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There are 4 modules in this course
One way or another, all employees are managed. But approaches to managing employees varying from employee-to-employee, job-to-job, manager-to-manager, organization-to-organization, and country-to-country. This course provides a foundation for developing your own approach to skillfully managing employees by illustrating alternative human resource management (HRM) strategies, introducing the importance of the legal context, and thinking about what motivates employees. This will then give you the factual and conceptual basis for developing specific, critical HRM skills in subsequent courses on hiring employees, managing performance, and rewarding employees. Don't know anything about HRM? That's OK! Leave this course with a new-found understanding of the range of options available for managing employees, a grasp of what makes workers tick, and the readiness to develop your own HRM skills.
Welcome to the first week of this course! This section starts with an introduction to the course, and then we'll spend two lessons looking at alternative ways of managing human resources. After completing this module, you will be able to… • Explain why managing people is important. • Compare strategies for managing human resources. • Evaluate the fit between an organization’s HR strategy, a manager’s style(s), and the business environment. • Recommend strategies and styles for managing people in a particular situation.
Video: External Influences on HR Strategies•7 minutes
Video: The Importance of Organizational Strategy for HR Strategy•6 minutes
Video: Speed Dating with HR Executives•6 minutes
Video: Ideas Matter•10 minutes
1 reading•Total 10 minutes
Will the Real HRM Please Stand Up•10 minutes
4 assignments•Total 98 minutes
Different Approaches to Managing People•30 minutes
Course Readiness and Personal Goals•30 minutes
Lesson 2 Practice Quiz•8 minutes
Lesson 3 Practice Quiz•30 minutes
1 discussion prompt•Total 10 minutes
Discussion: Your Experience with a Good or Bad HR Strategy•10 minutes
What Makes Employees Work? Money, Of Course!
Module 2•5 hours to complete
Module details
Welcome to the second module of this course! We'll be focusing on the monetary reasons for working, and the lessons for managers that result. After completing this module, you will be able to… • Explain how money can motivate some workers. • Identify key managerial concerns if workers are self-interested and view work economically. • Develop strategies for addressing these key concerns using insights from economics.
What's included
10 videos2 readings4 assignments1 peer review
Show info about module content
10 videos•Total 61 minutes
Video: Why Worry about Why Employees Work?•3 minutes
HR Pros Ignore Economics at Their Own Peril•10 minutes
Everything You Need to Know About the Employment Relationship in One Tweet•10 minutes
4 assignments•Total 120 minutes
Monetary Aspects of Work•30 minutes
Lesson 1 Practice Quiz•30 minutes
Lesson 2 Practice Quiz•30 minutes
Lesson 3 Practice Quiz•30 minutes
1 peer review•Total 120 minutes
What Work Means to Me...and Others•120 minutes
What Makes Employees Work Revisited...Non-Monetary Motivations
Module 3•6 hours to complete
Module details
Welcome to the third module of this course! We'll be focusing on the non-monetary reasons for working, and the lessons for managers that result. After completing this module, you will be able to… • Explain at least four different reasons that people work not related to money. • Identify key managerial concerns when workers work for different non-monetary reasons.• Develop strategies for addressing these key concerns using insights from psychology and sociology. • Justify the (in)application of insights from economics, psychology, and sociology in different situations.
Video: The Power and Limitations of Theories of Human Behavior•11 minutes
Video: Work Complexities Mean Managing is Complex•10 minutes
3 readings•Total 25 minutes
Does 5 to 9 solve 9 to 5?•5 minutes
The Metaphor of the Octopus Worker•10 minutes
To Tip or Not to Tip, That is the (HR Policy) Question•10 minutes
4 assignments•Total 120 minutes
Non-Monetary Aspects of Work•30 minutes
Lesson 1 Practice Quiz•30 minutes
Lesson 2 Practice Quiz•30 minutes
Lesson 3 Practice Quiz•30 minutes
1 peer review•Total 120 minutes
Analyzing Your HR Landscape•120 minutes
1 discussion prompt•Total 10 minutes
Discussion: Social norms that influence work in your culture.•10 minutes
The People Manager as Part of a Complex System
Module 4•5 hours to complete
Module details
Welcome to the fourth and final module of this course! In this section, we'll finish laying a foundation for managing human resources by looking at the constraints faced by managers, especially the legal environment. After completing this module, you will be able to… • Explain at least four constraints that influence how human resources are managed in a particular organization. • Compare the ways in which the law does and does not see employment as a typical contractual relationship. • Create a list of legal and illegal HRM practices in your country. • Judge when to use strategies for managing people that go beyond what the law requires.
