The Most Important Asset: Valuing Human Capital

by Robert J. Greene (Author)

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.

Review
'A welcome approach to assisting practitioners and managers in the application of human capital theories in the real-world workplace. The story telling approach allows the reader to visualize familiar challenges and situations and alternative approaches to decision making. This book is a welcome asset for anyone involved in human capital planning and development.' ― Peter Ronza, CCP, SPHR, President, Pontifex Consulting Group

'Provides a useful comprehensive guide to managing HR-related workforce issues in multiple situations.' ― Robert J. Butler, CCP, SPHR, RJ Butler Associates Inc., Consulting Principal

'A very engaging tale of three budding professionals coming to terms with the application of relative well known concepts to an ever changing Societies.' ― John S Maxwell, Chairman & CEO of iHRME Inc. and Principal Consultant of Capita-Global FZE. Past President of the World Federation of Personnel Management Associations (WFPMA) and the Global Remuneration Organization.

'Bob Greene has had a full (continuing) career as an HR consultant, practitioner, scholar and professor. He is respected globally for each of those roles. This book is remarkable for how he weaves difficult ideas in effortless prose by telling a story about a group of practitioners coming to grips with the real world implementation of ideas more commonly found in textbooks. Eminently readable, thoughtful and, believe it or not, entertaining.' ― William Seithel, Seithel Human Resources Consulting, Ltd and past CHRO of A.T. Kearney

About the Author
Robert J. Greene, Ph.D., is CEO of Reward Systems, Inc. and faculty for DePaul University, USA. He has over 40 years of industry, consulting and teaching experience. He is author of over 100 articles/book chapters, including Rewarding Performance: Guiding Principles; Custom Strategies and Rewarding Performance Globally: Reconciling the Global–Local Dilemma. Robert was the first recipient of the Keystone Award for achieving the highest level of excellence in the human resources field.