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.
This course is part of the Human Resource Management: HR for People Managers Specialization
Preparing to Manage Human Resources
Offered By
About this Course
4.8
1,574 ratings
Skills you will gain
Human Resources (HR)Resource ManagementHr Strategy
Syllabus - What you will learn from this course
Week
1Alternative Approaches to Managing Human Resources
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.
12 videos (Total 80 min), 1 reading, 4 quizzes
12 videos
Video: Embrace Your Role as a Manager (Course Introduction)7m
Video: About the Instructor7m
Video: Human Resources? That’s Not Very…4m
Video: HR Basics5m
Video: The Historical Evolution of HRM6m
Video: Contrasting Organizational Strategies6m
Video: Alternative Managerial Styles7m
Video: External Influences on HR Strategies6m
Video: The Importance of Organizational Strategy for HR Strategy6m
Video: Speed Dating with HR Executives5m
Video: Ideas Matter10m
1 reading
Will the Real HRM Please Stand Up10m
4 practice exercises
Course Readiness and Personal Goals10m
Lesson 2 Practice Quiz8m
Lesson 3 Practice Quiz8m
Different Approaches to Managing People24m
Week
2What Makes Employees Work? Money, Of Course!
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.
10 videos (Total 61 min), 2 readings, 5 quizzes
10 videos
Video: The Many Meanings of Work4m
Video: Working for Money3m
Video: The Daily Grind6m
Video: Opportunism and Shirking6m
Video: Incentives, Incentives, Incentives6m
Video: Information Signals and Screens6m
Video: The Commodification of Work5m
Video: Labor Supply and Demand9m
Video: Labor as More than a Commodity8m
2 readings
HR Pros Ignore Economics at Their Own Peril10m
Everything You Need to Know About the Employment Relationship in One Tweet10m
4 practice exercises
Lesson 1 Practice Quiz8m
Lesson 2 Practice Quiz8m
Lesson 3 Practice Quiz8m
Monetary Aspects of Work24m
Week
3What Makes Employees Work Revisited...Non-Monetary Motivations
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.
9 videos (Total 73 min), 2 readings, 5 quizzes
9 videos
Video: Seeking Fulfillment from Work9m
Video: Finding Identity in Work7m
Video: Society Expects Me To Work7m
Video: Caring for Others8m
Video: Serving Others7m
Video: Fairness and Justice8m
Video: The Power and Limitations of Theories of Human Behavior10m
Video: Work Complexities Mean Managing is Complex9m
2 readings
The Metaphor of the Octopus Worker10m
To Tip or Not to Tip, That is the (HR Policy) Question10m
4 practice exercises
Lesson 1 Practice Quiz8m
Lesson 2 Practice Quiz8m
Lesson 3 Practice Quiz8m
Non-Monetary Aspects of Work24m
Week
4The People Manager as Part of a Complex System
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.
16 videos (Total 106 min), 3 readings, 5 quizzes
16 videos
Video: You Can’t Always Do What You Want7m
Video: Managing Unionized Employees4m
Video: The Front Stage, Backstage Manager5m
Video: The Employment-at-Will Baseline6m
Video: But True Employment-at-Will Doesn't Exist8m
Video: Disciplining and Dismissing Employees for Just Cause9m
Video: It’s a Complicated Legal World for Managers6m
Video: U.S. Employment Law9m
Video: U.S. Labor Law9m
Video: Employment and Labor Law: Non-U.S. Examples7m
Video: Pay Attention to the Law, But Don't Be Paralyzed By It4m
Course Re-cap: Putting it All Together5m
Video: Interview with HR VP5m
(Optional) Video: Careers in HRM7m
Video: Looking Ahead to the Other Courses3m
3 readings
Labor Relations 101 as Told Through the Musical Newsies10m
Thank You Wells Fargo...For Reminding Us of the Nature of the Employment Relationship10m
Reflection Exercise: Create a Mad Lib (optional, quick, and hopefully funny)10m
5 practice exercises
Lesson 1 Practice Quiz8m
Lesson 2 Practice Quiz8m
Lesson 3 Practice Quiz8m
Looking Back6m
Managing in a Complex System24m
4.8
415 Reviews55%
started a new career after completing these courses
83%
got a tangible career benefit from this course
35%
got a pay increase or promotion
Top Reviews
By MG•Mar 21st 2018
Excellent course structure, very clear and concise material, John Budd is teaching in a fun way, which helped me understand the syllabus, with short questions to help me think and not too long videos.
By RN•Oct 28th 2017
I really enjoyed this foundation class. It provide me with a deeper understand of human resources beyond just transactional duties. Human Resources is a key component in the life of an organization.
Instructor
John W. Budd
Professor and DirectorCenter for Human Resources and Labor Studies
About University of Minnesota
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.
About the Human Resource Management: HR for People Managers Specialization
Do you have people reporting to you that need managing? Or perhaps you want to consider a career in human resources? Or freshen up your HR knowledge?
This specialization provides a robust introduction to the key principles, policies, and practices of human resource management. The specialization begins with a foundational course that considers alternative approaches to managing human resources, provides a background to the U.S. legal context in which employees are hired, fired, rewarded, and managed, and outlines the different reasons that people are motivated to work. The remaining three courses tackle three core areas that all managers should understand: hiring employees, evaluating their performance, and rewarding them. Throughout the courses, an accessible, scientific approach is embraced such that best practices and practical tips are informed by research, but presented in accessible, applied ways.
Upon completing the specialization, learners will have a deeper understanding of what works in the workplace, including a toolkit of best practices for hiring, managing, and rewarding employees.
The specialization will be valuable for managers and entrepreneurs taking on these responsibilities as well as anyone else interested in the fundamental principles of human resource management. The Capstone Project will provide an opportunity to apply this knowledge to a real situation, including your own organization or work unit if desired.
Frequently Asked Questions
When will I have access to the lectures and assignments?
Once you enroll for a Certificate, you’ll have access to all videos, quizzes, and programming assignments (if applicable). Peer review assignments can only be submitted and reviewed once your session has begun. If you choose to explore the course without purchasing, you may not be able to access certain assignments.
What will I get if I subscribe to this Specialization?
When you enroll in the course, you get access to all of the courses in the Specialization, and you earn a certificate when you complete the work. Your electronic Certificate will be added to your Accomplishments page - from there, you can print your Certificate or add it to your LinkedIn profile. If you only want to read and view the course content, you can audit the course for free.
What is the refund policy?
Is financial aid available?
More questions? Visit the Learner Help Center.
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