The People Advantage

if the organisation is to deliver superior performance, people are the key. Given the potentially high competitive advantage from the focus on people, it is a bit surprising that many managers, in practice, treat this in a rather cavalier manner. People are hugely complex and jobs are constantly changing. The key objective of this book is not to disregard this complexity by providing one single, simple solution, but to acknowledge it and to show managers how to exploit it.

• Part I: An Overview
1. Setting the Scene
• People power
• Achieving a productivity gain
• The beautiful complexity of people and jobs
• Honoring your people resource
• Summary
2. Competencies and Attributes
• The critical role of job analysis
• Competencies and attributes
• Using a differentiated model of competencies and attributes
• Whether competency models are adding value
• Summary
3. Selecting the Right People
• The management case for examining selection
• The right way to select
• Cost against benefit
• Comparative validity of selection methods
• Usage of individual methods
• Personal interview
• Application forms/biodata
• Ability tests
• Simulation exercises
• Personality questionnaires
• The appeal of good assessment
• Summary
4. Developing People in the Right Way
• The practice of leading companies
• Continuous learning
• The Human Resources input
• Development of managers
• The appraisal process
• Appraisal practice
• Management development and succession planning
• Finding the talent
• Assessing for potential
• 360° evaluation
• Summary
5. Optimum Use of the People Resource
• The employee's perspective
• The appraisal is central
• The career review
• Identifying the talent
• Making managers accountable for their people
• Making development bite
• An effective organization
• Summary
6. An International Perspective
• The cross-cultural context
• The international operator
• The implementation of an international assessment process
• Standardizing international assessment
• Differences in practice
• Standardization versus adaption
• Country variations
• Summary
• Part II: Specific Issues
7. The Testing of Abilities and Personality
• Growth in psychometric testing
• Testing for abilities
• The concept
• Definitions and descriptions
• Overview of ability testing
• The need for professional standards
• Future prospects
• Measuring personality
• The concept
• Definitions and descriptions
• The fundamental assessment problem
• Considering the options
• The case for questionnaire-based assessment
• The issue of faking
• A current overview
• Gaining acceptance for personality measurement
• Summary
8. Motivation
• The case for motivational analysis
• The reading of motivation
• The Motivation Questionnaire
• Need Theories
• Reinforcement Theories
• Cognitive Theories
• An integrated model
• Applications of motivational analysis
• Motivational implications for the organization as a whole
• Summary
9. Leadership
   
• Background
• What is leadership?
• Leadership and management
• Followers' perspective
• Inspirational and perspirational leadership
• Successful leadership in practice
• The cognitive approach
• Identifying and developing leadership potential
• Summary
10. Further Applications — Creativity, Entrepreneurship, Stress and Communication
• Creativity — an elusive resource
• Identifying creative potential
• Entrepreneurship — the management paradox
• Entrepreneurship as a competency
• Stress — a costly problem
• The management of stress
• The need for skill in communication
• Critical role in management
• Personal influencing skills
• The process of influence
• Summary
11. Further Applications — Strategic Thinking and Knowledge
• Strategic thinking
• A key differentiator at the top of the organization
• Measuring strategic thinking
• Knowledge
• Professional intellect
• Summary
12. Improving the Performance of the Board
• The critical role of the board
• The management of the board
• The role of the chairman
• The non-executive or independent director
• Director selection
• The board in interaction as a team
• The assessment of new board candidates
• Survey findings
• Director development
• The ongoing appraisal of board members
• The directors' checklist
• Evaluation of the board
• Where the board can add value
• Summary
13. Looking int the Future
• Imprecise but valuable
• Changing job demands
• Sharing knowledge
• Communicating
• Retaining top talent
• Assessment and development practice
• The HR management role
• International development of HR management
• Bringing the human barriers down
• Summary
14. Lessons learned
• A review of the main messages
• What is value
• Latent assets
• Measures
• Measuring the capability of the people resource
• People Advantage Health Check
• A final thought
1. Calculating the Financial Return of an Improved Selection Method

This could have been a very good HR book, but instead it is a plug for SHL's OPQ psychometric testing methodology.

Granted, it is still worth reading, as they are pretty general about their outlook.