Irresistible: The Seven Secrets of the World's Most Enduring, Employee-Focused Organizations

by Josh Bersin

Overview

In this leadership book, renowned industry analyst Josh Bersin introduces a new way to think about organizational design, employee engagement, and employee development. Distilled from decades of research and management theory into seven practical yet profound management principles, Bersin outlines how business leaders can create enduring companies that thrive with improved customer satisfaction, employee retention, and business agility.

 

Irresistible businesses grow faster, they’re more profitable, and they innovate and lead their markets. Most importantly, their employees, customers, and stakeholders are drawn to them like magnets.

 

Leaders have an outsized impact on culture, engagement, and productivity. Irresistible helps leaders at all levels understand how to scale a business through a new organization model - the “network of teams.”  Bersin's model emphasizes that effective companies operate as networks, not hierarchies. When focused leadership empowers small teams, the result is increased speed, agility, and traction - along with a sense of purpose, mission, and clarity of roles.

 

Leaders of irresistible companies understand that by unleashing the power of the human spirit, their companies can go faster and farther than their competitors by empowering people and creating employee-centric cultures. If you can make your company – large or small — irresistible, your employees will contribute, innovate, and grow more than you thought possible.

 

Bersin shares eye-opening examples from his consulting work with HR and executive business teams around the world. Each chapter includes tips and discussion questions to bring these organizational behavior lessons to life. Inspiring yet highly pragmatic, this business book is a leader’s handbook for today’s unpredictable business world, where people and culture are more important than ever.

 

Bersin's human resource management book challenges companies to rethink their current approach to organizational design, leadership development, and human resources strategy. A top business book for organizations large and small, Irresistible belongs on the bookshelf of every executive, supervisor, and entrepreneur.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781646871100
Publisher:	Ideapress Publishing
Publication date:	10/25/2022
Pages:	266
Sales rank:	120,318
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x (d)

About the Author

Josh Bersin is an analyst and thought leader focusing on the global talent market and trends impacting business workforces around the world. He is frequently featured in publications such as Forbes, Harvard Business Review, HR Executive, Fast Company, Wall Street Journal, Economic Times, Financial Times, and Washington Post.  He has more than 850,000 followers on LinkedIn. 

Josh Bersin founded Bersin & Associates in 2001 to provide research and advisory services focused on corporate learning. Over the following years, he grew the company and expanded coverage to encompass HR, talent management, talent acquisition, and leadership.  His work and prolific writing brought him recognition as an expert in the talent market.

In 2012, Bersin sold the company to Deloitte, when it became known as Bersin by Deloitte.  As a Deloitte partner, Bersin was involved in many HR and learning engagements and was a principal author of Deloitte’s annual Human Capital Trends Report.   He retired from Deloitte in 2018. 

In 2019, Bersin founded the Josh Bersin Academy, a professional development academy for HR and learning professionals from more than 130 countries.  The Academy offers more than 20 cohort-based courses covering topics such as people analytics, HR technology, talent acquisition, and human-centered leadership.

In 2020, he put together a team of analysts and advisors who are now working with him to support and guide HR organizations from around the world under the umbrella of The Josh Bersin Company.  Recently published research covers topics such as hybrid work, HR technology market trends, employee experience, business resilience, talent acquisition, and diversity, equity, and inclusion.

In addition to the company’s ongoing research, Bersin and his team created the Big Reset, a series of collaborative sprints for HR executives, to tackle the workforce challenges of the pandemic and beyond.  The Big Reset groups continue to meet to help participants brainstorm on ways to address hiring challenges, the need for new leadership practices, and diversity and equity.  Big Reset work is summarized after each sprint in special reports. 

Table of Contents

Preface 1

Introduction 3

1 Teams, not hierarchy 7

The Innovation: Agile Principles at the Core 21

How to Get Started 28

How to Get It Right 28

2 Work, not jobs 43

The Shift: Work, Not Jobs 44

The Challenge: Developing New Ways to Hire 62

The Innovation: Select to Fit 65

How to Get Started 67

How to Get it Right 68

3 Coach, not boss 77

The Shift Coach, Not Boss 78

The Problem' Performance Management is Broken 85

The Innovation: Continuous Performance Management 87

How to Get Started 90

How to Get It Right 91

4 Culture, not rules 107

The Shift: Culture, Not Rules 108

How to Get Started 130

How to Get It Right 131

5 Growth, not promotion 137

The Innovation: Always Learning, Always Growing 151

How to Get Started 153

How to Get It Right 154

6 Purpose, Not Profits 165

The Shift: Purpose, Not Profits 166

How to Get Started 179

How to Get It Right 180

7 Employee experience, not output 185

The Problem: Technology Friend…or Foe? 191

The Innovation: A New Breed of Tools is Coming 192

How to Get Started 196

How to Get It Right 197

Conclusion 199

A final note on the pandemic 201

Appendix 1 About organizational endurance 203

Appendix 2 Finding irresistible companies using data 211

Endnotes 213

Index 237

Editorial Reviews

This book is a road map for creating more humane workplaces. Josh Bersin gives us unusually clear and compelling directions to make people the heart and soul of organizations.”

—ADAM GRANT, #1 New York Times bestselling author of THINK AGAIN and host of the TED podcast WorkLife

 

“A must-read primer for business leaders considering how and why to build a people-centered business. Irresistible is an essential book and an opportunity to learn from one of the best.”

—ARIANNA HUFFINGTON, Founder and CEO, Thrive

 

“For too long, businesses have been claiming that people are their most important resource. Irresistible offers an array of smart insights and shrewd advice to—finally!—turn that idea into action.”

—DANIEL H. PINK, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Power of Regret, Drive, and To Sell Is Human

 

“If you want the secrets of maintaining a workforce of fulfilled, engaged, and loyal teams, read this book—now.”

—KATHLEEN HOGAN, Chief People Officer, Microsoft

 

“Josh, with his reporter’s background and analyst’s instinct, is terrific at describing practices that affect people. The seven themes offer an outstanding view of emerging practices that will shape employee-focused organizations.”

—DAVE ULRICH, Rensis Likert Professor, Ross School of Business, University of Michigan Partner, The RBL Group

 

“I have been following Josh’s work for years and not long ago had the chance to teach executives alongside him. He has always taught me a great deal. And now I see some of that so beautifully encapsulated and extended in Irresistible. This is a book to absorb.”

—RICH LYONS, Former Dean, Haas School of Business, and Chief Innovation and Entrepreneurship Officer, UC Berkeley

 

“As organizations struggle to attract and retain talent, irresistible companies will be the only ones to prevail—and creating an irresistible company starts with unlocking your employees’ full potential.”

—JILL POPELKA, President, SAP SuccessFactors

 

“This book is an illustration of my strong belief that ‘great people make great companies.’ With his unique and vast experience, Josh is helping all leaders and HR teams turn company culture, management approaches, and work models into a competitive advantage.”

—OLIVIER BLUM, Executive Vice President, Energy Management Business, Schneider Electric

From the Publisher