MBA Full Time

Managing People in Organisations

Professor Patricia Findlay

Mr Cliff Lockyer
February/March 2011
 Managing People in Organisations

Unit Outline

Full Time Mode 2011

Credits: 10

Aim

The purpose of this unit is to facilitate students in taking a reflective look

at organisations: How do they function and why? What sort of problems do
they face, why, and how do they cope with them? How do they influence
individual behaviour and vice versa?

Organisational Behaviour (OB) is the academic body of knowledge that

has been produced by social scientists investigating the preceding
questions (and others like them). Human Resource Management (HRM) is
the study of professional and strategic practices which seek to implement
an understanding of OB in the organisational context. These areas of
study are integrated in the Managing People in Organisations (MPIO) unit.

Specifically, OB is concerned with the study of human behaviour (both at

the individual and group level) within formal organisations, and the study
of the behaviour of organisations as distinctive social entities. HRM is
concerned with the guiding philosophy of employment in an organisation
and practices such as recruitment, performance management,
development and reward.

The aims of the unit are to provide you with a repertoire of concepts,
which will enhance your understanding of organisational events and
processes so that you can make judgements about your behaviour, and
that of others, and can seek to influence organisational phenomena
effectively. In addition, the purpose is to provide an understanding of
modern organisations in terms of the management of people, the
strategies and processes of HRM, and to provide the basis for a critical
review of HRM systems and techniques.

In short, the aim is to facilitate students in developing the knowledge

about OB/HRM that general managers need when working in current
business/organisational situations.

The unit is based around three central and interrelated themes affecting
OB and HRM:
1 The impact of information and communications technology on
work and work organisations;
2 The emerging organisational forms, a combination of flatter,
simpler and more flexible organisational structures;
3 The changing nature of the employment relationship.
Objectives

During the unit, the objectives are to:

• discuss the different ways of understanding organisations and

show how a multiplicity of perspectives can be used to make
managerial action effective
• suggest concepts, frameworks and models for understanding
organisational phenomena at the level of the individual, the
group, and the organisation.
• facilitate participants in reflective thinking which, while it guides
you towards specific actions with respect to particular
organisational problems, also stimulates a critical discussion of
organisational reality
• stimulate reflective action, and participants will be encouraged to
explore ways as to how this can be achieved in organisational
contexts
• discuss the contemporary issues confronting organisations and
their impact on people, processes and organisations
• develop an understanding of the impact of people management
on organisational performance
• stimulate critical reflection on techniques of HRM.

Skills Outcomes

By the end of the unit, participants should be able to:

• apply suitable models and frameworks to the analysis of social

situations and problems at the level of the individual, group and
organisation
• be aware of the potential impacts of various forms of interaction
• assess how to go about intervening in a social situation
• make reflective judgements about the management of others
• make decisions about the appropriate use of HRM techniques
• evaluate and enact recruitment and selection of employees
• participate in performance management and training and
development

Knowledge Based Objectives

Managing People in Organisations will facilitate development of

knowledge of:

• alternative theories about the nature of organisations

• the nature of power and politics in organisational life
• alternative theories on how best to manage people in
organisations
• different approaches to managing people strategically
• theories and issues underlying performance management
• effective and integrated HRM processes
Learning Outcomes

By the end of the unit, participants should:

• have an understanding of a range of the theoretical

understandings and current developments available in OB and
HRM
• be able to critically engage with both theoretical and practical
constructions of issues and questions in OB and HRM
• be able to reflect on individual and group behaviour in a
theoretically-informed way
• be aware of the connections between different topic areas, and
their implications for practice
• understand the models of HRM, and the impact of HRM on
organisational performance
• understand the issues of application of the various techniques of
HRM

Learning Approach

The unit will use a variety of teaching and learning approaches including:
self-assessment exercises, group work, lectures, discussion and case
studies. The aim is to maximise participation and interaction. Participants
should come prepared to share their ideas and experience, and to learn
from their peers.

Throughout this unit, students will participate in group based activities.

The class will be structured into 10 groups. The key functions of the
groups are
• to work together on the course reading and to discuss their
understanding of what it contains
• to give a brief presentation (ten minute presentation and 5
minutes of questions/clarification) during one session on a
specified issue, reading, article or case and to circulate their
summary materials to the rest of the class. The topics for the
presentations will be provided at the first session.
• to undertake the course assignment.

