Global Trends in Human Resource Management

Since 1995, USC's Center for Effective Organizations (CEO) has conducted the definitive longitudinal study of the human resource management function in organizations. By analyzing new data every three years since then, the Center has been able to consistently chart changes in how HR is organized and managed, while at the same time providing guidance on how professionals in the field can drive firm performance. Global Trends in Human Resource Management, the seventh report from CEO, provides the newest findings about what makes HR successful and how it can add value to organizations today. Edward E. Lawler III and John W. Boudreau conclude that HR is most powerful when it plays a strategic role, makes use of information technology, has tangible metrics and analytics, and integrates talent and business strategies.

To adapt to the demands of a changing global marketplace, HR is increasingly required to span the boundaries between its function, the organization as a whole, and the dynamic environment within which it operates. This report tracks changes in a global sample of firms that shows how HR differs across Europe, the U.S., and Asia, providing an international benchmark against which to measure a company's practice and shows how HR can adapt in a rapidly changing landscape.

"Global Trends in Human Resource Management provides great thought leadership from Lawler and Boudreau. This seminal and longitudinal view of Human Resources eloquently explains where the HR profession is, and where it needs to go. The work of both authors has helped shape our understanding of the value HR brings to organizations and society, and the strategic direction its leaders should take."--Jeff T.H. Pon, Chief Human Resources and Strategy Officer, Society for Human Resource Management

"Using both national and international data as well as insights from cutting-edge research, Lawler and Boudreau have written a book that HR leaders and senior line managers alike need to read. It not only puts HR in a historical context, but also shows how it can truly add value to an organization. A timely and important contribution to the field."—Fred Foulkes, Boston University

"Every few years, an article pops up in the press or a well-respected journal that calls into question the value of HR as a function. And while meant to be provocative, these analyses are often based on limited data. The next time one of these emerges and ruffles your feathers of your leadership team, turn to a copy of Global Trends in HR Management: A Twenty-Year Analysis . . . [The book] offers a compelling set of data and insights for the HR professional . . . [M]ore of a comprehensive research report, it has been put together in a way that is highly accessible, easy to use, and most of all, incredibly relevant."—Allan H. Church, People & Strategy