The field of human resource management (HRM) is changing rapidly. keeping up with the latest information is more important than ever. In this article, we’ll list 17 must-read HR management books that will help you do your job better, whether you’re an experienced HR professional or just starting out in the HR field.
We decided to include both study books and most popular books. The study books that we will list are all prescribed literature for various human resource courses in universities. These books help you gain a deep understanding of human resource management practices.
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Most contemporary HR books will provide a good overview of popular HR topics. they will also help create a vision for the future of the human resources field.
contentscientific literature1. human resource management2. HR from the outside in: six competencies for the future of human resources3. the human resources dashboard. victory through organization5. HR Predictive Analytics: Mastering HR Metrics6. invest in people. financial impact of human resource initiatives popular literature7. the delusion of talent work rules!9. interrupted hr: time for something different10. thinking, fast and slow11. nine lies about work: a real-world guide for a freethinking leader how to win friends and influence people13. hr rising!: from ownership to leadership14. belonging at work: everyday actions you can take to cultivate an inclusive organization15. The Fearless Organization: Creating Psychological Safety in the Workplace for Learning, Innovation, and Growth. The HR Analytics Field Guide: Using Data to Inform, Transform, and Empower HR Decisions. Strategic Human Resource Management: A Toolkit for HR Professionals
scientific literature
1. human resource management
gary dessler
Human Resource Management, written by Gary Dessler, is a 700-page human resources bible. It is arguably one of the most widely read study books when it comes to human resources. latest edition, no. 15, was released in 2016.
In its 18 chapters, the book covers the key aspects of hr. covers a practical, step-by-step explanation of the pillars of hr. these are defined in five parts: recruitment, placement & talent management, training & development, compensation and employee relations.
2. hr from the outside in: six competencies for the future of human resources
dave ulrich, jon young, wayne brockbank, mike ulrich
After you have read Dessler’s book, you will know what human resource management is all about. however, what are the skills that you as a human resources professional should have? that’s what this book is about.
In this book, Ulrich and colleagues list the key competencies of the modern HR professional. the HR professional must enable capacity development, be an advocate for technology, a champion of change, and an HR innovator & integrator. these different roles sometimes conflict with each other. That is why one of the most important roles of the human resources professional is to be a credible activist, on the one hand for the employee, on the other hand for the business. all this is located within a broader strategic context, which forms the final competition: the strategic positioner.
ulrich’s work is always very well documented, as is this book. In 2017, Ulrich published Victory Through Organizing, which is based on this original work. however, the original book is still a must-read when it comes to modern human resources.
3. the human resources dashboard
brian becker, mark huselid, dave ulrich
This book is possibly the oldest on this list, but also the most timeless of them all. In The HR Scorecard, Becker and his colleagues explain how people, strategy, and performance can be linked and quantified.
hrm has never been considered pure science. Aligning HR activities with organizational strategy and measuring the impact on the workforce does not come naturally to HR. however, when done well, it allows human resources to quantify their impact and measure the effectiveness of their work.
Quantifying the work of human resources helps to speak the same language as the business. The business is focused on key performance indicators (KPIs) and achieving a return on investment (ROI). once hr can quantify some of their activities, this will help build credibility.
4. victory through organization
dave ulrich, david kryscynski, wayne brockbank, mike ulrich
the subtitle of this book is “why the war for talent is failing your company and what you can do about it”. In this brilliant book, Ulrich and his co-authors take a closer look at the human resources function. The research on which this book is based is a study of HR competencies with a sample of more than 30,000 HR professionals, business leaders, and associates—the largest sample ever for HR competencies. human resource capabilities.
Based on this research, the book provides everything you need to know about how HR can add maximum value. In fact, the book not only shows how value is created for HR and the employee, but also for the company, investors/owners, communities, and line managers. Plus, it shows which activities HR is rated best on (by HR and by the business) and which activities add the most value (again, to HR, the business, and all other stakeholders). Topics such as employee performance, integrated HR practices, HR analytics, and HR information management are moved up for review.
While the book isn’t the funniest or easiest to read, it’s arguably one of the best books on this list and a must-read for any senior HR manager. side note: for those wondering why there are two ulrichs: mike is dave’s son and is a statistics major. he did the data analysis necessary to write the book.
5. HR Predictive Analytics: Mastering HR Metrics
kirsten & martin edwards
This book builds on the previous one and is often used as reading material for human resource analysis classes. the book explores metrics and analytics in much more detail. Using a number of different case studies, the book explores both metrics and analytics related to diversity, employee attitudes, employee turnover (including predictive turnover analytics), employee performance, recruitment and more.
