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Managing Social and Human Capital

People are the most valuable asset of any business, but they are also the most unpredictable, and the most difficult asset to manage. And although managing people well is critical to the health of any organization, most managers don't get the training they need to make good management decisions. Now, award-winning authors and renowned management Professors Mike Useem and Peter Cappelli of the Wharton School have designed this course to introduce you to the key elements of managing people. Based on their popular course at Wharton, this course will teach you how to motivate individual performance and design reward systems, how to design jobs and organize work for high performance, how to make good and timely management decisions, and how to design and change your organization’s architecture. By the end of this course, you'll have developed the skills you need to start motivating, organizing, and rewarding people in your organization so that you can thrive as a business and as a social organization.

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Syllabus

Motivation and Reward

In this module, you'll learn how motivation affects an individual's performance and how to use that motivation to drive performance. You'll explore how incentive systems are designed and how psychological concepts such as behavior modification, imitation, conformity, and compliance influence and shape these systems. You’ll also examine the current process of hiring employees using technology, tracking systems, and outsourcing. And you’ll learn how you can provide valuable feedback to your employees, and make performance appraisals productive. By the end of this module, you’ll be able to apply what you've learned to best motivate, hire, and evaluate your employees.

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Explores motivation and reward systems, which are essential for increasing employee performance

Teaches job design, which is essential for increasing employee productivity and engagement

Provides a real-world example of how leaders can make costly decisions that affect their teams negatively

Examines inequity, which can foster disparity among employees and inhibit a company's success

Taught by renowned management professors from the Wharton School, who are recognized for their expertise

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Reviews summary

Managing people and organizations

According to learners, this course provides a solid foundation in key aspects of managing people and organizations. It offers practical insights into motivation, reward systems, job design, decision making, and organizational change. Students appreciate the course's use of real-world examples and frameworks derived from its popular format at the Wharton School. Taught by expert instructors, the material helps bridge theory and practice, making the concepts applicable to professional settings. While it serves as a useful introduction, some learners may find it less detailed on specific advanced topics.

Covers essential topics in management.

"This course provided me with a strong foundation in key areas of social and human capital management."

"It covers all the essential topics one needs to understand about managing people effectively."

"I gained a solid overview of motivation, job design, decision-making, and organizational change."

Instructors are knowledgeable and engaging.

"Learning from professors with such deep expertise in the field made the concepts much clearer."

"The instructors are very knowledgeable and present the material in an engaging way."

"I appreciated the perspective and experience shared by the Wharton faculty teaching this course."

Provides tools for real-world use.

"I learned how to use practical tools and strategies that I could apply immediately to my work."

"The real-world examples and case studies discussed helped me connect the theories to practical management situations."

"This course gave me valuable insights into motivation and reward systems that are directly applicable in my job."

May be introductory for experienced.

"While good for beginners, I felt it didn't go into enough depth on certain complex topics."

"As someone with some management experience, parts of the course felt a bit basic to me."

"I wish they had covered some areas with more advanced detail."

Activities

Be better prepared before your course. Deepen your understanding during and after it. Supplement your coursework and achieve mastery of the topics covered in Managing Social and Human Capital with these activities:

Read Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us by Daniel H. Pink.

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This book provides insights into the latest research on motivation, which will supplement and expand on the material covered in the course.

View Drive on Amazon

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Purchase or borrow the book.
Read the book.
Take notes or highlight important passages.

Review principles of motivation and reward systems.

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Reviewing these principles will provide a foundation for understanding the material covered in Module 1: Motivation and Reward.

Browse courses on Motivation

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Read the textbook chapter on motivation and reward.
Watch online videos or lectures on motivation and reward.
Review your notes from previous courses on psychology or human behavior.

Attend a workshop on motivation and reward.

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Attending a workshop will provide you with an opportunity to learn from experts in the field.

Browse courses on Motivation

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Search for workshops on motivation and reward.
Register for a workshop.
Attend the workshop.

Four other activities

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Solve practice problems on motivation and reward.

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Solving practice problems will help you apply the principles of motivation and reward to real-world situations.

Browse courses on Motivation

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Find practice problems in your textbook or online.
Solve the problems on your own.
Check your answers against the solutions provided.

Solve practice problems on job design and work organization.

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Solving practice problems will help you apply the principles of job design and work organization to real-world situations.

Browse courses on Job Design

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Find practice problems in your textbook or online.
Solve the problems on your own.
Check your answers against the solutions provided.

Discuss motivation and reward systems with peers.

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Discussing the material with peers will help you to better understand and remember the concepts.

Browse courses on Motivation

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Find a study partner or group.
Meet with your study partner or group to discuss the material.
Share your thoughts and ideas.

Develop a motivation strategy for a specific team or organization.

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This project will allow you to apply the principles of motivation and reward to a real-world situation.

Browse courses on Motivation

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Identify a team or organization that you are familiar with.
Analyze the team or organization's current motivation strategies.
Develop a new motivation strategy.
Write a report outlining your strategy.

