IB811-10 Managing People for the Future of Work
Introductory description
Human Resource Management (HRM) is a catch-all term for all activities associated with the management of work and people in organisations (Boxall and Purcell, 2016). For a small number of organisations, the way in which the organisation manages its people is the cornerstone of that organisation’s source of competitive advantage and superior performance compared to industry rivals. Some academics and consultants who have studied these organisations have held them up as examples of ‘best practice HRM’ and have argued that other organisations should learn from them by adopting this ‘best practice’ approach.
Yet only a small number of organisations fully adopt best practice, and when we observe the practice of human resource management across different sectors and countries, we observe a huge amount of diversity, while many organisations that do not follow best practice are very successful.
Module aims
A key axiom of the approach of this module to HRM is that developing an effective package of HRM strategy, policy and practice depends on the context of the organisation. The term ‘context’ covers the organisation’s strategy, industry, work systems and technology and social and political environment. For some organisations, in some contexts, HRM can be used to develop an ‘inimitable form of competitive advantage’ for others, in different contexts this approach simply isn’t feasible; the goal of HRM is to keep the organisation viable in its specific context.
This means that the module is not about teaching ‘best practice’ in the different functional areas of HRM (recruitment, training, appraisal, payment systems, etc.). Rather, it is about enabling students to analyse the strategic context of HRM to understand why organisations manage their people in particular ways. Only after we understand the ‘why’ of HRM can we start to think about what might constitute best practice in specific contexts. At all times, the module is grounded in analysis of the available theory and empirical evidence from academic research.
Outline syllabus
This is an indicative module outline only to give an indication of the sort of topics that may be covered. Actual sessions held may differ.
The following topics will be considered:
Attaining organisational objectives through people management practices
Selective acquisition to achieve strategic objectives
Training, Development, and Socialisation of people as an important precursor to future roles in a wholesome work environment
Rewarding people for their effort and sustaining the motivation
Managing People in a rapidly changing context (capital markets and financialisation, ESG, AI, Big Data and Analytics, Global Value Chains)
Empowering and engaging people through coaching for example
Learning outcomes
By the end of the module, students should be able to:
- Demonstrate a thoroughly assimilated understanding of current issues, approaches and debates in a number of strategic people management areas.
- Demonstrate a thoroughly assimilated understanding of theories and frameworks that are used to assess the various ways in which talent management practices can contribute to organisational success.
- Analyse and interpret the complex arguments related to the internal and external context within which people management policies are implemented and evaluated.
- Apply analytical and practical skills to case studies of contemporary strategic people management problems and develop appropriate, creative and conceptually-informed solutions.
- Critically evaluate the key theoretical frameworks used in the analysis of People Management and appreciate how theory relates to practice
- Construct and articulate reasoned arguments.
Indicative reading list
Reading lists can be found in Talis
International
There is a session on people management in multinational companies, and also managing people in global value chains
Subject specific skills
Demonstrate a command of strategic people management practice (including some basic use of People Analytics) specifically in relation to complex issues such as performance management as well as an appreciation of the realities of implementing these practices.
Analyse how changes in labour market conditions (e.g., remote working, AI, changing demographics and preferences) influence managerial decision-making
Transferable skills
Written communication through work appropriate to social science writing requirements
Study time
| Type | Required |
|---|---|
| Online learning (scheduled sessions) | 6 sessions of 1 hour (6%) |
| Online learning (independent) | 21 sessions of 1 hour (21%) |
| Private study | 43 hours (43%) |
| Assessment | 30 hours (30%) |
| Total | 100 hours |
Private study description
Private Study and preparation for online lectures, including module prep
To note - online scheduled sessions may vary in length and number
Costs
No further costs have been identified for this module.
You do not need to pass all assessment components to pass the module.
Assessment group A5
| Weighting | Study time | Eligible for self-certification | |
|---|---|---|---|
Assessment component |
|||
| Individual Assignment | 100% | 30 hours | Yes (extension) |
Reassessment component is the same |
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Feedback on assessment
Assessments are graded using standard University Postgraduate Marking Criteria and written feedback is provided. Feedback for individual essays include comments on a marksheet.
Pre-requisites
N/A
To take this module, you must have passed:
Courses
This module is Optional for:
- Year 2 of TIBS-N1Q1 Postgraduate Business Administration (Executive) London
- Year 2 of TIBS-N1Q4 Postgraduate Business Administration (Executive) London
- Year 2 of TIBS-N1Q5 Postgraduate Business Administration (Executive) London
- Year 2 of TIBS-N1SJ Postgraduate Taught Accelerator MBA (London)
- Year 1 of TIBS-N1P2 Postgraduate Taught Business Administration
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TIBS-N1PW Postgraduate Taught Business Administration (Distance Learning)
- Year 2 of N1PW Business Administration (Distance Learning)
- Year 3 of N1PW Business Administration (Distance Learning)
- Year 2 of TIBS-N1Q2 Postgraduate Taught Business Administration (Distance Learning)
- Year 2 of TIBS-N1S5 Postgraduate Taught Business Administration (Distance Learning) (London)
- Year 2 of TIBS-N1S4 Postgraduate Taught Business Administration (Distance Learning) (Warwick)
- Year 2 of TIBS-N1Q9 Postgraduate Taught Business Administration (Distance Learning) London
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TIBS-N1P9 Postgraduate Taught Business Administration (Executive)
- Year 2 of N1P9 Business Administration (Executive)
- Year 3 of N1P9 Business Administration (Executive)
- Year 2 of TIBS-N1Q3 Postgraduate Taught Business Administration (Executive)
- Year 2 of TIBS-N1S2 Postgraduate Taught Business Administration (Executive) (London) Daytime
- Year 2 of TIBS-N1S3 Postgraduate Taught Business Administration (Executive) (London) Evening
- Year 2 of TIBS-N1S1 Postgraduate Taught Business Administration (Executive) (Warwick)