Provisional Course Outline and timetable

Week 1 Morning sessions 9.30 – Afternoon sessions 2-5

12.30
Mon Introduction to module Group reading and review
28th and group assignment
February
Making sense of
organisations
The Structural frame

Reading
MPIO Chapter 1
Bolman & Deal Chapters 1 to
 4, 16
McKenna & Beech Chapter 3
Tues Organisational power and Organisational culture
1st March politics
Reading
Reading MPIO Chapter 3
MPIO Chapter 4 Bolman & Deal Chapters 12 -
Bolman and Deal Part 4 14
McKenna & Beech Chapter 5
Note: 11.30 finish

Wed Group reading and review Leadership and

2nd Management
March
Reading
MPIO Chapter 5
Bolman & Deal Chapter 17
Thurs Group reading and review Managing change
3rd March
Reading
MPIO Chapter 6
McKenna & Beech Chapter 4
Bolman & Deal Chapter 18

Groups 1 and 2 to present

Fri Group reading and review Engaging, enabling and
4th March empowering employees
(contemporary
motivational approaches)

Reading
MPIO Chapter 10
Bolman & Deal Chapter 6

Groups 3 and 4 to present

Week 2
Mon Managing people Group work on course
7th March strategically: the rise of assignment
HRM?

Reading
MPIO Chapter 7
McKenna & Beech Chapters 1
and 2

Groups 5 and 6 to present

Tues Group work on course HRM in practice
8th March assignment
Reading
McKenna & Beech Chapter 12
Additional reading references
will be distributed.
 Groups 7 and 8 to present
Wed Employee Resourcing Group work on course
9th March assignment
Reading
MPIO Chapter 8
McKenna & Beech Chapters 6
and 7

Groups 9 and 10 to present

Thurs Group work on course Managing Performance
10th assignment
March Reading
MPIO Chapter 9
McKenna & Beech Chapter 8

Fri 11th Group work on course Group work on course

March assignment assignment
Texts

Essential

MPIO Core Learning Materials

Bolman, L.G. & Deal, T.E. (2008). Reframing Organizations: Artistry,

choice and leadership (4th edition). London: Jossey-Bass.

McKenna, E. & Beech, N. (2008). Human Resource Management: A

Concise Analysis, London: Pearson.

Additional texts - OB

Child, J. (2005). Organization Contemporary Principles and Practice,

Oxford: Blackwell
Clegg, S.R. & Hardy, C. (1999). Studying Organization: Theory and
Method. London: Sage.
Felstead, A., Jewson, N. & Walters, S (2005). Changing Places of Work,
Houndmills: Palgrave
French, R. (2007). Cross-cultural Management in Work Organisations.
London, CIPD.
Gabriel, Y., Fineman, S. & Sims, D. (2000). Organizing and Organizations
(2nd edition). London: Sage.
Hughes., M. (2006) Change Management. London, CIPD.
Morgan, G. (1997). Images of Organization (2nd edition). London: Sage.
Palmer, I. & Hardy, C. (2000). Thinking About Management. London:
Sage.
Parker, B (1998). Globallisation and Business Practice, London: Sage.

Additional texts – HRM

Barber, A. E. (1998). Recruiting Employees: individual and organisational

perspectives, London: Sage.
Bolton, S. & Houlihan, M. (2007). Searching for the Human in Human
Resource Management. Houndmills: Palgrave
Brewster, C., Sparrow, P., & Vernon, G. (2007) International Human
Resource Management. London, CIPD.
Edwards, T. & Rees, C. (2006) International Human Resource
Management. Harlow: Pearson.
Korczynski, M. (2002). Human Resource Management in Service Work,
Houndmills: Palgrave
Legge, K. (2005). HRM: Rhetorics and Realities (anniversary edition):
Houndmills: Palgrave.
Proctor S & Mueller F (2000). Team working, Macmillan
Rousseau, D. M. and Schalk, R. (2000). Psychological Contracts in
Organisations, London: Sage.

