This wide-ranging volume brings together the commissioned papers that are the basis of James O'Toole and Edward E. Lawler's "The New American Workplace," their follow-up to the groundbreaking 1973 "Work in America" report. Here leading scholars in the fields of business, management, and human resources offer new research and insightful analyses of existing studies, providing a definitive assessment of the state of the workplace today. Covering wage trends, worker health, education and the workforce, the effects of outsourcing, careers, human resources management, and a variety of other vital issues, this illuminating collection will prove indispensable for scholars, professionals, and policymakers.

As a field, human resources has been slow to evolve, despite a great need and opportunity for change. Human Resource Excellence delivers the newest findings about what makes HR successful and how it can add value to today's organizations. Tracing changes in a global sample of firms across the US, Europe, and Asia, this landmark volume provides an international benchmark against which to measure a company's HR practice. For over twenty years, USC's Center for Effective Organizations has conducted the definitive longitudinal study of the human resource management function. Analyzing new data every three years, the Center charts changes in HR and offers guidance on how human resource professionals can drive firm performance. In this latest survey, 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, and has tangible metrics and analytics. Their insights offer an essential understanding of HR's changing role in strategy, big data, social and knowledge networks, and the gig economy.

" Achieving Strategic Excellence offers a unique and practical perspective based on solid research on how HR impacts business success. The inclusion of data from senior line managers adds a dose of reality to how the HR function has actually changed. This important work is a must-read for HR professionals as well as business leaders seeking to maximize human capital." -- Daryl D. David, Executive Vice President, Human Resources, Washington Mutual, Inc.
" This latest update of CEO's longitudinal HR study provides almost a decade of perspective on the challenges and changes in the HR function. HR leaders in all industries and stages of career experience will find Lawler, Mohrman, and Boudreau's conclusions insightful and provocative with some interesting twists. The strategic HR journey continues . . ." -- Mary Eckenrod, Chair Elect, The Human Resource Planning Society; Vice President, Global Talent Management, Kraft Foods

Stewardship entails a profound understanding and acceptance of the challenges that result from the organization's interdependence with the societal and ecological contexts in which it operates-and of what it takes to embrace the challenges to be a force for building a viable future. This book dares to ask `why' business leaders should embrace stewardship in the current market where profit reigns supreme. A shift in approach represents fundamental change for the corporate world, and even the most advanced corporations consider themselves to be in the starting block of this transition. The book sets out the practical ways in which corporate stewardship can be achieved through embedding new approaches across the different functions of a business. This book, written by the leading thinkers in sustainability research, provides practical guidance on how companies can resolve the paradoxical challenges they face. How can they be at the same time profitable and responsible, effective and ethical, sustainable and adaptable? It explores what businesses are doing, what they can and should do to effectively respond to external challenges, and focuses on how leaders can create cultures, strategies, and designs far beyond "business as usual". Stewards must not only make proper current use of that which they hold in trust, they also must leave it in better condition for use by future generations. Corporate Stewardship challenges managers, executives, and directors of global corporations to think and act as stewards of both their organizations and the physical and social environments in which they operate.

This outstanding work reveals how boards governing 21st-century organizations can change their practices and align their principles to successfully govern the organization of the new economy. The authors propose that judging a board's effectiveness should be done not in a "shareholder" context but in a "stakeholder" context instead. They couch their reforms in a framework that focuses on what determines effective governance behavior: information, knowledge, power, and rewards.They argue it is behavior, not practices that count, and look at boards from a group and an organizational perspective.

Praise for Talent

"Ed Lawler, a pioneer in unveiling the importance of human capital, shows how top-performing companies make people their competitive advantage and challenges us all to take current best practices to the next level."
--Bob Eckert, chairman and CEO, Mattel, Inc.

