PGP 2017-2019

HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT (Elective –Term 5)

COURSE OUTLINE

Credits: 3

Introduction to the course

Most organizations recognize that people are a source of competitive advantage and that the key
strength of a sustainable and profitable organization rests in its ability to retain, manage and develop
its talent pipeline. The operating/business/line managers in organizations play an important role in the
process of human capital development, in the way they deploy the policies of the organization. This
course adopts a General Manager’s perspective and will focus on the line manager’s role in the
delivery of HRM philosophy, systems, policies and processes that enable people related decisions in
organizations. The focus of the course will be to enable the participants to answer two critical
questions –
 Why is HRM a critical issue for line managers?

 How to enable line managers to effectively engage with HR systems and policies which
provide organizations a competitive advantage?

The course is intended to engage and foster critical thinking among students on their role as people
managers in organizations. The course outline and the readings assigned for each session are
provided.

Evaluation Criteria:
Announced Quizzes 30%
Group Presentation 30%
End-term Examination 30%
Class participation 10%

Announced Quizzes:
The quizzes will consist of short answers and short cases. They will be application oriented.

Group Presentation:
This assignment is done in small groups of 5-6 members. A copy of the slides needs to be sent to the
instructor before the presentation. The presentation will last for 15 mins followed by Q&A of 5
minutes. Adherence to time is the most important requirement. There will be penalty for exceeding
time limit. A written report of 1500-3000 words also needs to be submitted as scheduled/ discussed.
Each group will be assigned either of the following two activities:

HRM practice
Identify any HR policy / practice that exists in your organization that has had a high impact positively
or negatively across stakeholders. Interview the key actors in the context and peruse the documents if
available. Explore the logics behind the practice, the way it was implemented and assess its
effectiveness, from a stakeholder perspective. It is expected that you would provide a detailed
description of the practice/issue from multiple perspectives and draw upon theoretical frameworks to
analyse the issues more deeply. Conducting primary data collection using interviews / surveys etc.
would be a bonus.

Or,
Case & Analysis:
Develop a case based on an organizational change context which has an impact on the HR dimension.
The case problem or issue could be based on your prior organizational experience or from the popular
press. The case could focus on the human dimension in an internal organizational change process like
restructuring, outsourcing, ERP implementation, TQM implementation or downsizing. It could also
focus on a context like the human dimension in start-ups, in the M&A context, in HQ-Subsidiary, in
organizational decline or IPO. Define the background of the issue that you intend to study, examine
the stakeholder imperatives, the organizational decision-making processes and the way the change
was implemented, or the problem was resolved? What were the impacts on the people, their
behaviours and attitudes? Did the intended outcomes occur? What were the positives and negatives
associated with the change?

It is expected that you would provide a detailed description of the problem from multiple
perspectives. The case description would narrate the events, episodes, intended and unintended
consequences, the nature of decision making and its implications and the resolution of the problem.
Kindly provide an assessment of the effectiveness of the solution and what could have been done
differently. It is expected that you will draw up on the theoretical frameworks covered in the course to
help you to analyse the issue.

Class participation
The nature of the course being reflective and subjective and open to multiple interpretations, it is
expected that the participants shall attend the course with a spirit of participation. We look for
meaningful participation and you will be graded on the quality of your participation on discussion
forums.

Attendance Policy
Attendance is compulsory, and the PGP attendance policy will prevail in this course.

