Governments today face a growing set of challenges around the recruitment, retention, and management of their workforces. In short, the job of government today is straightforward: getting the best from its biggest assets—its people. Getting the most from people and building a workplace that promotes top performance is a huge challenge—one that we call "human capital management." Human capital management is increasingly important in an environment where governments are trying to directly improve the performance of their organizations by increasing the "outputs" of their people.

The editors of Human Capital 2004 consider this essential element to an effective and efficient management of public agencies. After explaining the role of human capital management and its inherent challenges, the book is divided into two parts, each presenting compelling case studies. The first part explores the workplace challenges. Here the challenge is that of building a workplace, supported by an effective, streamlined personnel system, that promotes top performance. Case studies analyze the IRS, USAID, USPS, and civil service reform in Texas, Georgia, and Florida. The second challenge to human capital management relates to people. The challenge here is getting the most from people. The case studies considered in the portion of the book analyze the Air Force Materiel Command, the Upstate New York Veterans Healthcare Network, the Defense Leadership and Management Program, and the U.S. Army's program on officer retention.