SUBJECT

Personnel Psychology

practical

master

Faculty of Education and Psychology

4

Semester 2

Spring semester

Aim of the course

The aim of this course is to facilitate the learning of concepts and practices of personnel psychology and to provide skills and techniques to perform organisational activities related to the management of human resources. It emphasise the strategic role of the HR, which is due to the fact that it is a crucial factor to the success of organisations and therefore its relevance is growing rapidly. The course offers an insight into the key factors and the process of creating a competitive human resource strategy. It deals with the key areas of human resource management (work systems, selection, career planning, compensation systems, performance appraisal) based on competencies. Possible processes of establishing HR subsystems are described with examples from the perspective of the HR manager and from the perspective of the consultant as well.

Learning outcome, competences

knowledge:

• Students will be familiar with new perspectives and possible management techniques of the human resources
• Students will be able to use different techniques of job analyses and job evaluation, recruitment, selection, education and development, motivation, performance appraisal and career management, etc. and to relate these techniques with well-known psychological knowledge
• Students will be familiar with strategical aspects of personnel management

attitude:

• Students will show openness and flexibility in the application of techniques related to the different models, theories
• Students will be open-minded in looking for new models, methods and techniques, and will be able to integrate knowledge related to the personnel psychology

skills:

• Students will be able to use different techniques precisely, and to integrate all knowledge creatively
• Students will be able to develop new techniques if it needed
• Student will be able to rethink, to plan or to re-plan the human resource management of on organisation strategically

Content of the course

Topics of the course

• The short history of Personnel Psychology. The role of HRM in the strategical thinking
• Work Systems: job analysis, job evaluation methods / presentation of experiences related to a performed project. The aim is to provide students with the skills, knowledge and techniques to conduct job analysis
• The Personnel Planning, evaluation and forecast organisation's ongoing needs by profiling the workforce, analysing supply and demand, and devising strategies to minimise workforce gaps; methods of selection and recruitment; assessment and development centre; orientation and socialisation processes
• Training programme in the organisations. Planning a training programme for specific needs. Possible ways of measuring the effectiveness of such a programmes
• Presentation of an existing performance appraisal and compensation system, advantages and disadvantages of it from point of view of employees and managers. exploring a variety of methodologies for monitoring and evaluating remuneration strategies
• Motivation and satisfaction, career planning systems: this topic addresses specific questions on career planning, activity which plays an increasingly representative role in the human resources management
• Management of organisational changes. The role of the staff and of the organisational culture in the management of changes.

Learning activities, learning methods

• Presentation
• Case elaboration and case presentation individually, in pair and in group

Evaluation of outcomes

Learning requirements, mode of evaluation, criteria of evaluation:

requirements

• participation and involvement
• active participation in the elaboration of the readings

mode of evaluation: written test, elaboration of some essay questions

criteria of evaluation:

• participation and involvement
• correct answers of the test items

Compulsory reading list

• Arnold, R., Randall, R. (2010) Work Psychology. Understanding Human Behaviour in the Workplace. Financial Times Prenctice Hall
• Bernardin, H. J. (2007) Human Resource Management: An Experiential Approach, 4th edition, New York:  McGraw-Hill Irwin
• Sanchez and Levine (2009): What is (or should be) the difference between competency modelling and traditional job analysis. Human Resource Management Review 19. 53-63
• Schein, E.H. (2010) Organisational Culture and Leadership. John Wiley and Sons
• Singh (2008): Job analysis for changing workplace. Resource Management Review 18. 87-99

Recommended reading list

• , J. (2003) Strategy and Human Resource Management, Management Decision, Vol. 41 Iss: 5, pp.523 – 524