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With reference to financial services and non-financial services companies in Germany, Austria and Switzerland, the outsourcing of human resource functions and the level of vertical integration of human resource departments are analyzed.

A study showing how human resources profession can enhance its contribution to the performance by being competent, curious, courageous and caring about people is presented.

The need to organize right number of people at the right time in the right places for obtaining optimal performance of the organization is discussed. The role of human resource department in this context is highlighted. Suggestions are also offered for organizing such flexibility within the organization.

The problems being faced by human resources department in contributing to the performance of an organization are discussed and the ways to effectively handle the same are presented.

Going global has turned out to be an almost textbook case study for Chinese companies. First, they brought companies from across the globe, both big and small, involved across a [...]

A study examining the extent of socioculture and psychological adjustment made by western business expatriates working in China is made. The results suggest that psychological barriers to adjustments affect socioculture adjustment of newcomers but not their psychological adjustment.

Taiwanese subsidiaries operating in China offer insights to western MNC's on investing in China's markets by providing an essential framework on International Human resource (IHR) control. The duality of inter-organizational interdependence plays an important role in relationships between IHR control and the subsidiaries local strategy.

Typically when people mention 'Corporate Governance', the term conjures up images of accountants, lawyers and Board of Directors working together to verify that an organisation is conducting business adequately. Dramatic [...]

In order for human resources personnel to become players in the company rather than just partners, they need to be able to plan, build, coach, facilitate, lead, and be the company's conscience.

Promoting the best people, male or female, is essential for the success of any global company. An organizational process designed to move women into senior leadership positions is described.

Formal executive development is a primary tool in the development global leaders. A Case study describes TRW's global leadership program.

The increasing internationalization of companies is creating expatriate careers for many employees. The stages of the expatriate journey and the complex nature of the experience are described.

Short-term business travel is viewed as an opportunity for developing skills necessary for global leadership. Case examples of the effective use of travel in developing such skills are presented.

International executive experience is invaluable to global organizations and can provide a competitive advantage. The benefits of such abilities are discussed and a program for developing employees with international experience into executives is presented.

Training global leaders requires serious and sophisticated training. The key aspects of successful global leadership training programs are discussed.

Global leadership is essential for the success of global organizations. Three group processes for developing global team effectiveness are describedl.

The effective management of human resources is vital to the success of international organizations. A Nokia Telecommunications case study shows that different types of expatriate managers in various situations should be managed individually.

International companies are recognizing the need to develop the abilities of employees who show potential as future senior executives. The management efforts of an $8 billion consumer products company are described.

Most human resource management is based on domestic leadership models, which are inadequate for global leadership. Current global leadership concepts are reviewed and a framework for the development of company-specific competency models is presented.

International organizations are increasingly focusing on the development of management skills necessary for success in global operations. Cross-cultural training programs, their success and effectiveness, are described.

Procter and Gamble board chairman John Pepper credits international assignments for shaping his career as an executive. Pepper lists four key areas in which his leadership style was enhanced by such experience.

3M's executive-level global competency model, which includes 12 competencies and generalized behavioral anchors for each competency, is described. The model was developed by the top corporate executives and a team of in-house professionals.

The human resources (HR) function has had to adapt to the demands of a constantly changing business environment. Expectations for its contributions have changed considerably as a result of its increasing role in strategic management. At Quantum, HR professionals are provided with the appropriate competencies that would help them meet these demands. The HR managers were taught how to develop their organizational development skills and to understand the business better to help them contribute as a business partner. Development of the HR function was achieved through consulting skills workshops, facilitation-skills training, feedback tools and annual conferences of HR managers. Coaching was also provided by internal and external organizational development specialists. Also helpful were university programs, seminars from professional associations and external consultants. Other corporations also contributed to the cause.

The human resources (HR) organization is crucial to the success of General Electric Co. The HR staff is responsible for attracting and developing what CEO Jack Welch refers to as 'A' players, people who contribute great value to the company. The development of the HR organization is therefore a paramount concern for management. One of the ways it builds an excellent HR organization is through its GE Human Resource Leadership Program, a two-year development program aimed at improving HR competency and business acumen. It involves rotational assignments and educational seminars. Aside from this program, GE also transfers individuals from other functions into the HR staff. Those who agree to the transfer are made to attend several courses to build their HR knowledge. Finally, the company recruits experienced HR professionals from outside the company. They go through orientation to familiarize themselves with the company's culture.

Human resource (HR) practitioners have largely remained passive while their organizations downsized and outsourced HR activities. The passivity of HR professionals may have developed during four major periods. The first was the mechanistic era in the 1940s and the 1950s when HR tasks were performed by rote. The second was the legalistic period in the 1960s and 1970s when social and employment legislation mushroomed. The third was the organistic period of 1980s when business organizations underwent major changes, such as mergers and restructuring. The fourth period is the strategic period of the 1990s when organizational change has become more orderly. The evolution of HR through these four periods is analyzed with focus on six dimensions: demographics, employee relations, pay/jobs, organizational development, the profession and the law. It is asserted that HR must shape its future to ensure its survival as both a function and a profession.

