389461: Human Capital Management
MGMT-X 450.36
- Winter 2023
- Section 1
- 4 Credits
- 01/09/2023 to 03/26/2023
- Modified 02/01/2023
Meeting Times
Week one - Changing Imperatives For Organizational Effectiveness!
Week two - Organizational Goals and Objectives
Week three - Moving From Challenges To Human Capital Management, Quiz One
Week four - Building An Improvement Roadmap - Developing Human Capital Strategies To Improve Organizational Performance
Week five - Case Study – Performance Requirements, Goals, Strategies
Week six - Human capital strategy deployment, Quiz Two
Week seven - Supplemental Readings week
Week eight - Human Resources & Leader Roles in HCM
Week nine - Open week one
Week ten - Special Topics week
Week eleven - Project Review and Finalization
Description
The effective management of human capital, one of any organization's key investments, is critical to success. Clear accountability for human capital management, strong systems to support its development and growth, and an HR structure that is aligned to deliver results differentiates world-class HR functions. This course focuses on connecting business strategy with human capital strategy and the resulting impact on the human resource department. Topics include HR to business alignment, employment branding, managing the performance and growth of human capital, effective change management, the evolving role of the HR function and the HR professional, and successfully marketing ideas to management.
Objectives
-To evaluate the challenges and responses to Human Capital Management.
-To assess strategic needs for developing and deploying improved human performance at the individual and organizational level.
-To design and align strategies for developing & applying Human Capital potential within the context of the organization's mission, operational realities and performance requirements.
-To survey key leadership roles and requirements for managing Human Capital improvement.
Materials
The Role of the Textbook
Human Capital Management
Do not fret about the 2013 publishing date - the text is very up to date still with it's themes, assertions and approaches to HCM.
Learning will come from the text, lectures and the discussions taken all together holistically. A combination of lectures, textbook information, assignments and regular communication represent the major inputs from which successful course completion will be achieved. This also aligns with well-documented research on effective adult learning via application.
Deliverables
Writing Assignments: Responding to Readings & Discussion Topics
The bulk of the course learning will be through the weekly writing assignments and discussions. Writing assignments solidify learning's from readings and peer inputs. Peer inputs serve fellow classmates in their learning's as well.
Course Project
I. Project Deliverable
The consulting project will be a written paper of approximately 7-12 pages (SINGLE-SPACED!) in length detailing the background, current situation, future state, strategies and plans for improving the Effectiveness of your Organization's Human Capital strategy.
Please note that the actual implementation of such strategies and plans is not a part of the student's evaluation since the involvement and buy-in of key personnel (who are not bound by the requirements of this course) would be necessary.
Additionally, the project is NOT to be a book report or an explanation of how to go about implementing a computer system, or some small aspect of an HR department's functioning.
The goal here is to think BIG, and create a plan that would significantly change how Human Capital deliver value to the organization (the purpose of this course).
Although you are not required to implement everything you create within the project, it does need to be comprehensive enough in mapping out how such a set of improvement strategies would occur and obviously you will be encouraged to begin implementing your classroom learning's back on the job, even though such implementation is not a requirement for this course.
As a note, the final project is NOT one where you pick a subject and write a paper on it. It is a project based on the actual dynamics of your workplace as they relate to improving organizational performance!
PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE Reread all of the above!!
II. Project Scope
The project should be based on the student's existing company/organization, or any that they can reasonably access for purposes of this project. If you do not work in HR or are not even employed you may go outside the company to another HR department.
III. Project Requirements
The learner will write a complete report to management for purposes of deploying Human Capital Strategy improvements. This will include assessing the current situation (internally and externally), creating specific future-state requirements to organizationally "Win" and the supporting objectives and strategies that will serve as a "Roadmap" for progressing towards the performance-driven organizational results.
1) Assess The Current Situation (2 -3 pages). The learner will assess the current business/organizational situation, linking the required success to organizational and human capital capabilities. This assessment may be done through structured interviews, brief surveys (to be made available to you in this course) and/or other conversations with various leaders and employees. The idea here is to get a clear and detailed picture of the current effectiveness of the organization's ability to deliver results. This may be the entire organization or a subset such as Sales, marketing, manufacturing, etc. Please refer to the Tools folder under course documents for sample survey/format that may be used for conducting your research. This part of the project is extremely important prior to moving on to part two below.