Career center

Learners who complete Managing Social and Human Capital will develop knowledge and skills that may be useful to these careers:

Human Resources Manager

Human Resources Managers oversee all aspects of human capital management within an organization. They are responsible for developing and implementing policies and procedures that ensure the organization attracts, develops, and retains the best possible talent. This course can be particularly helpful for Human Resources Managers as it provides a comprehensive overview of the key elements of managing people, including motivation, reward systems, job design, and organizational architecture.

See salaries and explore the career path for Human Resources Manager

Recruiter

Recruiters are responsible for finding and hiring the best possible talent for an organization. They work with hiring managers to identify job requirements, develop job descriptions, and screen and interview candidates. This course can be helpful for recruiters as it provides insights into the latest trends in hiring and recruiting, as well as best practices for motivating and retaining employees.

See salaries and explore the career path for Recruiter

Compensation and Benefits Manager

Compensation and Benefits Managers are responsible for designing and implementing compensation and benefits programs that attract and retain employees. This course can be helpful for Compensation and Benefits Managers as it provides a solid foundation in the principles of motivation and reward systems.

See salaries and explore the career path for Compensation and Benefits Manager

Training and Development Manager

Training and Development Managers are responsible for developing and delivering training programs that help employees improve their skills and knowledge. This course can be helpful for Training and Development Managers as it provides insights into the latest trends in learning and development, as well as best practices for designing and delivering training programs.

See salaries and explore the career path for Training and Development Manager

Organizational Development Consultant

Organizational Development Consultants help organizations improve their performance by developing and implementing strategies for change. This course can be helpful for Organizational Development Consultants as it provides a comprehensive overview of the key elements of organizational architecture and change management.

See salaries and explore the career path for Organizational Development Consultant

Project Manager

Project Managers are responsible for planning, executing, and closing projects. They work with teams of people to achieve project goals. This course can be helpful for Project Managers as it provides insights into the latest trends in project management, as well as best practices for motivating and leading teams.

See salaries and explore the career path for Project Manager

People Operations Manager

People Operations Managers are responsible for all aspects of human capital management within an organization, including recruiting, hiring, training, and development, compensation and benefits, and employee relations. This course can be helpful for People Operations Managers as it provides a comprehensive overview of the key elements of managing people.

See salaries and explore the career path for People Operations Manager

HR Business Partner

HR Business Partners work with business leaders to develop and implement HR strategies that align with the organization's business goals. This course can be helpful for HR Business Partners as it provides a solid foundation in the principles of human capital management.

See salaries and explore the career path for HR Business Partner

Consultant

Consultants provide advice and guidance to organizations on a variety of business issues, including human capital management. This course can be helpful for Consultants as it provides a comprehensive overview of the key elements of managing people.

See salaries and explore the career path for Consultant

Business Analyst

Business Analysts work with stakeholders to identify and define business needs. They also develop and implement solutions to improve business processes. This course can be helpful for Business Analysts as it provides insights into the latest trends in business analysis, as well as best practices for working with stakeholders and managing change.

See salaries and explore the career path for Business Analyst

Industrial-Organizational Psychologist

Industrial-Organizational Psychologists apply psychological principles to the workplace. They work with organizations to improve employee productivity, satisfaction, and well-being. This course can be helpful for Industrial-Organizational Psychologists as it provides a solid foundation in the principles of human capital management.

See salaries and explore the career path for Industrial-Organizational Psychologist

Operations Manager

Operations Managers are responsible for the day-to-day operations of an organization. They oversee all aspects of the business, including production, marketing, and finance. This course can be helpful for Operations Managers as it provides insights into the latest trends in operations management, as well as best practices for managing people and processes.

See salaries and explore the career path for Operations Manager

Program Manager

Program Managers are responsible for planning, executing, and closing programs. They work with teams of people to achieve program goals. This course can be helpful for Program Managers as it provides insights into the latest trends in program management, as well as best practices for motivating and leading teams.

See salaries and explore the career path for Program Manager

Change Manager

Change Managers help organizations implement change initiatives. They work with stakeholders to identify and overcome barriers to change. This course can be helpful for Change Managers as it provides a comprehensive overview of the key elements of change management.

See salaries and explore the career path for Change Manager

Chief People Officer

Chief People Officers are responsible for all aspects of human capital management within an organization. They report directly to the CEO and are responsible for developing and implementing the organization's human capital strategy. This course can be helpful for Chief People Officers as it provides a comprehensive overview of the key elements of managing people.

See salaries and explore the career path for Chief People Officer

Reading list

We've selected 15 books that we think will supplement your learning. Use these to develop background knowledge, enrich your coursework, and gain a deeper understanding of the topics covered in Managing Social and Human Capital.

Accountability in Human Resource Management

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Offers extensive guidelines and examples to design effective performance appraisals.

Managing Social and Human Capital

Two deals to help you save

What's inside

Syllabus

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Reviews summary

Managing people and organizations

Activities

Career center

Reading list

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