In 1975, Jerome M. Rosow founded Work in America Institute, Inc., a tripartite, nonprofit work research organization dedicated to the advancement of productivity and quality of working life in the United States. A graduate (cum laude) of the University of Chicago, he had careers in both government and industry devoted to human resources, labor-management relations, and public affairs. He served in executive positions over a period of 24 years, as manager of employee relations in Esso Europe in London and later, as public affairs manager Exxon Corporation in New York City. In government service, he served as assistant secretary of labor from 1969 to 1971 under the Honorable George P. Shultz (former Secretary of State). As chairman of the President's Advisory Committee on Federal Pay, from 1971 to 1984, he served as advisor to five presidents.

Mr. Rosow was president of the Industrial Relations Research Association in 1979. He has also acted as director of the U.S. Business and Advisory Committee to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), Paris. He served as chairman of the Conference Board Council on Compensation; chairman of the European Employee Relations Council; and advisor to the International Labour Organization (ILO), Geneva.

Mr. Rosow was the author of numerous articles on management, productivity, human resources, and industrial relations. He co-authored 12 national policy studies covering a wide range of contemporary labor relations and employment policies. His most recent Work in America Institute publications include: New Roles for Managers (five volumes) 1991; Strategic Partners for Competitive Advantage (four volumes) 1994/95; and Participation, Achievement, Reward: Creating the Infrastructure for Managing Continuous Improvement (3 volumes) 1997-98.

He was the editor of: Productivity Prospects for Growth, Van Nostrand Reinhold, New York, N.Y., 1981; Views From the Top, Facts on File, New York, N.Y., 1985 (translated into Japanese); and Teamwork: Joint Labor-Management Programs in America, Pergamon Press/Work in America Institute, Elmsford, N.Y., 1986.

Jerry Rosow was a visionary, a man who looked to the future of work in America, saw how it would be like without innovation, how it could be different, and how to MAKE it different. One of his recent contributions was Understanding the Changing Realities of the 21st Century Workplace in which he reminds us:

"The need to harmonize working relationships among individuals from widely different backgrounds is basic to employee performance. The challege to HR management will be to mobilize the potential of diverstity -- particularly withing the context of team-based work systems -- and turn it into anb asset."

That was just one of his dreams for America and that is how he guided Work in America Institute. CLICK HERE to read the whole article in PDF (Acrobat Reader) format.