John W. Boudreau & Ravin Jesuthasan 
Transformative HR 
How Great Companies Use Evidence-Based Change for Sustainable Advantage

Proven HR strategies that can have a real impact on
organizational success

This book demonstrates how some of the world’s most admired and
prominent organizations are redefining HR leadership by using
evidence-based change to inform human capital decisions that
optimize efficiency, effectiveness and strategic impact. The
authors present the five foundational principles to the new HR
decision science: Logic-driven analytics, segmentation, risk
leverage, synergy and integration and optimization.

* Includes practical suggestions and approaches to help
executives put the book’s principles into action

* Contains insight based on the experiences of leading global
organization such as PNC Bank, CME Group, Royal Bank of Scotland,
Deutsche Telekom and Shanda Interactive Entertainment

* Features in-depth case studies of 6 international companies:
Coca-Cola, Khazanah Nasional Berhad, IBM, Ameriprise Financial,
Royal Bank of Canada and Royal Bank of Scotland

This groundbreaking book reveals a new approach to deliver
sustainable change and business results. It is enhanced with
success stories from leading companies that engage leadership and
involve employees in ways that make a lasting impact on their
companies.

Table of Content

Acknowledgments ix

Introduction: The Promise of Evidence-Based Change xi

Part One: The Five Principles of Evidence-Based Change 1

1. Information Overload or Persuasive Analytics? 3

2. Where Are Your Pivotal Talent Segments? 27

3. Risk: Is It Just a Four-Letter Word? 49

4. Your HR Portfolio: Is It Less Than the Sum of Its Parts? 77

5. ‘Spreading Peanut Butter’ or Optimizing Investments? 95

Part Two: Six In-Depth Cases of Evidence-Based Change 113

6. Royal Bank of Canada’s HR Partnership 115

7. Coca-Cola Combines Passion and Rigor 135

8. Khazanah Nasional’s Pursuit of Nation Building 149

9. IBM’s Workforce Management Initiative 169

10. Ameriprise Financial Reinvents Its HR Function 185

11. Royal Bank of Scotland Proves People Matter 203

Conclusion: Reflections on What We’ve Learned 221

Appendix: Summary of Lessons Learned 233

References 241

About the Authors 243

Index 245

About the author

John Boudreau is professor of Management and Organization at the Marshall School of Business and research director, Center for Effective Organizations, at University of Southern California. He is author of over sixty publications and is featured in Harvard Business Review, The Wall Street Journal, Fortune, and Business Week.

Ravin Jesuthasan, CFA, is managing director and Global Practice Leader for Towers Watson’s Talent Management Practice. He was recognized as one of the Top 25 most influential consultants in the world and has been featured extensively in CNN, CNBC, The Wall Street Journal, Business Week, and Fortune.