Transforming HR: Creating Value through People

Citation

Reddington, M. (2006), "Transforming HR: Creating Value through People", Human Resource Management International Digest, Vol. 14 No. 6. https://doi.org/10.1108/hrmid.2006.04414fae.001

Transforming HR: Creating Value through People

A round-up of the best book reviews recently published by Emerald.

Transforming HR: Creating Value through People

Martin Reddington, Mark Williamson, Mark Withers,Elsevier Butterworth-Heinemann, 2005

This book is part of the Elsevier HR Series, which concentrates on contemporary issues facing HR. The authors all have senior-level strategic experience as practitioners and consultants in business change and HR transformation. Interviews and contributions from 13 international HR consultants also add a pragmatic “what works” approach to the text.

The content helps both human-resource management and human-resource development specialists to think through their roles and the challenges and issues facing them and their functions, now and in the future. The stated aim of the book is to “educate and inform HR practitioners, consultants and line managers about the opportunities presented by HR transformation, and to stimulate debate and discussion about the possible evolutionary next steps for the profession”. The authors’ views are that such transformation needs to consider integrating technology (particularly e-HR), process, organizational structure and people/cultural-change aspects. This requires HR specialists to develop and deliver on the capabilities required to do so.

To help in this process, the text presents a building-block approach of nine chapters that are entitled:

1. 1.

   Getting started.

2. 2.

   Envisioning the new world of hr.

3. 3.

   Service-delivery approaches.

4. 4.

   Making the business case for transformation.

5. 5.

   Stakeholder engagement and program management.

6. 6.

   Implementation: structure, culture and capability.

7. 7.

   Implementation: process, technology and benefits realization.

8. 8.

   Taking stock and moving forward.

9. 9.

   Summary of key points and actions.

Each chapter identifies and explores issues and challenges while also presenting frameworks, models and potential approaches. The book is particularly valuable in providing current case studies from various business environments.

The reader is left with the distinct impression that HR needs to consider new delivery options as regards harnessing technology and in establishing and facilitating stakeholder and business partnerships internally and externally (including outsourcing). The pros and cons of each approach, in the context of transformation, are weighed. Overall, the strategic integration of HR with the wider business and business performance, and the need to demonstrate ongoing value contribution, are consistently identified as key elements of transformation.

The text not only poses questions and raises difficult issues, but also delivers robust solutions that can be practically applied. Perhaps the greatest strength of the book is that it combines the authors’ and other contributors’ experience of what works, with theoretical underpinning. For those wanting critically to reflect on their current and future roles, the book gives plenty of food for thought.

Reviewed by Alan Cattell, University of Bradford, England.

A version of this review was originally published in Industrial and Commercial Training, Vol. 38 No. 2, 2006.