"Ed Lawler's operative phrase, 'obsessed with talent, ' is the cornerstone of this book. When competitive improvement demands differentiation via human endeavors in technology, innovation, and service, individuals and collective talent deliver results. There is art and science to having the right talent at the right time for any and all circumstances. Ed has articulated the mindset, methodologies, and practices that ensure success."
--John D. Hofmeister, president, Shell Oil Company

"Lawler's Talent is a must-read. It shows how to develop leaders at all levels who are smarter and more competitive every day. He provides us with a practical guide to building human-centric, winning organizations."
--Noel Tichy, coauthor (with Warren Bennis) of Judgment: How Winning Leaders Make Great Calls, and professor, Ross School of Business, the University of Michigan

"Talent does a terrific job of examining the fundamental question about human capital-centric organizations: Do highly talented people build highly effective organizations, or vice versa? This book shows us why the answer is 'yes' and 'yes'!"
--Ian Ziskin, corporate vice president, and chief human resource and administrative officer, Northrupp Grumman Corporation

One of the nation's leading management experts shows what it really takes to make a great organization-put people first
How do organizations move beyond merely acknowledging that "human capital" is their greatest asset, and actually implement practices that create true benefits for both employees and the organizations? In this book, Edward Lawler shows how companies can "treat people right" by doing more than simply ensuring good working conditions and good pay. He shows how to build a special relationship between individuals and the organizations they work for-a relationship in which good performance at all levels of the organization pays off for both the company and the individual. The author details specific practices designed to keep employees satisfied but still motivated to continue improving their performance. These techniques include: developing a "brand" as an employer that attracts high achievers, selecting and developing the high achievers, crafting a leadership style that integrates and promotes these actions, and more. Lawler draws on examples from a wide range of companies such as Microsoft, Motorola, IBM, Ford, and others to show how these practices are already at work and successful in some of the world's most enduring organizations. Full of examples and a voice of true conviction, Treat People Right! is a must-have resource for anyone concerned about building and sustaining competitive advantage for the long term.
Edward E. Lawler (Beverly Hills, CA) was named one of the country's leading management experts by BusinessWeek magazine. He is the author of over thirty books, and his articles have appeared in Fortune, the Harvard Business Review, and other national publications. He is Director of the Center for Effective Organizations at the University of Southern California (USC) and Professor of Management and Organization in the USC Marshall School of Business.

In this groundbreaking book, organizational effectiveness experts Edward Lawler and Christopher Worley show how organizations can be "built to change" so they can last and succeed in today's global economy. Instead of striving to create a highly reliable Swiss watch that consistently produces the same behavior, they argue organizations need to be designed in ways that stimulate and facilitate change. Built to Change focuses on identifying practices and designs that organizations can adopt so that they are able to change. As Lawler and Worley point out, organizations that foster continuous change * Are closely connected to their environments * Reward experimentation * Learn about new practices and technologies * Commit to continuously improving performance * Seek temporary competitive advantages

HR Professional's guide to creating a strategically sustainable organization

Employees are central to creating sustainable organizations, yet they are left on the sidelines in most sustainability initiatives along with the HR professionals who should be helping to engage and energize them. This book shows business leaders and HR professionals how to: motivate employees to create economic, environmental and social value; facilitate necessary culture, strategic and organizational change; embed sustainability into the employee lifecycle; and strengthen existing capabilities and develop new ones necessary to support the transformation to sustainability.

"Talent, Transformation, and the Triple Bottom Line" also demonstrates how leading companies are using sustainability to strengthen core HR functions: to win the war for talent, to motivate and empower employees, to increase productivity, and to enliven traditional HR-related efforts such as diversity, health and wellness, community involvement and volunteerism. In combination, these powerful benefits can help drive business growth, performance, and results.The book offers strategies, policies, tools and specific action steps that business leaders and HR professionals can use to get into the sustainability game or enhance their efforts dramatically Andrew Savitz is an expert in sustainability and has worked extensively with many organizations on sustainability strategy and implementation; he and Karl Weber wrote "The Triple Bottom Line," one of the most successful books in the field Published in partnership with SHRM and with the cooperation of the World Business Council for Sustainable DevelopmentForward by Edward Lawler III

This book fills a gaping hole in both the HR and sustainability literature by educating HR professionals about sustainability, sustainability professionals about HR, and business leaders about how to marry the two to accelerate progress on both fronts.

