The author argues that the roles of human resource professionals must be redefined to meet the competitive challenges organizations face today and into the future. He provides a framework that identifies four distinct roles of human resource professionals: strategic player, administrative expert, employee champion, and change agent. He includes many examples to demonstrate that human resource professionals must operate in all four areas simultaneously in order to contribute fully. He urges a shift of these professionals' mentality from "what I do" to "what I deliver" and makes specific recommendations for how individuals in human resources can partner with line managers to make organizations more competitive.

作者认为，必须重新定义人力资源专业人员的角色，以应对当今和未来组织面临的竞争挑战。他提供了一个框架，确定了人力资源专业人员的四个不同角色：战略参与者、管理专家、员工拥护者和变革代理人。他列举了许多例子，以证明人力资源专业人员必须同时在所有四个领域开展工作，才能充分作出贡献。他敦促这些专业人士将心态从“我做什么”转变为“我提供什么”，并就人力资源部门的个人如何与直线经理合作以提高组织的竞争力提出具体建议。