The Human Equation

"Successful organizations understand the importance of implementation, not just strategy, and, moreover, recognize the crucial role of their people in this process."

"Not enough organizations take a people-centered view of the source of their performance and success."

"High commitment management practices, by placing more responsibility in the hands of people farther down in the organization, save on administrative overhead as well as other costs associated with having an alienated work force."

"Little evidence exists to show that the sensibility of implementing high performance work systems depends on the particular competitive strategy a firm pursues."

"Employment security can confer a benefit in that it encourages people to take a longer-term perspective on their jobs and organizational performance."

"The design of a high performance work system must ultimately get beyond issues of philosophy and mind set to questions of specifically what must be done and how to do it."

"How might one assess the extent to which an organization is putting people first?"

"The essence of high performance work arrangements is reliance on all organizational members for their ideas, intelligence, and commitment to making the organization successful."

"If achieving profits through people takes time to accomplish an emphasis on short-term financial results will not be helpful in getting organizations to do the right thing."

"How can one build competence in work organizations facing turnover approaching 400 percent annually?"

"Firms have a number of options for avoiding layoffs, even in the face of economic pressures."

"Even for firms that need to reduce the number of employees, downsizing can be accomplished while still treating people as important assets and maintaining morale and trust."

"What I am going to argue may shock you."

"Why should organizations care whether they can succeed in working with unions?"

"We have evidence indicating that neither product nor financial markets always work, at least quickly and efficiently, to produce best practices in the management of the work force."

"Putting people first entails recognizing the importance of people?all of a company's people in the organizations?to organizational success. "

"Basic people management practices constitute the fundamental building blocks of high performance management systems."