Columbia University School of Social Work
 
T7123 Human Resource Management, Supervision, and Staff Development

Overview and Rationale

This one-semester course is designed to help students understand the significant contribution of human resources to the function of the social agency and the options open to an administrator in designing a human resource strategy that will optimize the motivation and creativity of the organization's personnel and the organization's outcomes. The legal environment is reviewed as a context in which this aspect of administrative practice takes place. Basic to this course are the theories of leadership, supervision, and creating a learning culture.

This course is concerned with fundamental aspects of social administration, i.e., the strategies, policies, programs, and practices surrounding the management of human resources within a social agency setting. In the social agency, where service is the "product," machines and materials are a minor input, elevating the administration and development of human resources to greatest significance. The management of human resources is a strategic function in any organization. In fact, organizations can be distinguished by the effectiveness with which they plan and manage the contribution of their personnel.

Learning Outcomes

In this course, students will learn to . . .

  1. Describe the importance of planning strategy for the allocation of human resources within an organization from needs assessment and job descriptions through the steps of recruitment, staff maintenance, succession planning and separation.
  2. Promote the achievement of inclusion as a major organizational objective so that learning takes place through a constant and supportive feedback process.
  3. Encourage the development of a learning organization to maximize the growth and development of staff.
  4. Describe the impact of leadership styles and the importance of emotional intelligence and cultural competence on work motivation and job satisfaction.
  5. Demonstrate skills in the administrative, educational and supportive dimensions of supervision with specific attention to performance appraisal, planning for promotion and succession strategy.
  6. Apply legal requirements of civil rights and labor legislation to the human resource function.
  7. Handle an employment situation in a trade union/collective bargaining environment.

Council on Social Work Education Core Competencies

This course contributes toward mastery of the following core areas of social work competency identified by the Council on Social Work Education.

Social workers . . .

  • Identify as professional social workers and conduct themselves accordingly.
  • Apply social work ethical principles to guide professional practice.
  • Apply critical thinking to inform and communicate professional judgments.
  • Engage diversity and difference in practice.
  • Advance human rights and social and economic justice.
  • Apply knowledge of human behavior and the social environment.
  • Respond to contexts that shape practice.
  • Engage individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities.
  • Assess individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities.
  • Intervene with individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities.

Core Content Themes

  • The contribution of human resource policy and procedures to strategic planning
  • Impact of an organization's service goals on its human resource management function
  • The personnel process including recruitment, selection, orientation, assignment, assessment, development, promotion, termination and retirement
  • Benefits and compensation
  • Achievement and management of staff diversity and related issue of sexual harassment
  • Use of human resource development strategies and a learning culture in optimizing both individual performance and organizational effectiveness
  • Theoretical considerations in the transition to supervision and differentiation of role and function between line and supervisory personnel
  • Unions, grievance procedures, collectively bargained contracts, strikes and ethical issues around performance
  • Theories of leadership, team management, group participation, and organizational change
  • Social workers as workers, their needs, expectations, motivation and satisfaction