.

As a practicising HR Professional, I get some inspiration as to what a really comprehensive HR function would look like. As well as the extremely useful multi-media tools provided.

What leaves me a little cold, is I wonder if the context is truly global. Whether the recommendations and approach will work in a world where the dominance of historical markets is starting to shift. Where we sit today, is on the cusp - where perhaps the meaning of an organization will change - especially to employees (both volume/value wise) who will become the key users of what's dished out by management/hr.

Or to be a skeptic - how much of the new HR proposed is really a bit of smart wordplay - required to be contemporary and earn/maintain credibility with the smartest business leaders?

Even with that sense of slight disappointment, it's worth a read, especially for the chapters upfront, where the authors have some powerful ideas, communicated very well. If one reads those and asks oneself - what am I doing to get this done in my role - is enough value to justify a read. And, as the authors themselves, say - take this as a recipe - but make the dish your own.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A Gem from The RBL Group July 29, 2009

By M. Lutz

Format:Hardcover

A great book for Human Resources leaders. HR leaders can get caught up in the sturm and drang of day-to-day demands and not take the time and effort to think about methodically upgrading the function, much less actually do it. The RBL Group provides a very helpful guide to achieving that goal. The book is relentless in tying HR activity to business outcomes, with an emphasis on measuring the outputs of HR in sensible ways. There is a healthy mix of ideas and practical implementation suggestions here. The authors are not overly prescriptive; they advise the reader in the beginning of the book that the approach they offer should be adapted, not adopted. The book also has an interesting feature in that it provides links to the RBL web site which has both further explanation of the key concepts and tools for implementing the transformation. Highly recommended to any HR leader who wants to step up to the challenge of taking their organization to the next level. This is also a great tool for General Managers who want to engage their HR leaders in upgrading the function.