HR9638 - Employment Relations

Activity and simulation are the main features of learning on this research-led module. Employment relations are fascinating, complex games of power and conflict, with astonishing influence and reach across organisations. You will experience this complexity through a module-long simulation in which you will take on a key role in the negotiation of a new reward system for an organisation. You will learn by doing – identifying sources of conflict and disagreement; developing bargaining strategies and tactics; balancing the desires of your bargaining principals with accommodating your bargaining opponents and ‘striking a deal’. You will make use of simulated power resources to alter the balance of power in the relationship and learn the delicate balancing act of negotiation.
There is a strong emphasis on professional skill development – learning and practicing valuable skills, underpinned by relevant theory.
You will experience a fully ‘flipped’ classroom – tutors will be on hand to assist, guide and advise, but you will find your own solutions to the challenges that you face, supported by a wide range of appropriate learning technologies that include extensive and carefully curated learning resources including video and webinars from the worlds’ leading HR researchers and practitioners, to enable your self-directed learning

In order to provide as much space as possible for you to explore the facets of this module, most of the academic support will be provided outside of the physical classroom. High quality, short-form videos will largely replace the traditional lectures in order to signpost the key areas of theory and insight that will enable you to succeed. Cooperation and collaboration are important features of the module both within and without the classroom, you will be supported to do this through the use of appropriate technologies. The core of the module will be concerned with making realistic choices about strategy, policies practices and tactics – utilising simulated organisational and labour market data in order to model the effects of your decisions, to argue for and achieve your objectives, and to compromise where necessary.

Academics are also available upon request to support you outside of formal session time by responding to questions or concerns that you might have either via email or via individually pre-arranged appointments and/or drop-in sessions.

Academic support is also provided through the provision of a range of University learning support services. A wide range of online support materials is also available thought the virtual learning environment. These materials include recordings, webcasts, pre-recorded sessions, also an electronic reading list including RSS feeds that showcase the application of various practices presented in the module.

To support you in your academic progress, you will receive both formative and summative feedback/feed-forward on your work through the course of each academic year. Regular formative feedback on class activities provides you with the necessary guidance to scaffold your knowledge and understanding of the key concept and principles of the subject to enable your success in the final summative assessment. Summative feedback/feed-forward will be provided on your work after it has been assessed and graded. You should use all feedback/feed-forward that you receive to identify areas of strength and areas for future study and improvement

All modules at Northumbria include a range of reading materials that students are expected to engage with. The reading list for this module can be found at: http://readinglists.northumbria.ac.uk
(Reading List service online guide for academic staff this containing contact details for the Reading List team – http://library.northumbria.ac.uk/readinglists)

Knowledge & Understanding:
To develop a systematic and coherent body of knowledge concerning the role and function of reward and performance management [MLO1]

Intellectual / Professional skills & abilities:
To develop core skills in the design and implementation of employment relations strategies, matched by the consideration of competing imperatives: from labour and product markets; and from different parts of the organisation and workforce [MLO2]

To work collaboratively on a team project. [MLO3]

Personal Values Attributes (Global / Cultural awareness, Ethics, Curiosity) (PVA):
To consider competing values, interests and objectives and to find imaginative solutions to conflicts and dilemmas. [MLO4]

Formative assessment and feedback
You will receive near constant formative feedback throughout the module. All of the workshops are entirely focussed upon the main module project. Tutors are on hand throughout to facilitate, guide and support you towards this goal. As you work in your teams you will test your understanding by making choices and taking decisions – the activity will, itself provide feedback. At key points you will present your progress in role play to tutors acting as organisational leaders. They will challenge you to defend your decisions and, particularly, your compromises – this will require you to develop sophisticated bargaining skills and capabilities.

Summative assessment
Group-based report: Will detail the creation of a new reward system for a simulated organisation, but it’s not just about what you decided to do, it’s about how and why you decided. We are interested in how you negotiated the complexities and conflicts of the employment relationship. You will present this as a long group report, which draws upon the activities and feedback from the workshops [MLOs 1-4]

Level 5 Reward and Performance

None

The employment relationship is fundamental to the management of people at work. Whilst much of the teaching that you have been exposed to regards questions of employee commitment, engagement and performance to be driven by effective communication and ‘good management’, here we will suggest that matters are trickier than that. Employers and employees have fundamentally different interests, making conflict inevitable. The management challenge is how to deal with that conflict.
In this module you will learn where that conflict comes from and how we might attempt to resolve it, to keep the employment ‘show on the road’. You will look at work relationships from a different angle – that of the workforce, and consider how different perspectives lead us to different solutions to the problems of work. Primarily though, you will develop a negotiator’s skills – highly sought after in developing a senior level career.