2) Articulate A Detailed View Of The People-Capabilities Future-State (2-3 pages). The learner will work to develop a detailed set of capabilities, sklills, knowledge that managers, leaders, employees would need to drive organizational success. This could also include changes to structure, departments and or other aspects to the firm's value-chain that delivers the required organizational results. Essentially, this part answers the question of what must the future organization look like in order to meet the challenges facing it?
3) Develop Objectives & Strategies For Implementing & Progressing Towards The New Ideal (2-3 pages). Here, the learner will formulate the overarching strategies for progressing towards the future-state described above. This is best done using a phased approach that takes into account the situation specifics previously studied by the learner. Part of this will include identifying obstacles, issues and key challenges that would need to be addressed for progress to occur. Basically, you are deciding how to best move from the status quo of today to the future-state of how people are developed and deployed organizationally to deliver overall results! These strategies need to be prominent, detailed and based on the situation assessment above. This should be the bulk of the project write-up and the central target of your effort!
4) Plan for Implementation (1 page). Here, the learner will topline a timeline and logically-ordered set of proposed actions to bring the strategies and plans alive. (Though more work, I'm REALLY impressed when you break-down all strategies into specific plans!).
** The write-up for the project should be a consultant report style as if you were hired to do this for your company's executives and the HR function. **
A Great Project:
-Contains a rich use of bullet points and font and color variety
-Charts and graphs where appropriate
-Logically "Flows" as a case for strategic Human Resources change
-Includes any surveys done in an appendix-Is NOT written as a narrative, paragraph format-only write-up
As a review, the project then has the following components:
-Detailed Overview of the Situation (35% of length)
-A transformational discussion detailing current state knowledge, skills, capabilities of the firm's Human Capital and their desired future state roles to drive enhanced organizational performance (30% of length)
-Detailed discussion of the objectives & strategies
based on these (25% of length - bulk of the write-up!)
-Topline timeline/Action Plan (10% of length)
Suggestions For Proceeding With The Project
-Read through this project description a few times, jotting down ideas for what you might do.
-Read through the suggested assessment format to get a feel for how it may assist you.
-Email me with your questions about the project - early!!
-Consider having a conversation with your manager or a peer on the project to get their thoughts on how you might proceed.
-Send me a project proposal for feedback
Project Evaluation Criteria - the project will be evaluated according to the following criteria:
a) Situation Assessment - 30%
b) Current-state to Future state vision articulation - 35%
b) Objectives & Strategy - 25%
c) Implementation Topline - 10%
Remember, this is a consulting project, NOT a book report or term paper on a subject of your choosing! You should plan on writing a professional, consulting report for submittal to your client (your employer) though you need-not actually give it to them in reality, necessarily.
Due date: The last day of week nine or earlier. ** Please email the course project as a word attachment to my email [email protected] Do not use drop boxes or Google docs or other places that seem to never work.
Thanks and let me know if you would like to discuss the project requirements.
Points
100
Earned Assignment Points and Course Grading Breakdown
Grading
Completed Course Work
Weekly earned assignments earn up to 10 points as-follows:
-Up to 7 points for your main write-up response to the posted assignment
-Up to 3 points for peer interactions, questions, commentary (usually earned with 3+ differing peer responses in quality thinking/writing). The initial 7 points will be posted as soon as I read your main post. The follow-on 3 points (for a total of 10 pts) will be added in later after all peer commentaries are posted and I read them later. You will know the total grade for a week only after I announce such in the announcements. If I receive an email that you don't understand why you earned only 6 or 7 points, that will indicate to me you did not read this.
Assignments are due by the end of each week in which they are assigned.
-Extra credit - superior efforts in the main assignment (due weekly) may earn 0.25 extra points
I will grade/evaluate your assignments typically the week after their submissions. Late-posted work will be graded later as periodic gradebook reviews are done. If your work is late, do not expect it to be graded promptly.
Often, I will return comments within a few days, however this may not always be possible. Late work will be accepted, given special circumstances you may encounter in your life. If your work is chronically late, please contact me to discuss your situation.
Also, I will not necessarily comment on each and every post made in the discussion boards as this can be overly-mechanical and repetitive based on past experience. I also tend to await all student posts before I make commentary.
