Building an Outstanding Workforce
“a powerful book for leaders and people professionals” … “a treasure” … “a tour de force” … “a neo classic”
Who should read this book?
This book is aimed at business leaders and managers who want to understand what excellence in people management can look like, who is responsible for it and how it can be successfully organised and delivered now and in the future.
People management is not the responsibility of a single function, whether it is called Personnel, Human Resources, Human Capital or People and while this book discusses how people management professionals can support the leadership and management of organisations through leveraging their specialist knowledge and experience, the responsibility for building an outstanding workforce sits much more broadly across the organisation.
Four People Principles
This book is based on four principles, which we call the people principles:
- people are, and will remain, the most important factor in the establishment, development and sustainable success of organisations
- people, organisations and the environment in which organisations operate are complex
- the responsibility for people management is distributed throughout organisations and is not the responsibility of a single function
- due to their responsibility and the complexity they face, leaders and managers require access to high-quality professional people advice and execution.
These four people principles will be examined so leaders have the context they need to design an efficient and effective people operating model.
A Book in Four Parts
Part One: focuses on People. It includes an introduction to evolutionary psychology, neuroscience, personality psychology, bias and stereotypes and how knowledge of these areas supports an understanding of individual motivation, decision making, the nature of group culture, and the implications of the above for leadership and people management.
Part Two: focuses on The Environment. It includes an introduction to organisations and organisational behaviour, technology and the future of work, demographic changes, culture, and the implications of the above for leadership and people management.
Part Three: focuses on Workforce Planning. It includes an introduction to strategic workforce planning and people risk, human capital metrics and financial reporting, people analytics, employee engagement and employee experience, wellbeing, development, and the implications of the above for leadership and people management.
Part Four: focuses on The Future of People Management. It discusses a new framework for people management in organisations which disrupts and distributes people management.
Case Studies
Case studies from leading organisations are presented, which demonstrate how the challenge of people management is being addressed. Thirteen case studies have been selected to represent organisations headquartered in a variety of countries and therefore cultural traditions. They represent a number of sectors and illustrate practical steps that are being taken to address many of the challenges noted in this book. It demonstrates their innovation in building an outstanding workforce.