这是一段来自西方学者的话，求翻译

Human resources is a management term that should strike fear into the heart of every self-respecting entrepreneur.

The brilliant Avis boss Robert Townsend in his book "Up the Organisation" suggests firing the entire personnel department. Indeed, I have radically downsized HR in several companies I have run, and business has gone all the better for it.

Tragically, we live in a time of overwhelming employment legislation, so getting legal procedures right can save time and heartache – that is the sort of task HR handles. It is probably the very definition of a necessary evil for a 21st Century business.

HR is like many parts of modern businesses: a simple expense, and a burden on the backs of the productive workers. Other divisions that can become the enemy include IT, legal and marketing. They don’t sell or produce: they consume. They are the amorphous support services.

Often it makes sense to sub-contract these activities and reward the external provider based on performance. If they don’t deliver, you don’t pay and you can replace them. But managers too often think their company isn’t grown-up unless it has all these important-sounding departments. It is a grave error to succumb to institutionalisation: good leaders care about results, not process. Too often I come across companies where staff in the field work not for customers but for HQ, which drains the company of cash and enthusiasm.