Talent: Making People Your Competitive Advantage - Hardcover

by Edward E. Lawler (Author), David Ulrich (Foreword by)

The source of competitive advantage has shifted in many organizations from reliability to innovation and flexibility. But what does it take for an organization that innovates to then manage effectively? In this follow-up to Built to Change, Ed Lawler argues that it is a combination of the right structure and the right people. First, organizations must decide what structure they are: are you a high-involvement organization that has products and services that require a high level of coordination and cooperation among employees? Or do you have a more global competitor structure in which you are constantly bringing in new talent and technological expertise? Are you a mixture of both? Lawler outlines the unique human capital strategy for each approach, shows what it looks like in action, and provides the foundation and tools for creating competitive and innovative organizations.

Front Jacket

Talent

In today's global business environment, it is more and more difficult to gain a competitive edge, but it is not impossible. Talent, potentially the most powerful source of competitive advantage, is available. But how should organizations be designed to make talent their key source of competitive advantage?

In this follow-up to his best-selling book Built to Change, Ed Lawler shows how organizations can combine the right organization design, management practices, and talent to gain a critical performance edge. Talent offers a blueprint that succinctly maps out the best approach to organizing and leading a talent-focused organization. The organizational features needed to create a talent-focused organization are identified and their operation explained. Special attention is paid to:

• Leadership

• Corporate boards

• Talent management

• Performance management

• Information and decision making

Lawler shows how organizations can determine which talent-focused management approach best fits their business: a high-involvement approach that has long-term employment relationships and a high level of employee involvement in decision making, or a global-competitor approach where there is a constant influx of new talent and technological expertise. Drawing from his expertise and providing insights into today's most innovative companies, Lawler describes the human capital strategy and organization design for each approach. He provides the foundation and tools for creating effective and innovative organizations.

A timely, much-needed resource, Talent defines how companies can be managed for competitive advantage today.

Back Jacket

TALENT

In today's global business environment, it is more and more difficult to gain a competitive edge, but it is not impossible. Talent, potentially the most powerful source of competitive advantage, is available. But how should organizations be designed to make talent their key source of competitive advantage?

In this follow-up to his best-selling book Built to Change, Ed Lawler shows how organizations can combine the right organization design, management practices, and talent to gain a critical performance edge.

Talent offers a blueprint that succinctly maps out the best approach to organizing and leading a talent-focused organization. The organizational features needed to create a talent-focused organization are identified and their operation explained. Special attention is paid to:

• Leadership
• Corporate boards
• Talent management
• Performance management
• Information and decision making

Lawler shows how organizations can determine which talent-focused management approach best fits their business: a high-involvement approach that has long-term employment relationships and a high level of employee involvement in decision making, or a global-competitor approach where there is a constant influx of new talent and technological expertise. Drawing from his expertise and providing insights into today's most innovative companies, Lawler describes the human capital strategy and organization design for each approach. He provides the foundation and tools for creating effective and innovative organizations.

A timely, much-needed resource, Talent defines how companies can be managed for competitive advantage today.

Author Biography

Edward E. Lawler III is director of the Center for Effective Organizations at the University of Southern California (USC) and distinguished professor in the USC Marshall School of Business. Named one of the country's leading management experts by BusinessWeek magazine, Lawler is the recipient of the top career achievement awards given by SHRM, ASTD, WorldatWork, and the Academy of Management. He is the author or coauthor of more than forty books, including The New American Workplace, HR Business Process Outsourcing, Treat People Right!, From the Ground Up, Rewarding Excellence, and most recently, Built to Change. His writings have appeared in the Harvard Business Review, Fortune, the Wall Street Journal, USA Today, and the Financial Times, as well as many academic journals.