Our discussion learning will be based on both peer responses as well as instructor commentary and challenges to viewpoints offered. Student counter-challenges to instructor views are welcome and encouraged as critical, diverse thinking and healthy debate, and are part of the desired development we seek here! I am sometimes told my commentaries are negative. While criticism of student responses are a natural part of learning, you should push back if you disagree with assertions I make here, as I also praise thinking that I deem effective in the context of approaches we are focusing on here within our learning.
* If at any time you are not sure how you are doing with respect to assignments or what you need to do for greater assignment scores, you are encouraged to contact me directly.
Overall Course Grading:
Course Grading will be as follows:
-45% written assignments to posted exercises and participation in discussions (making efforts to do more than the minimum!).
-20% quizzes.
-35% final consulting project write-up.
This course is not for the minimalist student - There is an aggressive, but fair amount of reading, writing and project research work! Your learning will be linked to the efforts you make. Having taught these courses for 15 years, I can spot the difference between minimalist work and adult learners who make consistently good efforts. Also, I do not believe in the "Just do the work and you'll get an A" mentality. Grades of A are earned by those who demonstrate subject matter mastery consistently.
You will likely receive a grade "B" or "Pass" by completing all basic requirements for the course, unless your work demonstrates that your efforts were minimal/substandard/significantly delinquent (the judge of this will be me). A grade of "A" will be awarded based on a showing of high-quality work, superior effort, a high level of participation (ie; numerous and lengthy write-ups on the discussion boards!) and evidence of a high level of subject matter competence. Please read the above again!
PLEASE NOTE:
This course is about LEARNING rather than on checking-off assignments and getting to the course end-point, as such I expect you to fully engage the subject matter and corresponding discussions. If your mindset is "What do I minimally have to do to get an A", you will not likely earn one. If you put in about 5-7 hours per week of reading and writing, and an approximate total of 12+ hours total effort into the course project, you'll very likely earn an A.
Additionally, practical learning as adults asks us also to look to apply what we learn and the course project will fulfill this goal of the course as it is a consulting project rather than a term paper.
Please re-read all criteria so you may achieve the level of success you truly desire! I say this because some students don't REALLY want an A, as evidenced by their effort levels. I sometimes end up sparring with a student who has not done A-level work and then claimed they did not know what was expected.
Thanks!
Evaluation
|
A
|
100%
|
to 90%
|
|
B
|
< 90%
|
to 80%
|
|
C
|
< 80%
|
to 73%
|
|
F
|
< 73%
|
to 0%
|
Course Policies
Instructor Expectations
Each student is expected to participate on a weekly basis, completing assignments and participating in online discussions as appropriate. Note that using this system will allow you access to previous weeks' sessions, communications and postings as you deem necessary to your learning and progress.
Please note that this course, although designed much like a contemporary college-level program, has as its ultimate goal application to the real world of the professional learner. In that sense, your learning and capabilities are determined by you and your desires to learn, versus doing minimal assignments and readings.
PLEASE READ:
**If you are enrolled in this program and are not an HR employee or employed at all, slight modifications to the course work may be necessary. Please contact the instructor for more information.
Success Requirements:
- Read the assigned topics from the textbook, online topics/lessons and complete the exercises (located in the "Assignments" area) listed for each week of the program.
- Ask questions! Think! Explore! We're all here to learn and apply learning's rather than "Get Through" the course!
- Post a response to at least three peer discussions thread based on all weekly discussion forum topics (see specific instructions posted for each weekly assignment). The more involvement, the better! Minimal postings/efforts will earn minimal points and homework postings are the largest component of the course grade!
- Take any quizzes that present themselves as part of the weekly modules. This course will have 2 quizzes.
- Complete a final consulting project/paper due the last day of the course.
Course Format: Online
This course is designed to be completed entirely online. All course activities and assignments will be managed through Canvas – you will use your unique username and password to log into the course, interact with your instructor and fellow students, and submit any required assignments.
Since attendance is asynchronous (not in real time), you may login at any time of the day. However, you are expected to participate in the virtual classroom on a weekly basis and complete all readings, discussion requirements and assignments/exams as required (see Course Policies below for more information).
