Book Review: The Changing Face of People Management in India

By its very nature, Human Resource Management (HRM) is a highly complex, contextual and evolutionary management function. It is therefore, very difficult and often dangerous to generalise the issues, challenges and strategies in HRM at a macro level. It is more so for a country, such as India which is extremely diverse and multi-faceted in its history, culture and institutional frameworks. The Indian economy remained almost stagnant until recently but since post-liberalisation in the early 1990s, its growth has been very rapid and uneven. Contemporary India is a country of contrasts in education levels, economic progress, social attitudes and its integration with the global economy. In this backdrop, a book on HRM in India is indeed a challenging task. However, the editors are highly qualified to undertake the challenge. Budhwar has been researching HRM in India for more than a decade and provides an authoritative perspective to Western audiences from national, industry and international frameworks. Similarly, Bhatnagar has been conducting grounded research on organisational behaviour and talent management issues in India. Both contribute regularly to international journals on the subject. Some of the chapter contributors (Venkata Ratnam and Debi Saini) are also well known employment relations experts on India. The book therefore draws from the rich and varied experience of its authors. However, the claim that only Indian authors can provide an authentic and realistic picture of HRM in India is highl