Preface

It is pleasing to record that the second edition has proved to be as popular as its predecessor, finding a place on many reading lists and managers’ bookshelves. The third edition represents a thoroughgoing revision, providing both updated information and a revised structure that reflects the profound changes which have taken place over the last six years.

This decade has seen no let up in the pace of change affecting organisations and individuals. Britain has emerged from a period of recession, and many organisations have undergone profound structural and cultural changes. The now notorious ‘three Ds’ of downsizing, delayering, and decentralisation have been adopted by many organisations in response to intense competition and pressures to reduce costs. The drive for a transformation in the quality of production and improved customer service has led to a recognition by progressive firms of the importance of front-line staff and the need for continuous improvement. Not all change has been sensibly brought about, however, and unimaginative cost cutting has led all too often to anxiety and stress, demotivated employees, a loss of core competency, and an inability to respond to market opportunities. While successful organisations have continued to value, develop, and make good use of their human resources, thus achieving the benefits that accrue from the emphasis on the ‘productivity through people’ theme first heralded in the 1980s, others have pursued short-term policies and have therefore failed to capitalise on the contribution people can make to growth and bottom-line results.

In response to continuing economic pressures many human resource (HR) departments have slimmed further. While some have continued the trend to decentralise their operations, begun in the 1980s, others have done the reverse, attempting to turn themselves into in-house consultancy services. Traditional HR responsibilities, such as recruitment, training, and pay have been increasingly contracted out. Work ‘competencies’ have received great attention, and are increasingly being used as the basis for selection, training, and remuneration. At the same time the term ‘competency’ has come to have a variety of meanings, some based on rigorous definitions and procedures, some idiosyncratic and riddled with jargon. In general, reward management has assumed a greater significance during this decade, and employment law has settled down into a post-Thatcher era of generally accepted regulatory controls.

A team of authors has contributed to this new edition. Experts in their respective fields, they cover the wide-ranging field of contemporary human resource management, addressing themselves to line managers as much as to human resource specialists. Many contributed to the previous edition. New contributors reflect the surge of interest in equal opportunities, learning organisations, and the internationalisation of HR practice.

AGC
CJBM