The University of Minnesota is among the largest public research universities in the country, offering undergraduate, graduate, and professional students a multitude of opportunities for study and research. Located at the heart of one of the nation’s most vibrant, diverse metropolitan communities, students on the campuses in Minneapolis and St. Paul benefit from extensive partnerships with world-renowned health centers, international corporations, government agencies, and arts, nonprofit, and public service organizations.
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5·
Reviewed on Jun 19, 2020
I had a very great time while doing this course and there are a lot of things that i have learned from this course, and because of my this experience i am looking forward to go for another course
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5·
Reviewed on Jul 25, 2017
I thoroughly enjoyed this class. It is a great introduction to the HR world. It kept me interested all the way through. It made me want to take the rest of this HR series to get the certification.
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Reviewed on May 29, 2020
it was a very good experience while running about the people management.How HR is important in every company and roles of HR .As we all know that HR is the backbone of the company.Thank you .
What will I actually learn in this human resources course?
You’ll learn how to compare different ways of managing people, understand what drives employee behavior, and make HR choices that fit an organization’s goals and constraints. It starts with HR basics and managerial styles, then moves into employee motivation, fairness, and the legal side of managing employees. You’ll apply those ideas through quizzes, discussions, and a peer-reviewed analysis of an organization’s HR challenges.
Do I need any HR background before starting this course?
No, you don’t need prior HR experience to start. The course begins with HR basics and introduces the main ideas step by step, including strategy, motivation, and legal constraints. If you’ve already managed people, that will give you useful examples to connect to, but it isn’t required.
Is this course beginner-friendly for HR and people management?
Yes, it’s a good fit if you’re new to HR or moving into a people-management role and want a broad introduction. The course explains core ideas through lessons, readings, quizzes, and discussion-based activities before asking you to apply them. It may feel less suitable if you want deep training in one narrow area like recruiting or compliance right away.
How long does it take to complete this course?
Plan on about 19 hours in total. At roughly 10 hours a week, that’s about two weeks of study, with time spread across lessons, readings, quizzes, discussions, and peer-reviewed assignments. The pacing should feel manageable if you like working through short units steadily.
Are there hands-on exercises or projects in this course?
Yes, but the hands-on work is more analytical and reflective than lab-based. You’ll do self-assessments, quizzes, discussion prompts, and peer-reviewed writing, including work on your own views of work and an analysis of an organization’s staffing, performance, and compensation challenges. Most of the practice is guided, with a few more open-ended assignments, so you apply each idea as you learn it.
What skills and topics are covered in this course?
The course focuses on people management from several angles: HR strategy, managerial style, employee motivation, and the constraints that shape management decisions. You’ll compare different HR approaches, look at both monetary and non-monetary reasons people work, and examine topics like fairness, unions, and employment law, including US law and some international examples. By the end, you should have a clearer framework for judging why different management choices fit different workplaces.
What can I actually do after finishing this course?
After finishing, you should be able to explain why one people-management approach fits a situation better than another. You’ll be better able to assess what may be motivating employees, where fairness concerns may arise, and when legal or organizational limits affect a manager’s options. For example, you could look at a team’s staffing or performance issues and suggest a more suitable HR approach.
Is this course more focused on theory or hands-on learning?
It’s more concept-focused, with guided practice built in. Most of your time goes into understanding how strategy, motivation, and workplace rules shape management decisions, then reinforcing that through quizzes, discussions, and short written analysis instead of labs or a large project.
Why would I choose this course over other human resources courses?
This course is a strong choice if you want a broad, manager-centered view of HR rather than a course that stays in just one lane. John W. Budd ties together strategy, employee motivation, fairness, and legal constraints, so you see how people-management decisions connect across real organizations. If you want to think more clearly about managing employees, especially as a new manager or HR learner, this course is a better fit than a specialist or compliance-only option.