Strategic People Management MSc

The way we work is changing. Arguably, the nature and scope of the ‘employment relationship’ acts both as an indicator and also as a driver of these changes, reflecting the importance of the relationship between and among employees and managers to organisational performance and business success. In this module, you will learn about the ‘strategic’ importance of employment relations, in terms of the way it relates to issues of power and interests in organisations, as well as the ways in which other aspects of people management – e.g. reward, recruitment – all have critical implications for the employment relationship. The module thus provides a comprehensive understanding of employment relations perspectives and debates, focusing not just on the ‘harder’ theoretical, practical and legislative aspects of this constantly evolving subject area but also the ‘soft’ approach, emphasising the management of employment relations strategies and understanding their impact on organisational climate, employee well-being and trust. You will gain access both to knowledge about employment relations practices across broad organisational contexts and settings, including negotiation in union and non-union environments, conflict mediation and employee voice, and the importance of responsible people management. Critical analysis extends to exploration of the impact of wider changes on work quality and employment relations, the roles of the different parties involved in the employment relationship and evaluation of organisational-level employment relations processes and policies that support organisational performance. The importance of (e.g. grievance and disciplinary) procedures and using organisational data to explore and mitigate organisational risk are covered and students will explore how employment relations processes impact on organisational outcomes such as performance and employee engagement.

This module focuses not just on the practical aspects of recruitment, selection, employee retention and dismissal, but also on the strategic aspects to equip learners with the knowledge and skills required for resourcing and talent management. The module will be assessed by an individual report focussing on the strategic nature of People Resourcing and Talent, in addition to a portfolio of HR related skills. You will also investigate a range of resourcing practices to prepare a report and make recommendations on how an organisation can best attract, select, manage and retain talented individuals in order to add value.

People are the heart of every organisation; they are its greatest resource. Managing and developing people helps businesses and organisations of different kinds and sizes to meet their goals, to remain profitable, sustainable and reputable. However, the role of the HRM professional has evolved considerably in the past 25 years, reflecting changes to ways of working as well as wider socio-economic changes and the use of technologies in organisations. People management is no longer about ‘hiring and firing; it is about how, in this changing world of work, organisations can get the best from people in a way that helps them to flourish and to be resilient. The way that people are managed and supported is directly linked to organisational culture, to organisational performance as well as to motivation, well-being and productivity. Managing and developing people thus takes time and skill. In this module you will be introduced to knowledge and understanding about the ways that HRM policies and practices can promote employee performance and commitment. You will also learn about the importance of the role of the people manager in articulating and facilitating organisational goals, customer needs as well as building relationships that span different professional boundaries.

Pay and other types of rewards (or ‘total rewards’) are crucial in attracting and retaining employees. This module examines total rewards in an organisational and international context and provides you with the knowledge and understanding of environments in which reward professionals plan, implement and evaluate employee reward policies to support strategic organisational goals. You will acquire both theoretical and normative understanding of the diverse approaches to reward management and be able to critically reflect on the strengths and limitations of these approaches in promoting individual and organisational performance in a fair, reasonable and equitable way. You will also examine the foundations for pay and benefits management in modern organisations across different (private, public and third) sectors and how these approaches can be integrated into appropriate strategic designs that provide considerations of relative value and worth, individual and collective contribution and labour markets. You will learn about the relationship between traditional, contingent and developmental choices of rewards, the use of diagnostic and evaluative skills in designing flexible approaches to reward and the challenges of international and executive pay arrangements. You are also expected to critically reflect on theory and practice from an ethical and professional standpoint as well as from a professional development perspective.

This module encompasses two dynamic aspects of people management – the need to understand trends and challenges in business practice from a systematic perspective and the need to produce clear, evidence-based insights in order to inform organisational decision-making. You will learn to use reliable evidence to explore ‘real world’ issues, the kinds of problems and challenges you will face as a people manager. You will explore these issues from differing organisational contexts to reflect sectoral or industry-based differences as well as different professional (e.g. HRM/HRD) perspectives.

This engaging and interactive module is essential for a career in HRM/HRD and you will learn how people professionals support other workers, how they promote effective and ethical behaviours to champion quality of work and improved working lives and, develop good business sense. The concepts that underpin this module are essential for promoting inclusiveness and influencing others through fair and transparent behaviours. Through core skill sets such as perception, critical thinking, communication and teamwork, this unit will promote understanding of how actions and inclusive behaviour impact on ethics and the organisation. You will critically assess business issues and different ethical standpoints across people practices and the strategic importance of the HRM role to maintain high standards and secure good organisational outcomes. This module enables you to consolidate your learning from other modules in the course, gaining greater insight into your role in business improvement and improving to working lives. You will evaluate the promotion of well-being, fairness and the contribution of personal integrity within organisations across a range of people practices, by working collaboratively and reflectively across a variety of organisational sectors, contexts and boundaries. You will learn how to achieve and maintain challenging business outcomes through an understanding of business purpose and values, along with the self-awareness needed to support career progression. Additionally, you will justify the benefits of maintaining a passion for learning, evaluate the need for continuing professional development and the merits of evidence-based critical thinking. Finally, you will demonstrate behaviours associated with effective influencing and decision-making as well as assessing the benefits of networking. The module begins at the induction onto the course and involves a number of workshops delivered through the programme of study to integrate and consolidate learning, linking topics to professional standards using the CIPD profession map, providing active reflective space to support learning to cohere around CIPD standards, and connecting learning topics to other professional development opportunities within and beyond the University.

People management in the international context is about more than HRM in a subsidiary context. The nature and scope of international working through multinationalisation, labour mobility and the emergence of global nomads raises many issues about national, institutional and regulatory issues in relation to human resources, not just from the cultural perspective but comparatively and strategically. Processes of internationalisation require specific people strategies that raise questions about ethics and responsible management in the modern age as well as trends and demands for particular skills, such as Cultural Empathy (CQ). In this module you will examine the conceptual and practical issues in relation to international operations that impact on people management. You will also take a comparative approach to how organisations and people management operate in different cultures, countries and regions.

The Individual Research Project provides an opportunity to pursue your own interests and engage more deeply with your subject by completing an in-depth piece of research work using relevant research methods. Working autonomously, but under the guidance of a supervisor, you will make choices about the most appropriate methods and then conduct your own research project. Through the Individual Research Project, you will have the opportunity to greatly enhance your own knowledge and skills. The research will be presented in written format using academic conventions recognised in your field.

The Group Consultancy Project provides you with the opportunity to engage in a ‘real world’ live client brief. You will work in small teams and will be expected to engage in the process of scoping the project with the business client, undertake the necessary information gathering, analysing the information and make recommendations to the client. As part of this module, you will also need to evaluate how principles of ethics, sustainability and responsibility influence your professional decision making.

The module provides you with the opportunity to take the practical steps to initiate a new venture or facilitate growth and innovation in an existing venture. The focus is on developing an understanding of business practicalities through action, reflection and case study. The module encourages you to acquire the knowledge, skills and attitudes for practice, recognising that you may be at different stages and working on different issues at the same time. Supervision and action learning sets provide flexible support to enable self directed learning to facilitate start up and business development initiatives with existing businesses.