Transformational HR

Thank you Netgalley for the opportunity to preview Transformational HR.  
As a HR Professional, I am always seeking books in the field.  Today's business climate is changing, and HR is no longer a transactual department, we are a cost center.  This book is a game changer, and there is alot of information that is helpful.  A must have for HR Generalist, Managers, and Change Agents.
RECOMMEND.

The role of the Human Resources (HR) department within a company can be often under-appreciated or not given sufficient resources for it to reach its full potential. This book sets out to change this, showing how HR activities can play a positive role within a company, adding value and strategic impact to its operations in the process. 

The book is aimed at the HR professional to inspire internal change, although others in leadership and managerial roles could still benefit from much of its knowledge, even in an advisory capacity, to help appreciate the bigger picture and potential. The term ‘transformational HR’ is used to show how HR techniques and functions can be deployed to help transform a company’s business, potential and fortune. HR can have a greater stake in a company’s direction than many give it credit for. It may require a sea change of thinking from both sides though!

Implementing transformational HR is not a bed of roses, there can be problems and this book freely shows the positives and negatives that exist. Theory, real-world knowledge and case study examples are used to explain the wide field of transformational HR. In the right hands, to quote the publisher, the book can be a ‘blueprint for turning the HR function and the organizations in which they operate into powerhouses’. Powerhouses may be debatable in some cases, but there is certainly potential on the table waiting to be utilised.

It was an interesting and thoughtful book, even to a non-HR specialist. With my manager’s hat on I could see the utility and value for transformational HR, whilst understanding why for many HR is relegated to being a function, dealing with ‘employee matters’ as a sort of reactive service strategy. It can be time to shake things up and get all ‘service departments’ working to drive the company forward, proactively. For the HR side of things, transformational HR can be that thing. The provided advice, knowledge and models for consideration are valuable and deserve wider consideration.

This book is a detailed read, but still manages to be accessible and open to serve different audiences, despite its understandable focus on the HR specialist. It can appear quite philosophical in places. It deserves a sequential read to get the most out of it, but it can also serve as a dip-in-and-out reference book thereafter. There is a lot of potential data that you may have failed to appreciate in the past, but this does a good job in consolidating it and advocating the critical points.

Transformational HR, written by Perry Timms and published by Kogan Page. ISBN 9780749481322. YYYYY

This is an interesting review of HR, and particularly the much used (or is that overused?) Ulrich model.
Timms very much focuses on HR becoming more like IT, with project based delivery using the Agile framework, and although there are some organisations - large white collar ones -  where this may work I'm sceptical about it having broad application. For organisations with a single HR person it is hard to find where these ideas could be implemented effectively.

I agree with Timms that there must be a transformation of HR and that the business partner Ulrich model often is ineffective. However, HR can be so complex and organisation-dependent as to it's focus (leadership, IR, personnel etc.) that I really don't think there is a one-size-fits-all model. I think we are better off concentrating on what skills and core competencies HR practitioners need to have and how that translates to the workplace. In essence, what is the purpose of HR and then build your team from that purpose.

A read I'd recommend to any HR practitioner that knows the function isn't "quite right" and would like some thought provocation.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.