Together, these four books provide a good overview of everything you need to know about human resources. Dessler’s book provides a good introduction and overview of what human resource management is all about, including its different areas of focus. Becker’s book explains how these areas can be used to strategically support the business. Edwards’ book then shows how progress in those areas is measured.
6. invest in people. financial impact of HR initiatives
kirswayne cascio, john boudreau
investing in people, cascio and boudreau take a highly structured, data-driven approach to solving common HR problems. The book, originally published in 2008, delves into strategic HR measurement and complements Issues 4 and 5 with its depth and focus on specific HR topics.
The first chapter is titled “Making HR Measurement Strategic,” followed by the second “Analytical Foundations of HR Measurement.” these chapters also contain the now famous “boudreau wall”, which is the barrier that companies must cross to move from operational reporting to analytics.
As you can imagine, the book is quite technical (although understandable to the layman). After explaining the fundamentals of robust measurement in HR, the book goes on to explore a series of case studies. it’s about absenteeism, employee turnover, employee wellness, engagement, and more. For each of these topics, a structured approach is taken to explore them in detail and the reader is provided with tools to assess the cost and measure the impact of interventions.
Like some of the other books on this list, it’s not the easiest to read, but it’s definitely invaluable when tasked with measuring HR or other quantitative challenges in HR. some examples from this book are included in our human resources data. analyst course.
popular literature
‘popular literature’ might not be the right term for the remaining books. they may not be the kind of books that are prescribed in college. however, that does not mean that they are not evidence-based or less informative. these books are very attractive because they are written by practitioners for practitioners.
7. the delusion of talent
chamorro-premuzic tomas
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this is my personal favourite. the rave of talent is an easy-to-read book packed with scientific data on talent management. the book covers what talent is (not everyone is talent), how to measure talent, how to engage it, develop it, the dark side of talent, and the future of talent.
The book is full of golden nuggets, like the image below, showing that despite increased spending on leadership development, trust in leadership has plummeted.
One of my favorite ideas was the difference between normal performance and maximum performance. for some people, there is a big difference between the two, while for others, the superior performance is quite similar to their normal performance.
It’s easy for an employee to fool their boss into thinking they’re doing their best. however, it is impossible to always be at peak performance. people can only do this for a limited amount of time before returning to their normal performance. therefore, it is almost impossible to assess someone’s performance based on one or two months of data, especially when this person is motivated to perform well.
so the trick is to select people whose normal performance is similar to your peak performance level. An example is people who score high on the Big 5 personality trait of conscientiousness. these are described as diligent and hardworking and are likely to perform better over time compared to their less conscientious colleagues.
8. work rules!
laszlo bock
google has always been a beacon when it comes to good human resource practices. in your work rules book! Laszlo Bock, former VP of People Operations at Google, outlines HR best practices at Google.
The book is subtitled Google Insider Perspectives That Will Transform The Way You Live And Lead. the book does exactly that. it is a very practical book that emphasizes the importance of company culture, how google is able to consistently select high performers, the importance of data in human resources, why you should compensate unfairly (different performance should be compensated differently) and how to deal with h.
This is a book you can finish in a day. laszlo can show you what best practices you can copy tomorrow in your own organization to better manage people.
9. hr interrupted: time for something different
lucy adams
I thought it appropriate to end this list with a book that looks to the future of hr. What will be the role of human resources in the future? How can we lead, manage, engage and support employees in a radically different way?
according to adams, disruptive human resources have three pillars. First, it does not treat employees as children but as adults. second, employees are treated as consumers, leaving behind the one-size-fits-all approach. Third, employees must be treated as human beings.
with a series of engaging and highly recognizable examples from her role as director of human resources at the bbc, adams illustrates how people can be better managed in an increasingly digital and disruptive business environment.
10. thinking, fast and slow
daniel kahneman
Although not explicitly a human resources book, this book gives you a detailed explanation of modern psychology. The 499-page classic explains much of Kahneman’s research and links it to many well-known psychological theories and biases.
The book explains that there are two systems of thought. quick and automatic thinking (system 1) and slow and logical thinking (system 2). these systems compete. system 1 is our quick and intuitive response, while system 2 is our logical and more deliberate reaction. every time we encounter a new situation, or when we are asked a question, these systems offer answers that often differ from each other.
