About this course: 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.
Created by: University of Pennsylvania
Taught by: Michael Useem, Professor of Management and Director of the Center for Leadership and Change Management
The Wharton School
Taught by: Peter Cappelli, Professor of Management, Director, Center for Human Resources
The Wharton School
| Basic Info | Course 3 of 4 in the The Business of Health Care Specialization |
| Level | Beginner |
| Commitment | 2-3 hours per week |
| Language | English |
| How To Pass | Pass all graded assignments to complete the course. |
Syllabus
WEEK 1
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.
6 videos, 1 reading
- Video: Introduction
- Video: Motivation
- Video: Motivation: Agency Theory Examples
- Video: Designing Incentive Systems
- Video: Hiring
- Video: Managing Performance and the Appraisal Process
- Reading: Reading: PDFs of Module 1 Slides
- Discussion Prompt: Introduce yourselves!
Graded: Managing Performance, Motivation, and Hiring Quiz
WEEK 2
Task, Jobs, and Systems of Work
This module is designed to teach you the difference between a task and a job. You'll learn how jobs are historically designed, and you'll explore some of the drawbacks related to past work systems. You'll also learn how job design has been influenced by engineering and psychology. Finally, you'll look at real-world examples from the GM and Toyota to compare their respective approaches. By the end of this module, you'll understand how jobs and systems of work have evolved to improve employee performance and productivity.
6 videos, 1 reading
- Video: Tasks vs. Jobs
- Video: How to Design Jobs
- Video: Drawbacks and Rethinking Job Design
- Video: Engineers and Psychologists: A Battle for Designing Jobs
- Video: Lessons from the Japanese and Auto Industries
- Video: Systems of Work
- Reading: PDFs of Module 2 Slides
Graded: Tasks and Designing Jobs Quiz
WEEK 3
Making Good and Timely Management Decisions
In this module, you'll learn how to make good and timely management decisions. Through several real-world examples, you'll see how leaders create and build a decision-making mindset. You'll also learn how leaders can make costly decisions that affect their team or their entire company negatively. By the end of this module, you will be able to apply key concepts to make good and timely management decisions and build a higher performing team.
5 videos, 1 reading
- Video: Good and Timely Decisions
- Video: Making a Good and Timely Decision
- Video: Making a Good and Timely Decision - US Examples
- Video: Another Example: Fighting a Fire
- Video: After Action Review and Summary
- Reading: PDFs of Module 3 Slides
Graded: Decision Making Quiz
WEEK 4
Designing and Changing the Organization's Architecture
This module was created to describe the influence of an organizations architecture on management and its team's performance. You'll explore how inequity fosters disparity among employees and can inhibit a company's success. You'll also look at two real-world examples of leaders who tackled problems within their organizational structures to effect change. By the end of this module, you will be able to identify key steps in which you can lead change within your organization.
6 videos, 1 reading
- Video: Designing and Changing Architecture: Hausser Food Example
- Video: Performance: Pay and Promotion
- Video: Organizational Design
- Video: David Pottruck and Charles Schwab Example
- Video: Managing People
- Video: Manager's Template for Human and Social Capital
- Reading: PDFs of Module 4 Slides
Graded: Organization Design, Architecture, and Managing Quiz
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University of Pennsylvania
The University of Pennsylvania (commonly referred to as Penn) is a private university, located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. A member of the Ivy League, Penn is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States, and considers itself to be the first university in the United States with both undergraduate and graduate studies.
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|---|---|
| Access to course materials | Available |
| Access to graded materials | Available |
| Receive a final grade | Available |
| Earn a shareable Course Certificate | Available |
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