The Human Capital Edge: 21 People Management Practices Your Company Must Implement (or Avoid) to Maximize Shareholder Value

by Bruce N. Pfau

Global HR consulting firm Watson Wyatt has conducted a large body of research on 30 different human capital management practices showing, for the first time, how these practices can raise or lower the... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0071378839
• ISBN13: 9780071378833
• Release Date: December 2001
• Publisher: McGraw-Hill Companies
• Length: 331 Pages
• Weight: 1.60 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.3" x 6.3" x 9.3"

Customer Reviews

One of the Best Books Ever Written on Strategic HR...

The people at Watson Wyatt never stop amazing me. Recently, I purchased a copy of the Gallup Organization's "Follow This Path." Having read it, I was convinced that there was nothing left to say. Wrong. Pfau and Kay have written an amazing book that documents the correlation between Strategic HR practices and Shareholder Value growth. Well done. One reviewer complains that the book isn't comprehensive enough. I'm not sure this is a fair critisism. After all, the book details 21 HR practices and their impact on TSR (Total Shareholder Return). Certainly, one book cannot possibly provide a comprehensive treatment of all 21 HR practices. However, since when has any professional relied upon a single business book in any subject as their sole resource? This is a fantastic book. I strongly recommend that any senior executive (including CEO, COO, and board memebers) pick up a copy. I also recommend "Follow this Path," Gubman's "The Talent Solution," Risher's "Aligning Pay and Results," and Lawler's "Treat People Right." Overall grade: AAA+++

Finally!

Having been in human resources for 20 years, I can finally report, with confidence, HR's direct link to the bottom line. Too many executives still think it is "touchy-feely" and this fact-based information proves otherwise. "The Human Capital Edge" shows the measurable value of implementing solid HR practices! Great stuff!!

Practical, readable and comprehensive

This book is the best overview available of the current state of the art in human resource management practices and their relationship to business results. It is one of the few books on this subject that will be appreciated by both the line manager as well as the human resource professional because it is readable, practical and business focused. It connects all the major HR trends in a critical but objective way to questions about their true impact and worth in driving "human capital". An excellent, comprehensive source that you could give to your CEO!

Thoughful and well written

There are many books out there that describe why companies fail and many others that describe different human resource practices to attract and retain talent. What I liked most about this book is that Pfau and Kay provide, using anecdotes as well as statistical data, the bottom-line justification for good management and personnel practices. This book gives one lots of ideas as well as the arguments to convince other decision makers to try them -- and that is the hardest part in some organizations (like mine!)

Great Insights

The Human Capital Edge provides both an interesting and thorough perspective on best practices in human resource management, but more importantly, it translates these principles into specific actions that managers can take to maximize shareholder value.While it confirms many widely held managerial assumptions with rigorous support and analysis - it also pushes the envelope with new ideas that challenge conventional thinking.I found this book to be both thought provoking and useful, and recommend it to other CEO's who are seeking to increase shareholder value through better management of their human capital.Kenneth TraubPresident and CEOAmerican Bank Note Holographics, Inc.