The principles of sound human resource management are generally
understood, but too often practitioners believe the same policies and
programs will work in all contexts. The effectiveness of any system is
highly dependent on the context within which it must function. And due
to globalization and increased workforce diversity, the contexts across
and even within organizations have become more varied.
The Most Important Asset is a story about new graduates entering the
human resources field, encountering and dealing with workforce
management challenges and issues and developing their own professional
competence through experience. Principles are presented and alternative
solutions to problems are explored, providing the reader with a roadmap
for analyzing situations and making decisions as to how to act. Placing
the characters in different types of organizations provides insights
into how different contexts call for different strategies. Alternative
strategies for staffing an organization, developing its people,
defining, measuring and rewarding performance are used to illustrate how
what is done should be compatible with the mission, culture,
organizational strategy, and internal and external realities.