The New Human Capital Strategy

Book excerpt: It is often said that the only true source of sustained competitive advantage is people. But what does that mean and how can this be measured and managed? How many organizations know whether their human capital outperforms their competitors', or even whether it improves year-over-year? And what is the strategy for continually improving that performance? The New Human Capital Strategy is a roadmap for delivering measurable business results by systematically improving the performance of those in roles most important to customers and shareholders. Proposing a radical shift in the way organizations measure and manage their people, the book asserts that competitive advantage is a function of four areas of strength: Effective executive teams, leaders who deliver results, outperforming competitors in key positions and workforce performance. Using examples, research, and metrics, this essential guide provides readers with a system for ensuring that their people are more valuable this year than the last.