Reengineering Human Resources: Achieving Radical Increases in Service Qualitywith 50% to 90% Cost and Head Count Reductions

A survival guide to the human resources reengineering revolution

Sparked by the new information technologies, a revolution is about to take place in the way human resource services are organized, staffed, and delivered. To prepare HR professionals for these radical changes, Reengineering Human Resources provides a comprehensive guide to the basic concepts, processes, and technologies that are driving this change. In a clear, concise presentation illustrated with numerous real-life examples, this unique book gives the reader:
* A detailed primer on the new information technologies, including specific human resource uses of the personal computer, interactive information systems, CD-ROMs, personal digital assistants, networks, and more
* An explanation of the basic concepts of reengineering, how it can be implemented, and how to weigh costs and benefits--complete with work flow graphics and spreadsheet templates
* Detailed advice on staffing--the competencies HR professionals will need in order to succeed and how employee competencies will change with reengineered work
* Specific cases of how human resource functions will be performed after reengineering, including examples of recordkeeping, succession planning, performance management, training and development, employment practices, and more


Human resources management is on the brink of radical transformation and the instrument of that transformation is information technology.

Starting with this provocative premise, Reengineering Human Resources offers human resource professionals an eye-opening introduction to the changes that are about to affect the organization, staffing, and delivery of human resource services. For those who are prepared to take full advantage of the new technology, it will mean dramatic increases in productivity and impressive decreases in cost, as well as vastly improved services and greater client satisfaction. In a real sense, the field of human resources is undergoing a revolution.

Written by management expert Lyle M. Spencer specifically for human resource professionals, this book shows how new technologies, reengineered work processes, and retrained employees will bring about this revolution. Although it assumes no technical expertise, Reengineering Human Resources brings the reader up to speed on the latest hardware and software applications, including personal computers, interactive voice response systems, personal digital assistants, CD-ROMs, expert systems, information networks, and much more.

Not just a description of these changes, this important book provides complete "how-to" instructions for reengineering, including activity-based costing, value analysis, and work flow charting. It describes the radical new approaches to organizing work made possible by combining traditional work analysis methods with advances in information technology. Specific cases of reengineered human resource functions, including recordkeeping, employee health care benefits, performance management, training, compensation, and labor relations are illustrated with real-life examples. An entire chapter describes the ways employee competencies will change in the reengineered organizations and jobs of the future. Information on implementing these changes explains how to calculate both the costs and benefits of reengineering.

Timely, authoritative, and compelling, Reengineering Human Resources offers human resource professionals the opportunity to shape the future of their workplace and their profession.

LYLE M. SPENCER, Jr., Ph.D., is Managing Director, Hay McBer Center for Research and Technology. His previous books include Competence at Work: Models for Superior Performance and Calculating HR Costs and Benefits, both published by Wiley.