Syllabus for Leadership for Human Resources Managers | LIR 590, Study notes of Systems Engineering

Download Syllabus for Leadership for Human Resources Managers | LIR 590 and more Study notes Systems Engineering in PDF only on Docsity! LIR 590 (Proposed) UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS Institute of Labor and Industrial Relations LIR 590 LHR Leadership for HR Managers Instructor: John Dencker Office: ILIR 215 Phone: 333-2383 Office Hours: By appointment E-mail: dencker@uiuc.edu Course Overview: Like many ILIR graduates, you will be given some type of leadership responsibility within a few years of completing your degree. This may involve working with and managing people on a one-on-one basis; and leading, motivating and aligning people behind a common vision or direction. This course is designed to address several fundamental aspects of managing and leading people. In order to prepare you for managing and leading, it is important that you understand the many career types that you and others entering today’s job market will find. In part, the large variety of careers is reflective of today’s organizational environment, wherein companies with increasingly diverse workforces find that to be competitive, they need to break down traditional boundaries to create lean, adaptive, organizations. As a result, horizontal networks and inter-functional teams that cut across national boundaries take place alongside—and sometimes even replace—functional, hierarchical organizational structures. In this situation, the HR function is often called on to serve a variety of roles, such as helping to design organizations to fit new competitive conditions, as well as acting as a change agent. Thus, as HR managers, you may need to know how to overcome resistance to change, deal with the inevitable stresses associated with change, and implement appropriate change strategies. This course will provide you with tools to understand and manage change. In addition, the frameworks and practical tools you will study will help you make sense of your own on-the-job learning experiences and equip you with basic diagnostic and action-planning skills that you can later use on the job. 1 LIR 590 (Proposed) Course Outline: This course is divided into four parts: (1) overview; (2) alignment; (3) organizational change; and (4) learning to lead. We will explore in depth what it takes to be an effective leader, covering not only motivational characteristics, but also the role of the leader as architect or organizational designer who will help to align critical elements of an organization. We will also examine how to effectively transform organizations, paying attention to critical stages and activities in the change process, such as achieving fit among system elements, and overcoming resistance to change. Lastly, we will focus on learning to lead, particularly during the early career stage, and will integrate information from the course to examine what experiences and relationships are useful in becoming an effective leader. Evaluation, Assignments, and Course Policies: Evaluation: Assignments (25%) Contribution to in-class discussion (25%) Exam (50%) Exam: The exam will be closed book, and consist primarily of short answer questions. The items will cover all assigned readings, lectures, and supplemental material. Assigned readings not covered in the class may still be included on exams. Assignments: A number of questions for discussion are listed in the schedule of sessions. You will be required to provide a typed response to any two sets of questions for a given class session. The questions often can be answered in a few sentences or a paragraph, although there is no strict length limit. The important point is that you address each question posed in a way that demonstrates critical thinking as well as the adequate application of concepts studied. These short assignments will help you to prepare for discussion, and will allow me to gauge your comprehension of the readings. Class Preparation and Contribution to In-Class Discussion: This course is interactive, with class discussion and participation a critical component of your learning. While I will lead class discussions, I do not intend to subject you to two and a half hours of intense lecturing each week, but rather encourage you to offer insights and thoughts on the material assigned. 2 LIR 590 (Proposed) SESSION 4: ALIGNMENT Required Reading: Human Resources at the AES Corporation: The Case of the Missing Department Passion and Discipline: Don Quijote’s Lessons for Leadership Assignment Questions: 1. What are the sources of competitive advantage of AES? 2. What are its basic values and operating principles? 3. What is the role of leadership at AES? 4. Does AES need to add an HR function? If yes, what would be its purpose? If not, why? 5. What lessons can Don Quijote offer for today’s bottom-line world? 6. How does self-knowledge serve modern leadership? 7. How common are the qualities of (1) imagination, (2) perseverance in the face of adversity, and (3) joy in work among today’s leaders? Why might such factors be important qualities in explaining successful leadership? SESSION 5: ORGANIZATIONAL CHANGE Required Reading: Peter Browning at Continental White Cap (A) Leading Change Assignment Questions: 1. What was Browning’s predicament at White Cap? 2. What should his change objectives and time frame be? 3. If you were Browning, what would your action plan be? Please be specific. 4. How should he deal with White, Lawson, Stark and Green? Be prepared to role-play your approach and tactics. SESSION 6: LEADERSHIP, TRANSITION, AND CHANGE Required Reading: Charlotte Beers at Ogilvy & Mather Worldwide (A) Assignment Questions: 1. What is Beers trying to accomplish as CEO of Ogilvy and Mather Worldwide? 2. What is your assessment of the vision? 3. What is your assessment of the process Beers and her team went through to create the vision? 4. What are the key challenges facing Beers at the end of the case? 5 LIR 590 (Proposed) 6 SESSION 7: LEADERSHIP AND HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT Required Reading: JetBlue Airways: Starting from Scratch Assignment Questions: 1. What are the key success factors for JetBlue? 2. What will it take to execute on these factors? 3. What is the role of leadership and HRM at JetBlue? SESSION 8: EXAM AND WRAP-UP Required Reading: Maximizing Your Return on People You will take an exam during the first two hours of the class. The final hour will be devoted to discussing the article, which discusses how HR managers can help other managers to develop leadership skills.