Reinsurance and financial‐services organization Swiss Re has repositioned its alternative risk resources after a radical reorganization. Strategic imperatives included establishing a new performance culture among its 500 associates, who mostly work in virtual teams as part of the new Swiss Re...

Any organization can only be as strong as the collective strengths of the individuals within the set‐up. As statements of the obvious go, that must rank pretty high. It follows, of course, that sustaining that strength through succession planning should be of prime importance to companies...

Employee turnover at Alberto‐Culver North America, which was running at more than twice the industry average, has been halved over the past seven years and the company’s ability to attract top people from other firms has increased. Lavin Bernick describes how the turnaround has been achieved...

Over a five‐year period, AT&T Consumer Services experienced radical structural change, in preparation for US deregulation of the telecommunications and information‐services markets in 1996, and afterwards. This had far‐reaching internal impacts, including waves of downsizing, growth and...

Deutsche Bank (DB) is using project‐orientated learning, new technology and academic input as part of a radical transformation of its HR function. In 1999, after acquiring Bankers Trust, DB had more than 90,000 employees at five globally‐operating business divisions and a corporate center,...

South African Breweries (SAB) Group, one of the world’s largest beer distributors, is at the forefront in addressing social inequities in its hiring, promoting and training practices, and combating discrimination. The 49,000‐employee, multidivisional company operates in 19 countries around...

Giving junior team members a significant role in hiring decisions and encouraging employee feedback on customer‐comment forms are just two of the unconventional human‐resource management practices that have helped to make Pret A Manger one of the most admired brands in Britain. McDonald’s...

Faced with declining revenues and significant business losses in the early 1990s, IBM reviewed its products, services, infrastructure, operations and functions. As part of this process, HR processes, policies and practices were either reformed or eliminated. Bob Gonzales, vice‐president of HR...

A US supplier of networking information technology (IT) has only 5 percent annual turnover of IT staff, compared with an industry average of 15 percent. SoftwareCo’s success in attracting, developing and retaining these key employees is based on understanding that they need a challenging and...

Despite recording more than $1 billion in annual sales world‐wide, LL Bean faces the pressures of all major retailers – competition, fluctuating sales, overcapacity in the sector and potential squeezes on margins. The business is one of the world’s best‐known brands in outdoor sports and...