Human resource (HR) and leadership are two of the most important aspects of any organization. HR professionals are responsible for attracting, developing, and retaining top talent, while leaders are responsible for setting the vision and direction for the organization. This course will provide participants with the skills and knowledge they need to be successful in both HR and leadership roles.
Human Resource Management: Challenges and opportunities
Human Resource Management is a term that covers a wide terrain and is based on several, sometimes conflicting, ideas. It is therefore imperative to relate HRM practices to the specific context where it takes place. In this module, we map the interest and expectations on HRM in order to set the stage for further development work in the area.
In this module the training centers around participatory pedagogy whereby participants’ inquiries about different parts of their organization, their job and function are at the core of this two-day training session. The session includes, but is not limited to, inquiries into the following areas:
The strategic significance of HRM
Research has yet to establish a causal relationship between strategic HRM and profitability, yet there are other important aspects with having a strategic focus on HRM. Thus, what is the value of HRM, and to whom is this a value (e.g. shareholders, employees, managers, unions)?
Knowledge and learning processes
Knowledge and learning have been considered key for competitive advantage for more than 50 years. How does recruitment and training address these issues? What competences and skills are considered significant?

Conflict management
All organizations entail conflict, i.e. organizational politics, and employment relationships is a key area. HRM aims to address such conflicts, but which specific conflicts and forms of conflict resolution are significant in these contexts?

Recruitment, demographics, and ‘the competence pool’
Competence development must also be related to the organization’s external environment. Workforce availability strongly affects the processes and areas of development also within the organization. Consequently, selecting and deselecting the workforce is a strategic task for any organization.
The HRM function
Is HRM a responsibility of specialized departments/professionals, or managers? Or is it something that needs to be distributed in the organization? Can HRM be understood as a perspective that permeates an organization’s culture, or as a system that can be implemented? Or both?
HRM and ethics
HRM as a functional area in organizations overlaps with other areas it needs to develop and manage. One such example is ethics (Corporate Social Responsibility, Business Ethics, Sustainable Development). In what way can HRM be said to complement or interfere with such areas? What can HRM contribute with?
Human resource management vs. human resource management
Historically, a shift has occurred and HRM practices have become human resources instead of human resources. HRM sometimes addresses issues of identity and culture; other times it is more oriented towards follow-up and control systems. Are there preferences in this regard, and how does it relate to e.g. organizational and cultural context?
Aim and format of this module
This module is open-ended and aims at primarily investigating the role of HRM as experienced by the participants. Therefore, it will require active participation and dialogue, aiming at untangling the complexities of current HRM practices and exploring the potential and limitations of HRM to address organizational issues.

Facilitators
Tommy Jensen, Ph.D., is professor in Management and Organization at Stockholm University. His area of expertise is ethics and management, and organizations and sustainability. He has written extensively on CSR and sustainability, power and ethics.

Johan Alvehus, Ph.D., is professor in Service Studies at Lund University. His area of expertise is leadership and management in professional service organizations. He has written extensively on leadership, professionalism, HRM, and management.