The book shows how knowing these systems can mislead or help you. biases such as anchoring, availability bias, loss aversion, framing, and the sunk cost fallacy are explained using these two systems. learning about these biases helps you make better decisions and can help you convince others.
This book is probably the hardest to read of them all. Although it is packed with quizzes and practical examples, it is very detailed, which slows down the reading. I try to read books from cover to cover, but at 75% I stop reading. my advice would be to read all the chapters, especially the beginning, but don’t be afraid to skim through some of the other parts of the book once you understand the key ideas.
11. nine lies about work: a real-world guide for a freethinking leader
marcus buckingham, ashley goodall
In this book, published by Harvard Business Review Press, Buckingham and Goodall review nine lies about work. Buckingham’s father and grandfather were at hr. His father was the Chro of Allied Breweries, a brewing company that owned more than 7,000 pubs. sales from these pubs varied, and he found that the key differentiator was the quality of the pub manager. working alongside outside researchers, including don clifton, a highly influential assessment psychologist and president of galup. Buckingham was involved in this from a young age and later joined Gallup.
9 Lies About Work uses a science-based approach to debunk nine common myths. the myths included are ‘the best plan wins’, ‘people have potential’, ‘the best people have integrity’, ‘work-life balance is the most important’ and ‘leadership is important’.
For example, managers often promote the myth that “people need feedback” as important to millennials. however, if those millennials use snapchat or instagram, they want attention, not comments. people who give feedback are haters.
According to the authors, excellence in a job, another myth, is not a function of getting the facts and steps right. you can do well and still be average. the only thing that can be defined is the final result. for example, you can’t define what comedians are like in general and then measure it through a 360-degree feedback survey. eddy murphy, chris rock and jerry seinfeld are all different. their only similarity is the result: people laugh. the authors conclude that we learn through our own experimentation and individualized attention, not through generalized critical comments.
12. how to win friends and influence people
dale carnegie
I can imagine your surprise that this list ends with this popular self-help book. Carnegie’s book is one of the best-selling books of all time, ranking 19th on Time magazine’s 100 Most Influential Books list. so why is a book that was published over 80 years ago on this list?
As HR professionals, we are constantly influencing people, convincing them, and sometimes manipulating people (eg, managers) into doing things they don’t want to do (eg, conducting appraisals). performance). HR work is about working with people, and this book provides some key lessons on how to do it.
lessons learned include
- Only fools criticize. we tend to criticize others because we think we are right and they are wrong. however, we must focus on understanding why others think what they think. once we do, we won’t criticize.
- avoid complaining. this will irritate others and yourself.
- Give people honest compliments. We all know the power of a smile and a kind word. doing this more and learning how to do it will make the organization successful.
- get others talking (while you listen). if you listen, you’ll learn more, people will like you more, and you’ll show interest in people, which is rare these days.
- it gives people a good reputation to live up to. This is the best advice I got from this book. people will live up to your reputation. a bad boy will behave like a bad boy, and a good girl will behave like a good girl. praising employees for the things they need to improve on and giving them a reputation for being good at it will make them work harder to succeed at these things.
hr is not about leveraging authority, it’s about soft power: hr should attract and co-opt, rather than coerce. Carnegie’s rules of social competition were way ahead of their time and are still valid today.
13. Rising hr!!: from ownership to leadership
steve browne
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In the 2020 release, HR Rising!: From Ownership to Leadership, bestselling author Steve Browne inspires HR professionals to move beyond the support function mindset and into intentional leadership.
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hr feature provides the opportunity to connect and interact with all employees. This unique role puts HR professionals in the perfect position to lead and shape meaningful change for their companies.
The book explains Browne’s formula of people + processes = results. it is the alternative to the model of working backwards from results to processes, with people as an afterthought. instead, when the focus is on developing, encouraging and equipping staff, the result is an engaged workforce.
browne believes that strong leadership comes not from job titles, but from who people are. The narrative and fresh ideas in this book illuminate characteristics he can find in his own work experience that will help him begin to lead from where he is now.
steve browne strives to inspire people to be passionate about working in human resources. In addition to being a human resources executive and writing books, Browne facilitates a human resources roundtable and internet forum. he also maintains a human resources blog that reaches an international audience.
