Global Hr: Challenges Facing the Function

The HR function is having to adjust itself to the implications of the globalisation of business activity. This has meant adjusting its philosophy, policies and practices to fit new organisational imperatives, as well as creating its own refashioned service delivery model. Peter Reilly and Tony Williams's Global HR explores the key issues of building an international brand, culture and talent pool, whilst contributing to business and functional transformation, drawing on examples from multinationals in telecoms, fast-moving consumer goods, manufacturing, software, services and commodities. In doing so, they offer insights into managing people and businesses that no organization can ignore.

Peter and Tony also co-authored How to Get Best Value from HR and Strategic HR, both published by Gower.

The authors of this fascinating volume lay down a challenge that it's time for HR to stand up and be counted. This responds to the oft-recorded mentions of the function's aspiration to be taken seriously as a strategic player in the organization. Noting the challenge, the authors offer a text that is rich with mini case study insights as well as frameworks to make sense of the evidence, and checklists of what to act on, that ought to be required reading for HR specialists and indeed all managers of the people dimension of globally distributed business. Stephen J. Perkins, Professor of Strategy and HRM, University of Bedfordshire, UK

I used parts of this book as a Bible when I was researching International Talent Management. I really like the way academic theory, practical case studies and considered opinion are combined to create a reference book you can learn from. Tony and Peter cover some challenging areas in Global HR including the interplay between organizational and national cultures, building a global employment proposition and Governance. Unlike a lot of other management books Global HR is a good long term investment - the sort of book you will return to time and time again. Penny Davis, People and Talent Director, Balfour Beatty Services

This book is a definitive guide to managing HR in a global organization in an increasingly complex socioeconomic environment. It provides illustrative cases, perspectives, insights on globalization of functionality of HRM and its transformation. Deliberations on impact of workforce diversity on universal organizational culture, pressure to create global service delivery models, challenges in global employee branding and managing talent, HR governance in a global organization are logically structured. Chitral Amarasiri, Founder President, Association of HR Professionals, Sri Lanka and Global HR Practitioner, USA

Peter Reilly is Director of Consultancy at the Institute for Employment Studies. Prior to joining the institute he spent many years with Shell as an HR manager in the UK and overseas, including assignments in the Netherlands and Turkey. He is the author of Flexibility at Work, published by Gower.
Tony Williams is the Director of HR, global banking & markets at the Royal Bank of Scotland Group. He was heavily involved in RBS's acquisition of ABN AMRO bank in the Netherlands, and has been a key contributor to both merger and acquisition and a number of other business changes.