Please keep a copy of all assignments and work submitted. Print the syllabus for your reference. It is your responsibility to be aware of all assignments, due dates and guidelines.
Note the following points about online courses at UCLA Extension:
- Students must have basic computer skills, including the use of word processing software, email, and the ability to use internet browsers such as Firefox, Safari, or Chrome.
- Students should familiarize themselves with Canvas and are responsible for meeting the minimum technical requirements for using Canvas.
- For more information about the Canvas learning management system, please visit: http://student.uclaextension.edu/our-platform/overview/
- For information about the technical requirements for web-enhanced courses, please visit: http://student.uclaextension.edu/support/technical-requirements/
- Course materials will become available two days before the beginning date of the course.
- Students must follow all posted deadlines and must complete all work in Canvas by the end of the course. Students receiving an “Incomplete” may not complete work within Canvas and must work individually with their instructor to satisfy completion requirements.
Planning Your Study Time
To plan your study time, it is estimated that you will spend 3 hours per week "in class" with the instructor and approximately 7 additional hours per week outside of class studying for exams, reading, and completing assignments. Depending on the extent of your academic preparation and recent college-level coursework in this topic area, the amount of study time needed may vary considerably.
Incompletes
The interim grade Incomplete may be assigned when a student's work is of passing quality, but a small portion of the course requirements is incomplete for good cause (e.g. illness or other serious problem). It is the student’s responsibility to discuss with the instructor the possibility of receiving an “I” grade as opposed to a non-passing grade. The student is entitled to replace this grade by a passing grade and to receive unit credit provided they complete the remaining coursework satisfactorily, under the supervision of and in a time frame determined by the instructor in charge, but in no case later than the end of the next academic quarter. At that time, the Registrar will cause all remaining Incompletes to lapse to the grade "F". Note: Receiving an “I” does not entitle a student to retake all or any part of the course at a later date.
Institutional Policies
Student Conduct
Students are subject to disciplinary action for several types of misconduct or attempted misconduct, including but not limited to academic dishonesty, such as cheating, multiple submission, plagiarism, or knowingly furnishing false information to the University; or behavioral misconduct, such as theft or misuse of the intellectual property of others, harassment, or disruption of the learning environment. Students are encouraged to familiarize themselves with the Student Rights & Responsibilities Policy and to report concerns.
Services for Students with Disabilities
In accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, UCLA Extension provides appropriate accommodations and support services to qualified applicants and students with disabilities. These include, but are not limited to, auxiliary aids/services such as sign language interpreters, assistive listening devices for hearing-impaired individuals, extended time for and proctoring of exams, and registration assistance. Accommodations and types of support services vary and are specifically designed to meet the disability-related needs of each student based on current, verifiable medical documentation. Arrangements for auxiliary aids/services are available only through UCLA Extension’s Service for Students with Disabilities Office at (310) 825-7851 or by email at [email protected]. For complete information, please visit Accessibility and Disability Services.
Incompletes
The interim grade Incomplete (I) may be approved for a student who has completed the majority of the course requirements, with passing quality (grade C or higher), but is unable to complete a small portion of the coursework by the course end date for good cause. For courses in which an Incomplete may be allowed, approval by the instructor of record and the academic program director is required. The Incomplete grade is not an option for courses that do not bear credit, such as 700, 800, or 900-level courses.
It is the student's responsibility to petition for an Incomplete. The student and instructor must complete the Student Petition for an Incomplete prior to the final course meeting or before the quarter end date, and determine a due date for when the outstanding coursework will be completed. The due date cannot exceed the end of the ensuing quarter when a final grade must be reported or the Incomplete lapses to the grade "F," "NP," or "U." An Incomplete allows the student to complete only work that is outstanding and does not allow prior completed work to be retaken or resubmitted. Visit UCLA Extension Grading Scale for more information.
All Grades are Final
No change of grade may be made by anyone other than the instructor, and then, only to correct clerical errors. No term grade except Incomplete may be revised by re-examination. The correction of a clerical error may be authorized only by the instructor of record communicating directly with personnel of Student and Alumni Services.
