David (Dave) Ulrich (1953- )
American professor and leading expert in human resource management (pictured right).
Key book
Human Resource Champions
(1997)
Committed employees are essential to an organization’s success because they create
happy and loyal customers.
This is particularly true because of:
- change (in technology, products and markets).
- globalization (leading to intense global competition).
- the need for sales growth as well as cost reduction.
To deliver results through people, human resource (HR) professionals must be a business
partner by adopting four roles:
1. Strategic partner
Making HR strategy consistent with the organization’s customer driven strategy.
2. Administrative expert
Helping to radically improve the organization’s processes like production.
3. Employee champion
- responding to their needs.
4. Change agent
Helping to create fundamental and enduring change.
There may be conflicts in these roles (e.g. the need for both stability and change) but they can be overcome if
employees and management accept that HR professionals can represent the interests of them
both.
Key quote on human resource management
HR professionals must become partners, players and pioneers.
Key quote on the service profit
chain
Employee attitude correlates highly with customer attitude.
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