Contents: Preface. Introduction. I. HR Refreshed: 1. Through the Eyes of the Beholder. 2. New Meanings. 3. Evolving Expectations. 4. The Doing, Feeling and Thinking Paradigm. II. Bringing People on Board: 5. Planning in Uncertain Times. 6. Remaining Attractive. 7. Choosing Right. III. Managing People: 8. The Spectrum of Relationships. 9. Learning, the New Way. 10. Beyond Managing Performance. 11. Money and Beyond. 12. Managing the Moments of Truth. IV. Management and Leadership Development: 13. Aspirations and Needs. 14. Channelising Aspirations. 15. Institutionalising the Process. 16. Developing Managers and Leaders. V. Making the Organisation Effective: 17. Leading Change. 18. Designing Organisations. 19. Contributing to Leadership Effectiveness. 20. Shaping the Way Organisations Work. VI. Managing the Relationship with Employees.21. Boundaries Redefined. 22. What Really Matters. 23. Towards Progressive Employee Relations. VII. The Making of the Quintessential People Champion: 24. Advancing in HR. 25. The Young HR Professional’s Readiness to Serve. 26. The CEO’s Schooling as a People Champion. Epilogue. The vision of this book is to engage readers in a debate on how we see HR as a function and profession here and now, how we see the practice and the practitioner. The intent is to reflect on what we are seeing, hearing and experiencing about the function in an inclusive fashion. This book offers a practitioner’s take to human resources management as a profession and function keeping in mind the most current and contemporary practices, problems and perspectives in India. The book is meant for young professionals, students and practitioners in the field of HRM. The book truly reflects HRM as it is practiced today with stories of places (organizational case studies) where it is at its best. Shorn of all theory, this book raises and answers questions such as given the rapid advancement in the profession, should the term HR be redefined? Why does the quality of the function depend so much on the way it is positioned within the organisation? What shapes a CEO’s attitude towards HR? What are the big demands on HR today and in times to come? How does one advance in HR? Written by practitioners with first-hand HR experience, HR Here and Now is a thought-provoking book set firmly in the Indian context.