The Human Resource Champion

He is the author of Human Resource Champions and he is himself a guru in human resource. David Ulrich has changed the way the traditional HR role is perceived. Not only has he put forward new concepts, he has also detailed a framework by which an organization can effect these changes.

 

Human resource has gone through several transitions over the years. In the 80s books talked about recruitment, training, workforce planning, remuneration planning and etc, but in the 90s there was a transition to terms and concepts such as "strategic human resource management" and "business partners". In his book Human Resource Champions, published in 1997, Ulrich puts forth a workable framework, which combines both - the concepts of the 80s and the 90s.

 

Human Resource Champions: The Next Agenda for Adding Value and Delivering Results 

This book details how human resource managers can learn and act fast to give a competitive edge to their organization. He addresses the question of how a HR person can create value and deliver results. The book details several examples from companies that have transformed their HR functions.

 

Ulrich cites four principal areas, viz., Strategic Partner, Administrative Experts, Employee Champions and Change Agents and details how HR professionals can operate in all these areas simultaneously. He devotes a chapter to each of these concepts.

 

Ulrich has published over 90 articles and book chapters. Some of his major books, including those he has authored, co-authored and edited are:

  • Organizational Capability: Competing from the Inside/Out 
  • The Boundaryless Organization: Breaking the Chains of Organization Structure 
  • Human Resource Champions: The Next Agenda for Adding Value and Delivering Results Tomorrow's (HR) Management 
  • Delivering Results: A New Mandate for Human Resource Professionals
  • The HR Scorecard: Linking People, Strategy, and Performance
  • Learning Capability: Generating * Generalizing Ideas with Impact 
  • Why the Bottom Line ISN'T!: How to Build Value Through People and Organization 
  • Results Based Leadership: How Leaders Build the Business and Improve the Bottom Line 
  • HR Scorecard: Linking People, Strategy, and Performance 
  • GE Workout 
  • Human Resource Champions: The Next Agenda for Adding Value and Delivering Results
  • Tomorrow's HR Management: 48 Thought Leaders Call for Change
  • Results-Based Leadership
  • Organizational Capability: Competing From the Inside Out

The HR Champion

David Ulrich is Professor of Business Administration at the University of Michigan. He is also the editor of Human Resource Management Journal and serves on the board of four other journals.

 

Ulrich's work, including his teaching and research addresses issues like creating organizations that add value to customers and investors; he studies how organizations change, how they learn, build capabilities, overcome hurdles and how they leverage on human resource activities.

 

Business Week has listed him as one of the world's "top ten educators" in management and the top educator in human resources. He has consulted or done research work for over half of the Fortune 200 companies.

 

Some of Ulrich's achievements.

  • 2001: Ranked no.1 management educator by Business Week 
  • 2000: George Petitpas Memorial Award from World Federation of Personnel Management for lifetime contributions to the human resource profession 
  • 2000: Listed in Forbes as one of the "world's top five" business coaches 
  • 1998: Award for Professional Excellence for lifetime contributions for intellectual leadership of the profession from Society for Human Resource Management, International Association of Corporate and Professional Recruitment, and Employment Management Association, lifetime achievement (PRO) award.
  • 1997: Warner W. Stockberger Achievement Award. Awarded by International Personnel Management Association to "recognize an individual in private or public life who has made a contribution toward improvement of public personnel management at any level of government."
  • 1995: The Pro Meritus Award from the Employment Management Association for "outstanding contribution to the human resources field"
  • 1994: Elected Fellow, National Academy of Human Resources
  • 1993: Listed in Business Week in 1993 as one of the "top ten" global executive educators 
  • 1992: Awarded "paper of the year" award by Human Resource Planning Society 
  • 1991: Awarded "researcher of the year" award by Society for Human Resource Management