Pedagogy:
The instructional material used for this class will consist of lectures, case studies, exercises and class
participation.
Session Plan
(Readings will be uploaded on Moodle at least one week prior to class. Reading list may be revised)

Session 1:
Title: Reframing the HRM discourse: Functional managers as HR managers
Readings:
Article: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/13/business/13hire.html?smid=pl-share

Session 2:
Title: Understanding the Future of Work: Implications for people management
Readings:
https://www.mckinsey.com/featured-insights/future-of-organizations-and-work/jobs-lost-jobs-gained-
what-the-future-of-work-will-mean-for-jobs-skills-and-wages

Session 3:
Title: Linking HRM and Strategy
Readings:
Juul Andersen, T., & Minbaeva, D. (2013). The role of human resource management in strategy
making. Human Resource Management, 52(5), 809-827.
Ashkenas, Ron. (2014). Why Managers and HR Don’t Get Along. Harvard Business Review,
JULY 31, 2014
Case-Study: The loss of HR and its implications (in-class distribution)

Session 4:
Title: Talent Acquisition: Strategy and Significance
Reading:
Ready, D. A., Hill, L. A., & Conger, J. A. (2008). Winning the race for talent in emerging markets.
Harvard Business Review, 86(11), 62-70.

Session 5:
Title: Talent Acquisition: Functioning and Practices
Readings:
Sullivan, John. (2016). 7 Rules for Job Interview Questions That Result in Great Hires. Harvard
Business Review, FEBRUARY 10, 2016

Session 6:
Title: Performance Management: A Managerial Perspective
Readings:
DeLong T & Vijayaraghavan V (2003) “Let’s hear it for B players “Harvard Business Review.
Case Study: Domestic Auto Parts – Robert S. Kaplan (2006)
Quiz 1

Session 7:
Title: The application of principles of Performance Management
Readings:
Buckingham, M., & Goodall, A. (2015). Reinventing performance management. Harvard Business
Review, 93(4), 40-50.

Session 8
Title: Learning and Development
Reading: Developing the Talent You Have: Strategies for Training and Development
HBS Press, Harvard Business School Press, Excerpted from Hiring and Keeping the best People

Session 9
Title: Learning and Development
Readings:
Garvin, D. A. (1993). Building a learning organization. Harvard Business Review
Session 10
Title: Managing Careers -1
Zenger, J. H., Folkman, J. R., & Edinger, S. K. (2011). Making yourself indispensable. Harvard
business review, 89(10), 84-92.
Case Study: Can Nice Guys Finish First? (HBR Case Study) by Jeffrey Pfeffer

Session 11
Title: Managing Careers -2
Readings:
Case Study: Karen Leary (A) by Linda A. Hill, Jaan Elias

Session 12
Title: Rewards and Recognition
Case Study: Gravity Payments: $70,000 Minimum Salary Company by Won-Yong Oh, Youngkyun
Chang
Readings
McCord, P. (2014). How Netflix reinvented HR. Harvard Business Review, 92(1), 71-76.
Kumar & Pansari (2016) Measuring the Benefits of Employee Engagement. Sloan Management
Review
Quiz 2

Session 13
Title: Managing downsizing in organisations
Reading: Butler, F.C. et al. (2017). If You Think Downsizing Might Save Your Company, Think
Again. Harvard Business Review
Case Study: Tata Motors

Session 14
Title: Diversity at Workplace
Reading:
Gompers, P. A. and Kovvali, S. (2018). The Other Diversity Dividend. Harvard Business Review
Cast Study: Lemon Tree Hotels: Opening Doors for Everyone

Session 15
Title: Diversity at Workplace contd.
Reading: Bagley, C. E. (2003). The ethical leader's decision tree (pp. 18-19). Harvard Business
Review.
Case Study: A classic dilemma: what is the right thing to do?

Session 16
Title: Employee Legislation
Case Study: Maruti Suzuki Limited: Industrial Relations by Rashmi Kumar Aggarwal, Harvinder
Singh, Rajinder Kaur

Session 17
Title: Ethics, Employee Relations and Corporate Social Responsibility
Readings: Apple and Its Suppliers: Corporate Social Responsibility by Apple and Its Suppliers:
Corporate Social Responsibility by Sun Hye Lee, Michael Mol, Kamel Mellahi
Quiz 3

Session 18, 19 & 20

Title: Group Presentations
Teaching Faculty:
Pearl Malhotra
Professor, OB & HRM
Email: pearl.malhotra@iimb.ac.in
Phone: 080-26993302
Office: A 110