ABSTRACT
This chapter argues that Human Resource (HR) has to be more effective in new content territories, as in old. HR will still need to develop policies and practices in reward and performance management, in training and development, in recruitment and retention, and so on. The resource-based theory of the firm argues that human resources can be a source of competitive advantage because they are rare and difficult to copy. The management characteristics of trust, reciprocity and mutuality are vital, too, in leading to the greater engagement of the workforce. HR must exercise care with any best-practice models of people management, of which organizations are so enamoured. In two respects they are inappropriate. Firstly, competitive advantage does not come from 'me-tooism', it comes from being different, being distinct. Secondly, best fit must replace best practice in HR thinking. Talent management is convenient shorthand for what organizations must do to build organizational capability both at the individual and corporate level.
