And all the state-of-heart equipment and sophisticated software cannot match the human behind it.

And the employees are the very foundation on which the edifice of a business rests. Indeed, the essence of management lies in the belief that people (employees) are the life and breath of a healthy organisation. (Ragahavan R).

So when we discuss about high performance what does it mean in relation to organization? In regard to high performance, whether it is some college exams or some sports event or in the financial or service performance of an organisation, high performance is defined in relation to pre-determined set of expectations or comparing against achievement of others. Organisation high performance is also assessed in the same way by comparing the achievement with other organisation achievements, present in same industry in measurable way or assessing the performance of the whole organisation against the pre-determined targets. And individual employee performance, which finally contributes to overall organisation performance, means individual performance against the expected and set target performance by the organisation. (Willcoxson 2000) The human factor is the most important factor contributing to high performance of an organisation and the human resource management functions affects success and performance of an organisation in big way. Following few human resource functions, which affects success of organisation, are discussed McTier state that an organization's long-term success lies in selecting, developing, motivating, and retaining talented employees who can anticipate and creatively meet changing customer needs. The central aim of modern human resource management is to enhance the effective use, involvement and contribution of employees throughout the organisation. Human resource management involves a variety of activities and processes (see figure 1 below) that are central to the effective functioning of organisations [1] The role of the human resources function in modern organisations is considered a strategic one involving the management of so-called "intellectual assets" such as "human capital". This refers to the workforce's intellectual capability, knowledge, experience, relationships, motivation and commitment to the goals of the company [3].

Human capital is a valuable asset for organisations, which resides within the people that comprise the workforce. As such it may be inadvertently lost during personnel changes and organisational restructuring, if not managed effectively. It has therefore become the task of the modern human resource professional to recruit, retain and develop an organisation's human capital. It has been suggested that high-performance organisations are created by translating appropriate business goals into a context in which people can work. This in turn shapes employee behaviours and attitudes, which influence organisational and ultimately financial performance [9]. Research has indicated that those organisations, that look after their human assets effectively achieve a number of performance-related gains, including increases in organisational productivity, profitability and competitive advantage [12]. Organisations that offer good pay and benefits, job opportunities, job security and are fair and open with their employees have been found to achieve stronger economic performance [13].

The human resource profession has come a long way since the early days of Henry Ford and other industrial giants who believed they needed little more than able bodies to keep production lines running, In our new age of technology and rapid product innovation, unleashing the minds and creative souls of tomorrow's workforce is the factor most likely to propel businesses and the HR profession into the future. The human resource profession has matured from an administrative support role to a key strategic function in successful organizations. The evolution has been intimately tied to changing workplace values, economic conditions, technological innovations and many other factors. Workforce management has become increasingly complex. The heritage and growth of the human resource management profession is closely linked to people's attitudes about work, the evolution of employment-related laws and sociological trends. The HR field today recognizes the dynamic relationship between strategy, people, technology and the processes that drive organizations. Although this dynamic relationship appears obvious now, the evolution of the profession has often been slow. A robust human resources management (HRM) system is the most valuable asset of a twenty-first century institution, and an enterprise's productivity is closely correlated with the employee-related managerial system. Human resource (HR) can create values for an enterprise by finding ways to improve workforce managements that have a positive impact on performance. Since HR has a significant influence on the overall management system, it is well positioned to create substantial added value. Several studies have shown that the implementations of appropriate management systems and strategies do contribute to productivity improvements under the considerations of cost and investment risk (Becker and Gerhart, 1996; Naik and Chakravarty, 1992; Truss and Gratton, 1994).

The argument that better human resource planning is the basis of superior business performance has received support from various angles, even from authors whose overall work reflects a critical attitude to strategic human resource management (SHRM) (Mueller, 1996). It has become a widely held premise that people provide organizations with an important resource of sustainable competitive advantage (Prahalad and Hamel, 1990; Pfeffer, 1994; Wright et aL, 1994) and that tiie effective management of human capital, not just physical capital, may be the ultimate determinant of organizational performance (Adler, 1988; Reich, 1991). The continuing removal of trade barriers and tariffs, the consequent globalization of markets, the volatility of consumer demand within existing markets, currency fluctuations and political upheaval are by now familiar characteristics of an environment where "all is flux". The capability of people to cope and manage within such an environment is a vital element in the success of any business and ultimately a determinant in national economic performance. The new business context is prompting senior management to take a greater interest in the development of their organizations' human resources Why some organizations are successful and some unsuccessful to make use of same opportunities?

Organisations all over the world in 21st century are facing very tough competition and have to be careful in choosing the right strategies to achieve desirable goals and high performance. The key reason of success and high performance is not rational quantitative approaches, but enhancing commitment to employees and employees involvement. Success of organization of today is increasingly seen as largely dependent on efficient human resource management. The principle of HRM programs is to enhance organizational performance and potential of employees. Today it would be hard to find any organization successful without having effective HRM. The business environment is changing very drastically in 21st century and it does have a big impact on organization efforts to be successful. And the focus is on the factors, which significantly effects organization success. And one factor, which is getting more consideration and attention then others, is human resource factor. Organisations are realising that to maintain or gain success and high performance the key factor is to make maximum out of their employees. And now it is becoming very apparent that effective use of human resource is a key source of organisation competitive advantage and it is not easily duplicated. Organizations have started to realize that their success depends upon their ability to attract, employ, develop and retain skilful and talented workforce. The long term success of any organization in todays dynamic and tough business environment demands total management commitment design and implement HRM programs geared to develop both high performing employees and organization.