Sexual Harassment
The University of California is committed to creating and maintaining a community where all individuals who participate in University programs and activities can work and learn together in an atmosphere free of harassment, exploitation, or intimidation. Every member of the community should be aware that the University prohibits sexual harassment and sexual violence, and that such behavior violates both law and University policy. The University will respond promptly and effectively to reports of sexual harassment and sexual violence, and will take appropriate action to prevent, to correct, and when necessary, to discipline behavior that violates our policy.
All Extension students and instructors who believe they have been sexually harassed are encouraged to contact the Department of Student and Alumni Services for complaint resolution: UCLA Extension, 1145 Gayley Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90024; Voice/TTY: (310) 825-7031. For more information, please view the University’s full Policy on Sexual Harassment and Sexual Violence.
Additional Items
Protecting Privacy and Data During Live Instruction
Live meeting sessions for this class, when applicable, are being conducted over Zoom. As the host, the instructor may be recording live sessions. Only the host has the ability to record meetings, no recording by other means is permitted. Recorded sessions will be posted in the Videos area of this class unless otherwise notified. Due to privacy, recordings are not available for download and are only accessible via Canvas for the duration of the class. If you have privacy concerns and do not wish to appear in the recording, do not turn on your video and/or audio. If you also prefer to use a pseudonym instead of your name, please let the instructor know what name you will be using so that the instructor knows who you are during the session. To rename yourself during a Zoom meeting, click on Participants, click on your name, click on More, click on Rename. If you would like to ask a question, you may do so privately through the Zoom chat by addressing your chat question to the instructor only (and not to ""everyone""). Additionally, chat may be used and moderated for live questions, and saving of chats is enabled. If you have questions or concerns about this, please contact the instructor via Canvas Inbox.
Pursuant to the terms of the agreement between Zoom and UCLA Extension, the data is used solely for this purpose and Zoom is prohibited from re-disclosing this information. UCLA Extension also does not use the data for any other purpose. Recordings will be deleted when no longer necessary. However, recordings may become part of an administrative disciplinary record if misconduct occurs during a video conference.
Course and Instructor Evaluation
UCLA Extension values your feedback on course and instructor evaluations. We ask all students to take a few minutes to complete an end-of-course evaluation survey. Updates to the course and instruction are influenced by your feedback. Understanding your student experience is essential to ensure continuing excellence in the online classroom and is appreciated by your instructor and the UCLA Extension academic leadership.
Your participation in a survey is voluntary, and your responses are confidential. After instructors submit grades, they will be given an evaluation report, but this report will not contain your name.
About Your Online Course Materials
Please note the following about online course components at UCLA Extension:
- Students must have basic computer skills, including the use of word processing software, email, and the ability to use internet browsers, such as Safari, Firefox, or Chrome.
- Students are responsible for meeting the technical requirements of Canvas and familiarizing themselves with the Canvas Learning Management System.
- Students are responsible for keeping a copy of all assignments and work submitted, and to be aware of all assignments, due dates, and course guidelines.
- Students have access to courses via Canvas for an additional 30 calendar days after the course end date listed in the syllabus (the first 14 days are full access; the rest are read-only).
- Students are encouraged to download/print content throughout the duration of the course and before the additional 30-day access ends. No further access is possible after the course becomes unavailable.
To download all your assignment submissions in Canvas, please refer to the online support guide. for more information or contact Canvas Support via the help menu within Canvas.
UCLA Extension Canvas and Learning Support
For immediate 24/7 Canvas technical support, including holidays, click on Help (located on the menu to the left) where you can call or chat live with a Canvas Support representative.
UCLA Extension Academic Technology and Learning Innovation
The UCLA Extension Learning Support staff assists both students and instructors with Canvas-related technical support, as well as general and administrative questions.
Learning Support staff is available Monday through Friday, from 8 AM to 5 PM (Pacific Time), except holidays:
- Email: [email protected]
Campus Safety Escorts
For students taking classes held on the UCLA campus and in and around Westwood Village, the UCLA Police Department provides a free walking escort service every day of the year from dusk until 1 a.m. Community Service Officers (CSOs) are available to walk students, faculty, staff members and visitors to and from anywhere on campus, in Westwood Village, and in the village apartments. CSOs are uniformed students who have received special training and are employed by the UCLA Police Department. To obtain an escort, please call (310) 794-9255 and allow 15 to 20 minutes for your escort to arrive. For complete information, see UCLA Evening Escorts.