Dave Ulrich

David O. Ulrich is a noted expert on Human Resource Management. He is Professor of Business Administration and Director of the Human Resource Executive Program in the Stephen M. Ross School of Business, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. He is also a co-founder and partner of The RBL Group, a human resources and leadership consultancy, and has carried out consultancy work with many Fortune 200 companies. He was the editor of Human Resource Management Journal for nearly a decade between 1990 and 1999. From 2003 to 2006 Dave Ulrich took a three-year sabbatical from teaching to act as President of the Canada Montreal Mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Ulrich consistently argues for a re-assessment of Human Resources. He is very clear about the huge value strategic HR can and should bring to an organization, and challenges practitioners to "either give value or give notice." A lot of the mundane "back office" aspects of HR, such as payroll and benefits administration have now been outsourced. This means that HR departments and their leaders are compelled to validate themselves and their existence. Individually HR managers must concentrate less on what they do and more on what they deliver. Their goal must be the development of value-added HR practices. His new book 'The Why of Work' (July 2010) addresses the much broader issue of motivation. Ulrich's previous titles include 'The HR Value Proposition' and 'Leadership Code'.