ABSTRACT
This chapter sets the stage for those that follow. We seem to be at a “tipping point” (Burke & Cooper, 2006, 2008) in the way organizational leaders are coming to view the importance of people as a key element in their organization’s success and are prepared to act on this realization. It first lays out new challenges facing organizations as their employees, competition and business environment changes. In response to these new, and in some cases continuing, demands, organizations need involved and engaged employees, need to manage and develop their talent, and to continuously adapt and change to survive. Contributions from some central researchers and writers are then reviewed to provide a sense of what is known about continued high levels of organizational performance and the emerging consensus of what needs to be done to achieve this.