The main journals which can be accessed via the BIS site include:

Harvard Business Review,

Academy of Management Journal
Human Relations
Human Resource Management Journal
Human Resource Management
International Journal of Human Resource Management
Personnel Review
New Technology, Work and Employment
Work, Employment and Society

Also useful articles can be found in the Economist and similar journals

Web sites:

Free research, surveys and other reports can be downloaded from a

number of web sites, including:

www.cipd.co.uk
A combination of factsheets, podcasts and surveys covering areas of:
change, recruitment and selection, employee engagement (motivation,
psychological contract, employee commitment), etc.

www.pwc.com
A range of surveys, look for their series of Global CEO surveys and also
future looking issues

www.kpmg.com
A similar range of business related studies

http://www.theworkfoundation.com
A range of reports and research on work and employment.

Assessment:

2 elements of assessment weighted 50/50.

Restricted Open Book Exam

The books that can be taken in are:

MPIO Core Learning Materials Vols 1 and 2

Bolman and Deal, Reframing Organizations
McKenna and Beech, Human Resource Management: A
concise analysis

3 questions to be answered in 3 hours, one from each section.

Section A: compulsory question which requires students to integrate

their thinking from across the unit and consider the practical
application of ideas.
Section B: one question from four in the OB area.
Section C: one question from four in the HRM area.

In general, higher marks will be awarded for answers which:

 • incorporate appropriate use of theoretical/framework material
• incorporate accounts of practice or experience
• draw on published empirical and case studies
• engage in critical and constructive reflection on both theory and
practice
synthesise thoughts in order to answer the question

Coursework Assignment:

Group Project (50% of the marks for the unit).

NB: The group project should be undertaken in the groups to which you
have been allocated for the course.

A media company has recently taken over a large call centre dealing with
the provision of TV based entertainment packages for both commercial
and private customers. Work is mainly divided into three areas:

1 Inbound dealing with both basic technical problems (connection

issues) and customers wishing to change packages of film/sport
and entertainment channels, or end current contracts;
2 Outbound, cold calling customers to see if they wish to increase
or change their current packages;
3 Commercial section dealing with commercial clients.

The call centre has had a number of different owners in the past and
undergone a series of ‘Change Initiatives’. It has been run on traditional
‘hard’ management policies with the core emphasis in management and
HR policies on reducing call waiting times, call duration times and tight
targets for staff.

All the core performance indicators: call waiting, call completion,

customer satisfaction, employee attitude survey findings, employee
absence and turnover are moving in the wrong direction. The numbers of
staff, especially managers and team leaders on long term sickness (often
stress related) are increasing.

A higher level of employee engagement is seen as critical by the new

owners; their corporate image is that the company is a fun and modern
company. Your task is to explore the underlying causes of the problems
and to suggest an effective HR change programme.

Background company data and reports will be distributed to each group

on Monday 28th February.

In general higher marks will be awarded for written assignments that:

• Display a subtle and thoughtful grasp of multiple-frame analysis

• Display good effort in secondary research and the application of this
to the company
 • Provide a coherent, relevant and convincing argument as to the HR
change programme that should be adopted.

You should undertake the following tasks:

1. Explore the topic theoretically - what are the different models and
ways of understanding the issue? Select between 2 or 3 perspectives on
the topic. How do these different theories conceptualise the issue?

2. Explore the topic empirically - what does the available data tell you?

3. Analyse the data in light of the theory (selecting some of the following
questions should help in the interrogation):

• How can the data be interpreted (through the perspectives of the

different theories, or frames)?
• What does the data say about individuals and groups within the
organisation?
• How do the different theories help you to understand the data?
• How does the data throw light onto (or militate against) the
theoretical understandings?

4. Offer reasoned solutions to the problems faced by the organisation.

5. Briefly review your learning: what have you learnt from your study
which could be of value to this organisation?

The guide word length for the group project is around 5000 words long.
The project should be no longer than 5,500 words long, and projects that
are longer than this will incur a penalty.

Appendices (which are not included in the word count) should be used for
reading references and should also include a list of group meetings,
attendance and actions. Each project should include a statement, signed
by all group members, that all members of the group made a genuine
contribution to the group project.

Project reports are to be handed in to the MBA office by 10am on Tuesday,

15th March. Groups should also email a soft copy of their project to
Professor Findlay on the same day.

Staff
Professor Patricia Findlay Mr Cliff Lockyer
Human Resource Management/ Fraser of Allander Institute
Scottish Centre for Employment
Research Tel: 0141 548 3198
Tel: 0141 548 4858 c.j.lockyer@strath.ac.uk
Patricia.findlay@strath.ac.uk