Effective human resources (HR) management balances the role of the HR professional as employee advocate and business partner. The function's original title, Personnel, was closely associated with the advocate role, but this has been replaced with the title 'Human Resources,' which is closely linked to the role of the business partner. In many organizations, the focus on being a business partner has intensified to the point that the advocate role is neglected. The descriptor 'Employee Resources' is more appropriate for these organizations than 'Human Resources.' The job of an employee resources business partner is to ensure a good match between employee resources and business needs, while the task of the employee advocate is to make sure that employees are treated fairly and provided equal opportunity.

The role of the human resources (HR) management function has been evolving over the years largely because of the changing importance placed by management on human capital. There is increased recognition of the value of employees due to such factors as the growth of the service industry, the globalization of business, the emergence of knowledge workers, and the increase in the number of laws regulating employer-employee relations. One impact of these developments on HR is the expansion of its responsibilities. HR departments are no longer confined to providing control, compliance and consistency, and are now expected to be flexible, creative and resourceful. Six principles for enhancing the ability of the HR function to adapt to the new environment are discussed.

The field of human resource (HR) management has been undergoing a dramatic change. Driving its transformation as such factors as competition, globalization, technological innovations and market evolution. Business organizations are responding to these changes by becoming flatter, less hierarchical, less bureaucratic, more agile and more responsive. They are aligning organizational and HR policies and practices with new business realities to develop the competencies needed to succeed in the changed marketplace. These capabilities include higher levels of cross-functional coordination, employee commitment to quality, leadership competence, creativity and entrepreneurship, and open communication. However, there are obstacles to HR reform that have to be overcome. These include the capability of HR professionals and the attitudes of top management.

New organizing factors require a competency-based method for the development of a high-performing human resources organization. This approach avoids the problems that commonly plague the traditional design methods of functional organization and client-based organization. The competency-based organization requires companies to identify their core competencies and categorize them further into levels of competencies to facilitate prioritization and critical thinking, factors that are crucial to effective organizational decision-making. The competency-based approach to human resources organization also calls for the consideration of different categories of competencies. The three categories of competencies are customer engagement, invention and discovery, and making and delivery. A balance should be attained and maintained among these three. Approaches used by two companies to organize their human resources departments are discussed.

In a recent Sunday Times article, Adrian Furnham proposed the idea of a 'Restoration Day' at work. A time when the wronged confront those who have acted against them. A [...]

Now that they're finally getting their organisational structures right and administering HR online through a self-service model, most large organisations want to harness the potential available from integrating HR with [...]

What is organizational development (OD) all about and how does this differ from traditional training and development activities? The new role of today's HR manager, acting as an OD practitioner, [...]

Outdoor sports and mail-order catalog firm L.L. Bean established a total quality and human resources (TQHR) department to spearhead the company's efforts to improve quality, efficiency and customer service. The department was created by first creating a model for the department, combining HR and TQM functions and developing process-oriented TQHR capability. The TQHR has saved the company about $5.6 million annually from process improvements.

by Guy Logan Chief executives and senior managers should serve a stint in the HR department to make them fully aware of people issues, business experts have said. Nick Holley, [...]

A study was conducted to examine the next evolution for how human resource (HR) department organization structure can deliver value based on an HR department's alignment with the business' organization structure. It is argued that HR departments need to operate as a business within a business.

...can be a problem halved, as Cambridgeshire County Council's HR department found with HR shared services. Robert McLuhan reports. The business Cambridgeshire County Council provides social services, education and environmental [...]

Byline: Jan HillsPartner, Orion Partners Anyone who spends eight hours a day working in an organisation should be able to obtain a broad view of what is going on in [...]

Byline: Jan HillsDirector, HR with Gutswww.hrwithguts.com It is vital that any HR business partner understands what the people agenda costs the business - and the individual cost of the key [...]

Tony Pettengell Group ProductionEditor The job of persuading chief executives and other senior managers that diversity is an issue that should be embraced has been seriously undermined by the revelation [...]

It's time to make your mind up. Is HR ever going to take the lead in changing the way we work? Tony Pettengell argues that we need more than just [...]

HR departments with oomph bring energy into the workplace by ensuring employees are motivated and rewarded. Natalie Cooper talks to three HR professionals doing just that. Madame Tussauds Fiona McGregor [...]

by Greg Pitcher Police HR professionals have been ordered to take risks in their people management as the force bids to overcome the constraints of bureaucracy. Angela O'Connor, chief people [...]

HR professionals are becoming increasingly proficient and creative at identifying and nurturing the gifted and talented people in their organisations. Talent management is one of the areas where HR departments [...]

HR may praise the benefits of talent management, but is it applying these principles when it comes to its own department? Ross Bentley investigates. As the business function responsible for [...]

Local government HR staff have been reassured about their jobs following a £46m deal that will target council back-office contracts. Support services group Mouchel Parkman bought outsourcing firm HBS earlier [...]

The person who conjures up a magic solution that instantly achieves employee engagement will be worth a fortune. In the meantime, we have to keep trying different methods to see [...]