14. belonging at work: everyday actions you can take to cultivate an inclusive organization
rhodes perry, mpa
A sense of belonging empowers people and creates a positive impact in the workplace. Rhodes Perry describes this in his book, Belonging at Work: Everyday Actions You Can Take to Cultivate an Inclusive Organization.
perry explains the basic human need to belong and why it’s important for everyone to have a sense of belonging in the workplace. she also clarifies how diversity, equity, and inclusion are separate concepts, but must work together.
The book explains why belonging is essential to the future of work and how to cultivate this environment for your employees. lays out tactics anyone in any role can take to make the changes necessary to create an equitable organization that reflects its communities and customers.
With personal stories and practical strategies, belonging at work is a focused approach. His practical advice will guide you through the challenge of creating the kind of culture in which all employees can thrive.
rhodes perry is the founder and CEO of rhodes perry consulting, which provides leadership development and change management solutions to build inclusive corporations, government agencies, and nonprofit organizations. he is a popular keynote speaker and also hosts the podcast for entrepreneurs.
15. the fearless organization: creating psychological safety in the workplace for learning, innovation, and growth
amy c. edmondson
Human beings crave security, so a sense of security in the workplace brings out the best in people. in Amy C. the edmondson fearless organization: creating psychological safety in the workplace for learning, innovation, and growth, the idea of psychological safety is defined as a “climate in which people feel comfortable expressing themselves and being themselves” .
Using 20 years of research, Edmondson delves into the connection between psychological safety and good performance with real-life case studies from the public and private sectors. The book also provides practical steps leaders can take to build psychological safety that can build and nurture a courageous organization.
This book is for those who want to foster a work environment in which employees feel free to exchange ideas and express themselves. When people feel comfortable contributing their ideas, they feel more committed to the organization. they are motivated to collaborate and solve the problems that arise from the continuous changes of today’s business era.
amy c. Edmondson is the Novartis Professor of Leadership and Management at the Harvard Business School. Prior to his career in academia, he designed turnaround programs for large companies and was chief engineer for renowned architect/inventor Buckminster Fuller.
16. The HR Analytics Field Guide: Using Data to Inform, Transform, and Empower HR Decisions
shonna d. waters, valerie n. streets, lindsay mcfarlane and rachael johnson-murray
Access to data has forever changed HR decision-making. Leveraging analytics to address issues is crucial to staying competitive, so HR must understand its uses and capabilities. The HR Analytics Field Guide: Using Data to Inform, Transform, and Empower HR Decisions explains how to use data to find solutions to HR challenges.
Through typical examples of the obstacles businesses face, the book explains how to identify areas where analytics are useful and how to understand, implement, and maximize the impact of different types of metrics and analytics.
This book describes four levels of data analysis complexity that organizations use to solve problems. Once you identify what level your department is at, you can follow the guidelines to advance to the next stage.
The HR Analytics Practical Guide is written by a team of HR analytics professionals without using confusing math jargon. Its format is easy to follow, allowing you to learn how to use data analysis as a productive problem-solving tool.
17. Strategic Human Resource Management: A Toolkit for HR Professionals
karen beaven
This functional guide is a comprehensive resource for the human resources industry. Strategic HR Management: An HR Professional’s Toolkit is divided into four sections that describe how knowing yourself, your business, your industry, and your profession will help you add strategic value to an organization.
contains chapters on standard HR topics, including talent management, technology, and workforce planning. The text also goes beyond the technical to address personal issues, such as how self-care and mental well-being affect performance. The book redefines the HR mindset from managing human capital to managing the “people experience” of the organization.
After the book’s release, author Karen Beaven stated, “…I was passionate about sharing information in a really practical way based on the experiences I’d had while building my career. I wanted to create something accessible with information that people could apply immediately.”
karen beaven is the founder of pxi, a london-based human resources consulting agency. pxi offers wellness services, HR strategy, and burnout prevention and recovery. beaven has earned numerous HR awards and influential rankings.
the benefit of books
Challenging yourself with continuous learning is essential for professional growth. Reading books is a tried and true method of gaining insight from information collected by others.
The act of reading requires concentration and improves the ability to concentrate, but many people find it difficult to find the time it requires. Audiobooks may be the answer to this, as they offer a way to digest useful material while performing other tasks. For further understanding, you can also listen to an author’s podcast or ted talk. Expanded discussion of your ideas will provide additional background and detail to help you internalize the information further.
Learning from books broadens your perspective and gives you more resources to deal with obstacles and solve problems.
We’ve certainly missed some HR books on this list. feel free to list them below, and we’ll be happy to add them in a later version!