Human Resources in the 21st Century

By Marshall Goldsmith and Marc Effron

Book Overview

New and faster technology, redefined values, and shifting customer demands are changing the way businesses operate in the twenty-first century. Human resources and business leaders are faced with the challenge of redefining their strategies on leadership, talent, and diversity, while evaluating their operational effectiveness. This book presents the compelling contributions of thought leaders-such as David Ulrich, Rosabeth Moss Kanter, and Jeffrey Pfeffer-who offer a road map for what these leaders can expect. Renowned HR executives also provide their expert advice and prescriptions for the future. The nature of human resources will continue to evolve as the new century progresses-with this book, HR professionals can change with it.

Marc Effron (Darien, CT) is the Global Practice Leader for Hewitt Associates Leadership Practice. His leadership work centers on helping organizations attract, develop and retain top leadership talent. Robert Gandossy (Redding, CT) heads Hewitt's Global Practice Leaders for Talent and has over twenty years' experience in human resources, leadership, and change management. Marshall Goldsmith (Santa Fe, CA) is a founding Director of The Alliance for Strategic Leadership, a consulting organization.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0471434213
• ISBN13: 9780471434214
• Release Date: April 2003
• Publisher: Wiley
• Length: 352 Pages
• Weight: 1.35 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.1" x 6.5" x 9.4"

Customer Reviews

Timeless HR Classic - Must Have!

'Human Resources in the 21st Century' is a classic book that deserves to be read by not only HR professionals, but by all business professionals that are engaged in developing, retaining, and nurturing the human capital component of their business and play a critical role in their organization's strategic success. Extremely well-organized, the book is a collection of essays written by leading HR thought leaders and working professionals. Some of the stand-out essays are as follows: 'Managing for Execution' 'Accommodating Change in the 21st Century' 'Mother's Work Is Never Done: Myths and Facts About Organizational Change' 'Learning via Education and Training' 'Free to Choose' A timeless axiom about HR and people is that there is a 'war for talent.' As I write this review, there is still a war to recruit talented people within the organization, and developing that talent to the point that employees feel engaged not only with their work, but with the company as a whole (company branding - employer of choice concept), and that employees produce the OUTCOMES desired to add bottom-line value. Strategic HR planning remains "pie in the sky" thoughts for many executives - especially those that feel that HR professionals fall short on implementation and don't have a clue about business objectives. However, serious HR professionals want their "seat at the table" and this book points out many ways in how they can do just that (gain that seat) - by adding value and implementing programs that work and meet the goals and objectives set forth by key business leaders with buy-in from stakeholders. Training and Development is one area in which this work addresses the issue. There is a delicate mix of providing education opportunities while balancing training events that directly support the organization's goals. I, for one, utilize many of the concepts in this work when advising on developing a successful career plan, which inserts points in which employees feel valued yet the necessary-required training and development events are taking place. One of the most critical elements in training and education is in development for the generic leadership criteria for a job. General Electric is known for it's ELDS 360 degree feedback program and these tools are still poplar. Want to be hit with your boss - review pages 67 - 77 (Leveraging HR) and also read pages 115 - 125 (Learning via Education and Training). Afterwords, see how you can immediately apply both the concepts of formal leadership development and employee development in one breath. Combined, I for one think you will impress your supervisor and she might actually implement your recommendation - be strategic about it and ensure you can implement it. Another gem is the discussion on globalization. 'Strategic global skills' is a buzzword found in many companies, but what does that mean?! Well it means more than just assimilating into a culture and knowing what behavior is accepted. There is a

Human Resources in the 21st Century

Just like Coaching for Leadership, Human Resources in the 21st Century is a MUST read and should be an ACTIVE resource for leading edge HR Professionals and Service Providers who want to (positively) impact people and performance and provide value to the business.