Employee Responsibilities and Rights Journa~ VoL 8, No. 2, 1995

Book Review Human Resource Development in Changing Organizations. By Manuel London and Richard A. Wueste. Quorum Books, Westport, Connecticut, 1992, 282 pp., cloth. There is a real probability that "frame-breaking" changes will occur in the coming years in several areas of human resources practice. In recent years, we have begun to note major demographic and cultural trends as well as basic changes in the management styles of organizations and demands of regulatory agencies. In addition, we are seeing that most companies are no longer able to maintain a stable, steady competitive position for very long. Manuel London and Richard Wueste present an excellent and thorough analysis of human resource development, which must be considered a key determinant of an organization's ability to adapt to this plethora of influential change agents, including the dramatic shifts in strategic and tactical management instigated from within the organization. The authors argue that the long-term vitality of the organization as well as the career fortunes of employees are necessarily intertwined and are dependent on an efficient and effective program of human resource and career development. I agree wholeheartedly with the authors' implication that human resource development has never been given the consideration it demands in change situations. Obviously, this observation is of importance to several areas of management ranging from labor relations to performance management to strategy implementation. The authors argue that all employees must be human resource managers, accepting responsibility for their own and their subordinates' development. London and Wueste argue their developmental approach with zeal, and armed with an impressive record of consulting, research, and practice. London and Wueste contend that continual organizational change demands a learning environment, with managers and employees proactively preparing to make positive contributions in future scenarios. They do an excellent job of pointing out that human resource development should be an integral part of what they call a human performance system, which links human resource development programs to human demands in the altered environment. In this book, human resource development is all about "posturing" for the future scenario, not just from the management perspective but also from the perspective of employees who have career development aspirations. In fact, the book calls for proactive participation of each employee in their own development plan as well as the development of the organization. 171 0892-7545/95/0600-0171507.50/0 0 1995 Plenum Publishing Corporation

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The book represents a complete source of information for building an understanding of the interplay between changing environments, the changing human resource needs of the organization, and the changing needs of employees wanting to (a) contribute in a meaningful way to the organization and (b) develop in a meaningful way in their own career. A brief review of the chapters is in order. The first chapter of the book discusses specifically the changes we might expect in the interacting domains noted above. The second chapter is critical in that it presents the authors' conceptualization of career motivation as composed of resilience (ability to overcome career barriers and to take a proactive stance in accomplishing goals), insight (having clear career goals based on accurate information), and identity (the direction of motivation, aspirations). The authors point out the importance of these concepts and their utility in considering reactions to change. The third chapter was an intriguing look at the multiple roles of managers in a change situation. It considers the stages of change, the manager's own personal developmental considerations, and the demands placed on the manager to not only cope with change but also lead employees toward the new goals. The fourth chapter introduced the human performance system and described how important it was to first articulate guiding principles of behavior, link them to performance dimensions and key human resources functions, and then formulate actual human resource development policies which will contribute to the key behaviors. The message of the chapter was that a human performance system allows the organization to simultaneously meet individual needs for growth and advancement and organizational needs for talented employees to meet business objectives. The fifth chapter discusses the usage of upward and career feedback as a development tool, namely, in identifying training needs and assessing manager performance. The sixth chapter is an in-depth look at career planning. It was one of the more thorough and educational chapters of the book, emphasizing the dual goals of career motivation/development and meeting the human resource needs of the organization. The seventh chapter focuses on the unique career development needs of women, minority groups, and older workers. The eighth chapter is the first explicit attempt to rigorously integrate the concepts of change, planning, and development to support the strategic objectives. This chapter utilizes a very interesting means of communicating this integrated analysis: a ficititious memo from planners to top management. The memo delineates the role of development within the overall strategy framework. The authors use this chapter to describe strategic planning as more adaptive and developmental, which, incidentally, has been the trend in the strategic management literature. Chapter 9 is an exhaustive explanation of the important process of performance management. The key is continual monitoring of established performance standards to ensure that individual performance and development and group and organizational outcomes are consistent with overall organizational objectives. Chapter 10 addresses the role of the human resources function, describing the likely changes that will come about with the advent of a more developmentally oriented management style. The final chapter proposes that through individual and interactive learning and forward thinking about both ca-

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reer and organizational goals, even the most dramatic changes can be met with a concerted, appropriate organizational response. Overall, I think this book will be of interest to both practitioners and academics. I personally felt that some o f their discussions were a bit more lengthy than necessary for the purposes of the book. For example, I wondered why an entire chapter was dedicated to upward and peer feedback. At times, I felt that I was reading a basic primer on human development or training or some other topic. The authors could have integrated better, for example describing the role o f human resources and strategies for change in the same breath instead o f in lengthy, but separate, chapters. In short, the reader was left responsible for a great deal o f the integration and "tying loose ends." There were few low points, however. Overall, I found the writing to be creative and based totally on competence and concern for organizations. There were no profound pronouncements in the book, but instead a collection of useful insight on the importance o f human development from the dual perspectives of organization and employee. This book presents a more strategic orientation than any other recent books on human resource management, calling for the active involvement of employees in their own development and training as well as in the strategic posturing o f the firm. It would be worth the while o f most to read Human Resource Development in Changing Organizations, if only to learn more about such extensive employee involvement. Robert H. Bennett, III

Department of Management The Florida State University Tallahassee, Florida 32306