Organizational Strategy: MS in Human Resource Management

The field of human resource (HR) management continues to evolve and is becoming central to the strategic health of organizations. Students in this course establish a foundation of knowledge centered on the exploration of a framework of human capital development that students can use as a baseline for enhancing the practice of human resource management. Students explore keys to success in the program, including goal setting and priority establishment, time management, the basics of effective communication, the use of feedback and reflection, and effective work in group or virtual settings. Students are also provided with a brief introduction to Walden University, graduate studies at Walden and related processes and policies, the MS in Human Resource Management program, and the essentials of scholarly writing.

One of the most important assets of an organization is its talent, in other words, its human capital. However, too often there is little planning or strategy applied to the creation and management of this huge asset. In this course, students have the opportunity to develop the skills and knowledge to create and work effectively within a talent management and planning process. They explore recruiting strategies within a human capital development context and focus on building specific skills in managing an organization's talent through position planning, talent selection and placement, and retention. Using industry best practices, students also engage in applications and group projects to practice developing initiatives that align with organizational strategies.

Understanding the specific value of the human resource (HR) capital of an organization is crucial. Metrics for HR management provide the tools for both measuring human capital value and for overseeing and managing an organization’s human resources. Students in this course explore HR metrics as tools for organizational and individual performance improvement. They work toward establishing a foundation for the effective deployment of performance metrics as part of the recruitment, training and development, and retention of human resources. Students learn which metrics to employ and how to manage the results—a pivotal responsibility of HR managers. Students in this course are provided with the tools to make informed decisions required to create, apply, interpret, and manage results of appropriate metrics as an HR professional.

Performance management is a set of practices and processes that creates career opportunities to attract appropriate resources, establishes an environment that nurtures individual productivity and development, and smoothly transitions individuals to their next position or organization. Students in this course are provided with the opportunity to address these three key sets of processes. They practice writing job descriptions, selecting the right employees, developing skill-based performance standards, effecting relevant onboarding programs, and implementing educational and training programs intended to drive the success of employees and the organization as a whole. They explore how to maximize employee productivity through structured feedback, coaching, reflective performance development conversations, effective compensation models, employee recognition programs, and career development paths. Students also examine ways to improve performance management systems by integrating feedback from the exit interviews of valued employees.

Effective business practice requires the ability to handle important negotiations, from internal disputes to international mergers, as well as the knowledge of methods and tools to prevent, manage, and break inherent conflict. Students in this course explore the challenges of managing people in times of perceived conflict and dispute, and they work toward developing skills to identify different types of conflict situations. They engage in hands-on, practical exercises in general contingency thinking and action approaches, negotiation and bargaining strategies, and communication styles designed to help them resolve conflicts and move toward win-win outcomes.

Students in this course explore the role of budgeting and resource allocation along with related processes within the organizational context. Students examine processes related to managing budgets and strategies to effectively read, interpret, and communicate the often complex financial information related to both unit and organizational performance. Students also explore the implications of resource availability as well as methods to plan for and prioritize the use of resources, while considering ethical issues related to sustainability and resource scarcity.

In today’s organization, human resource management plays an important strategic role and increasingly contributes to its competitiveness. Students will explore how a more proactive and systemic approach to human resources addresses strategic business challenges throughout the organization---market positioning, talent acquisition, innovation, product development, quality, customer service, and operating functions. Students will see how results-based performance management is tied to the organization’s strategic agenda. Students will compare different theoretical perspectives of strategic human resource management and see the value of preparing employees of the future today to create sustainable competitive advantage.  

Human resource departments are increasingly becoming networked organizations. Students in this course will learn the skills needed to evaluate build-or-buy alternatives for meeting human resource needs, negotiate contracts with service providers, develop service-level agreements, and track progress of ongoing contracts. Students will examine how the human resource professional can leverage systems to integrate vendor-supplied services, such as training, consulting, recruiting, assessment, coaching, and information systems.

Organizations need to identify strategic talent today for their future success. In this course, students explore the processes that define an organization’s future human resource needs, identify the gaps between today’s resource requirements and future needs of the organization, and develop strategies to meet these needs. Through interactive discussion and practical exercises, students learn how to develop internal talent profiles, define career management tracks, conduct internal recruiting, develop comprehensive succession planning strategies, and use information technology to support these activities.

Students in this integrative course synthesize knowledge gained through the program to examine how a human resource professional can direct individual and organizational performance to build an organization that delivers on its value proposition, builds sustainability, and impacts positive social change. The course is built on the fundamental idea that individual people can effect great change in organizations and communities of all sizes by changing themselves. Students will build upon this to develop an evidence-based, formally researched, annual human resources operating plan for an organization or not-for-profit with which they are familiar.  

The purpose of the capstone course is to integrate the knowledge and concepts students have gained through the MBA program. Students will practice their skills and employ their knowledge by evaluating business strategies capable of achieving sustainable competitive advantage. Students in this course will be required to identify and address challenges and opportunities found in today's complex and often uncertain business environment. Students complete their transformational journey through the program by reflecting on their learning and considering the next phase of their career development. The aim of the course is to improve the students' ability to manage in an environment requiring both strategic and operational knowledge. Topics include corporate social responsibility and stakeholder management, resource-based capabilities analysis, external competitive analysis, business-level strategy evaluation and development, and change management.

Contemporary organizations typically strive to align human resources with their functional strategies and business units, lending to the fulfillment of the short- and long-term goals of the organization. In this course, students explore the role of effective human resource (HR) professionals, who engage with colleagues that lead these operating areas and develop HR solutions that support their success. Students identify and discuss the key drivers and metrics that managers in accounting, finance, information systems, sales, marketing, distribution, regulatory, supply chain, and other operating areas within the organization employ to craft their functional-level strategies. Students discover that this knowledge is what provides HR professionals the credibility to be valued partners with functional management figures, thus helping to prepare students for the inherent challenges of the HR manager role.

An integral component of the value created in mergers and acquisitions (M&A) is through human resources. Human resource professionals partner with senior management to support the organization before, during, and after an M&A event. Students in this course work toward developing the skills to analyze how cultural fit between organizations can impact M&A success, manage redundancy, recommend appropriate organizational structures, assess IT implications of combined payroll and benefits systems, design reward systems, and map professional development paths to retain valued resources. Students engage in a variety of application-based assignments to learn how to design and implement the communications strategy that is necessary to facilitate all M&A activities in a structured time frame.