This article aims to critique Pfeffer and Veiga's article “Putting People First for Organizational Success,” published in the Academy of Management Executive, vol. 13. No. 2 in 1999. The premise of this article is that the success of organizations is fundamentally based on the quality of people and the ability of organizations to invest in their management. Although this concept may seem axiomatic, the reality is different. Companies, through lack of conviction or as part of ineffective attempts to increase profits, often ignore the accumulated empirical evidence that indicates a strong correlation between financial success and its commitment to people-centered management practices. In other words, actually believing in the phrase “people are our most important resource” (Pfeffer & Veiga 1999, p.37). With organizations moving towards a “lean and mean structure,” the authors believe that reckless outsourcing and downsizing are only short-term fixes to increase profit (Pfeffer & Veiga 1999, p.37). The article focuses on seven practices of successful organizations that emerge based on research across industries and countries. Ensure employment security. Selective hiring Self-managing teams and decentralization as basic elements of organizational design Relatively high compensation contingent on organizational performance In-depth training Reduction of status differences Information sharing The practices outlined above by the authors challenge the most common beliefs about management. They also go on to dispel the notion that employing these practices requires working in the right industry while maintaining the size of the organization and that having a global presence is essential. .....have no secrets. 42 (2), pp. 55--57. Pfeffer, J. 1998. The human equation. Boston: Harvard Business School Press.Pfeffer, J., & Veiga, J.F. 1999. Putting people first for organizational success. The Academy of Management Executive, 13 (2), pp. 37-48. Snell, S.A., Youndt, M.A., & Wright, P. 1999. Establishing a framework for research in strategic human resource management: Uniting resource theory and organizational learning. Human Resource Management: Critical Perspectives on Business and Management, 371.White, B. and Moraschinelli, E. 2009. The Pursuit of Sustainable Competitive Advantage: A Profile of the Starbucks Corporation.Xerri, Brunetto and Shacklock. 2009. [online] Available at: http://www98.griffith.edu.au/dspace/bitstream/handle/10072/31861/60353_1.pdf;jsessionid=50A07A53A53BFEE962A2809F44EFC3FE?sequence=1 [Accessed: 9 April 2014].