Corporations are undergoing dramatic changes that have significant implications for how human resources are best managed and organized. There is growing consensus that human capital is critical to an organization's success. But how should the HR function itself be organized? Is change in HR keeping pace with organizational change overall?
"Creating a Strategic Human Resources Organization" reports the findings from a 6-year longitudinal study of whether and how the HR functions in large corporations are responding to the challenges and opportunities posed by the changing business environment. The book identifies the changes that will be required in order for HR to become a true strategic partner, and suggests why, in too many companies, this transition is not occurring. It examines the paradoxical roles played in this transition by the focus on talent management and the application of IT capabilities, and proposes a new way of conceptualizing HR as providing three service lines. It finds that the most effective HR teams are substantially changing their mix of activities to become knowledge-based contributors to organizational strategy and effectiveness.
The authors conclude that HR is at a crossroads, and will either have to face up to these challenges or become a marginal contributor to corporate success.
The study was carried out at the Center for Effective Organizations in the Marshall School of Business at the University of Southern California, and was funded by the Human Resource Planning Society and the corporate sponsors of the Center for Effective Organizations.

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.

This wide-ranging volume brings together the commissioned papers that are the basis of James O'Toole and Edward E. Lawler's "The New American Workplace," their follow-up to the groundbreaking 1973 "Work in America" report. Here leading scholars in the fields of business, management, and human resources offer new research and insightful analyses of existing studies, providing a definitive assessment of the state of the workplace today. Covering wage trends, worker health, education and the workforce, the effects of outsourcing, careers, human resources management, and a variety of other vital issues, this illuminating collection will prove indispensable for scholars, professionals, and policymakers.

Provocative new management principles and practices that create effective organizations for shareholders and society

Management experts Lawler and Worley have developed a set of management principles that enable organizations to be both successful and responsible. Existing command & control and high-involvement management styles depend too much on stable conditions and focus too narrowly on economic outcomes. They convincingly argue that we need to "reset" our approach to management to one that fits today's demanding business environment. Starting with a change in how success is measured and a more realistic view of risk, Lawler and Worley take us through how strategy, governance, organization structure and talent should be managed. The result is an organization that can reliable produce financial, social, and ecological results.Includes illustrative lessons from Microsoft, Cisco, Netflix, DaVita, Starbucks, Nokia, and the U.S. Secret ServiceOffers clear prescriptions for managers who want to organize for sustainable performance effectivenessLawler and Worley are the authors of the bestselling "Built to Change"

Lawler and Worley outline why and how the current practice of management must change in order for organizations to achieve sustained organizational effectiveness.

A Stunning Achievement in Change ManagementIn October of 1997, the nation's top business theorists and practitioners met at a conference cosponsored by USC's Leadership Institute and the Center for Effective Organizations. The group was challenged to present their most advanced ideas regarding leadership and change management. This guide is the stunning result of their collective efforts. Charged with fascinating case studies, action strategies, and unbeatable advice, The Leader's Change Handbook features fresh works by Christopher Bartlett, Michael Beer, John Kotter, David Nadler, Ron Heifetz, Susan Mohrman, Bob Quinn and other distinguished contributors. What it offers is a uniquely coherent, cutting-edge approach to leading today's organizations -- an approach only this elite group, working together toward a common vision, could offer.

Hubert Lewis left Wales as a teen for steel work in the US. He followed his passion for painting and drawing to become a late 19th-early 20 century American artist in Pennsylvania. Kim Lawler discovered her great-grandfather's art was still sold through online auctions and in antique shops, but it wasn't always attributed to Hubert Lewis. Kim sets the record straight to preserve the legacy of her great-grandfather's work. Over 100 photos including at least 85 color photos of Hubert's work.

Thirty years ago, the bestselling "letter to the government" "Work in America" published to national acclaim, including front-page coverage in "The New York Times, Wall Street Journal," and "Washington Post." It sounded an alarm about worker dissatisfaction and the effects on the nation as a whole. Now, based on thirty years of research, this new book sheds light on what has changed--and what hasn't. This groundbreaking work will illuminate the new critical issues--from worker demands to the new ethical rules to the revolution in culture at work.

Selection of the Executive Program Book Club
For any manager or executive who's had it with quick-fix approaches to organizational transformation, here's a proven approach that lasts. In this paperback edition of the best-selling original work, management expert Ed Lawler presents six principles--and plenty of practical guidance--for overhauling an enterprise from bottom to top and bringing it into alignment with the realities of today's marketplace. Don't fall for yet another silver-bullet solution. This is the definitive approach to making the kind of substantive changes that will bolster your company's competitive stance, now and for years to come.