Customer Reviews

HR Transformation: Building Human Resources From the Outside In

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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!

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.

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.

This is a remarkably good book. Transforming HR is one of those things easy to describe but difficult to accomplish. Ulrich et al manage to break this difficulty into manageable chunks. They describe a logical process with clarity and focus.

I appreciate their willingness to share concrete examples and enjoyed reading the case studies, written not by the authors but by company clients themselves. Never lost is the necessity to add business value, and throughout are good questions, ideas, and reminders. This book manages to take the abstract such as `strategic', `at the table' and `organization capability' and make it real. This is a feat not many in HR have managed.

Next time you're wondering how to drive business results from the HR function, pick up a copy and have a read. HR Transformation is well worth the price.

This book is all "Business" - Direct and to the point addressing HR to
Business from a well researched and thorough perspective of
'out-side-in'. Read next to Ulrich's and Brockbank's "HR Value
Proposition", it is evident the authors continue to advanced business
via HR in meaningful and value adding contexts - - Without a doubt a
must-read for individuals at all levels of a progressive organization.
It covers the key issues that organizations must undertake in order to
transform their HR functions in ways that add greater value to business
results. It organizes their well-researched and tested concepts into a
step by step process that is eminently doable. It is like having the
"HR Meisters" in your own office. We have been building on their ideas
for years. We will continue to do so utilizing this current
contribution to the HR field.

D. Weatherford, Abu Dhabi U.A.E.

Is your company's human resources operation a true "business partner" that makes a major contribution to your bottom line? Or does it merely fulfill the daily tasks of hiring, firing and paying your employees? If the latter, don't worry - that can change. So say the human resources experts who founded the RBL Group and the RBL Institute, a consultancy and an educational organization dedicated to helping HR leaders attain new levels of professionalism. Using the institute's tools and tactics, you can "transform" your human resources department into a valued, knowledgeable and contributing member of your corporate team. While you don't have to be a human resources professional to benefit from this book, its HR-speak presents a pretty dense thicket that might daunt a novice. Nevertheless, getAbstract suspects that dedicated professionals will find valuable strategic knowledge here that makes the effort worthwhile.

HR Transformation is great reading and assists the HR Professionals in determining who their customers are and how to align practices to the customers and business goals instead of administering procedures by intuition. Every human resources professional should read as it makes you view human resources from the entire business prospective.

As a Human Resource Professional, whether you are an Individual Contributor, a Manager, Director, or VP; if you feel you are not being respected as a strategic partner in your company, this book will show you how to think and behave differently to transform your HR to create value. This book and the accompanying tools will guide you toward a solid understanding of what is needed to make a transformation from "doing" HR to being a full partner in the business.

HR Transformation is a must read for any professional who is serious about implementing the organizational changes necessary to align a firm's HR strategy with its business strategy. The book offers a pragmatic and structured approach one can follow to ensure that all aspects of the HR organization are considered and perfectly aligned with the strategic priorities of the firm.

As a business professional with 20 years of Fortune 500 company experience, I have read dozens of books on leadership, strategy, change management and people development. HR Transformation is perhaps the finest organizational transformation "field guide" that I've ever read. In addition to the great text, RBL has developed many additional on-line (multi-media tools) resources to reinforce the learnings by providing implementation suggestions and exercises.

Highly recommended for aspiring HR leaders and for all involved in organizational transformation initiatives. We're reminded clearly that HR Transformation is not about doing HR. The book starts with defining the large picture, core questions in the transformation model and links transformation to building organisational capabilities, competitive advantage and ultimately business success. Valuable inputs from the authors' previous books, including HR Competencies and HR Value Proposition have been brought together in a comprehensible manner. The online HR Transformation toolkit brings everything together for practical applications.