Master of People Management

Purpose

The Master of People Management provides specialised training, at National Qualifications Framework (NQF) Level 9, in Human Resource Management with a focus on strategic human resource management and human capital development. The qualification educates human resource practitioners with the requisite knowledge and skills to conduct applied Master's level research into a variety of human resource-related problems or concerns within South African organisations. Learners will also be able to apply their newly acquired knowledge to develop possible solutions or interventions for these problems.

Rationale

Currently, the Section of Organisational Psychology offers a Master of Philosophy in People Management which meets the needs of a qualification dedicated to advanced learning in human resource management. This field of study is similar to but distinct from that of organisational psychology. The qualification tailors learning materials to the real needs of human resource practitioners. In this way, the institution's strategic orientation of:

(a) Strengthening and building greater research capacity.

(b) Expanding the Postgraduate qualifications with innovative delivery modes to appeal to learners requiring a Master's level qualification but not one with a professional registration track.

The Master of Philosophy is more appropriate for the predominantly mid-career human resources professionals. Professionals who, for the most part, have no intention of switching to research careers, but wish to improve their strategic skills to operate more effectively within their current employment. The qualification envisions triangulated research within this qualification which involves the learner working with their organisation and academics on human resource problems or opportunities. The qualification is ideally structured to facilitate this learning outcome. A Master of Philosophy 60 Credit research dissertation lends itself more to the traditional academic research trajectory than to applied research of a typical professional Master's qualification.

The qualification is over two years to allow working learners the necessary time to engage comprehensively with the learning material while at the same time continuing in their jobs. The qualification includes a significant component of work-based and experiential activities and a triangulated relationship with learners' line managers to ensure that the learning is directly applicable to their current jobs and future career aspirations.

Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL)

Learners not meeting the qualification requirement can apply through the Recognised Prior Learning (RPL) route. This institution is a broad institution with multiple forms and sites of academic practice. RPL practices for specific qualifications are context-sensitive and framed to suit those different contexts where RPL is deemed appropriate. RPL at this institution is on a developmental model, not a deficit model of adult learning; it builds on knowledge and skills that adults have acquired. The choice and use of a given set of RPL methodologies are consistent with the institution's principles of assessment more generally. RPL practices meet key criteria for validating assessment practices, and in particular: transparency, fairness, legitimacy, attention to unintended negative consequences, and feasibility.

RPL applications take place where a learner has at least a Bachelors qualification plus a minimum of five years relevant work experience in the field of people management or human resource management. The learners need to provide a detailed in a letter of motivation detailing specific human resource management roles, responsibilities and tasks embedded in their current or previous jobs. The application requires a letter of reference from the line manager, confirming the accuracy of the information in motivation and detailing levels of performance.

The RPL Assessor reviews the RPL application following the institution's RPL policy. Potentially suitable RPL learners undergo interviews and must complete a test or assessment based on their specific prior experience and knowledge.

The appropriate faculty committee or dean makes the final decision regarding the granting of credits or admission of the RPL learner to a particular qualification.

Entry Requirements

The minimum entry requirement for this qualification is

• Bachelor of Arts Honours in Human Resource Management, NQF Level 8.

Or

• Bachelor of Arts Honours in Psychology, NQF Level 8.

This qualification consists of the following compulsory modules at National Qualifications Framework Level 9 totalling 189 Credits.

Compulsory Modules, 189 Credits

• People Management Coursework 1, 60 Credits.
• People Management Coursework 2, 60 Credits.
• People Management research tasks 1, 30 Credits.
• People Management research tasks 2, 39 Credits.

1. Demonstrate mastery to the depth of a theoretically sophisticated subject matter.
2. Demonstrate critical thinking, problem-solving, and effective professional written communication.
3. Apply in-depth and specialised disciplinary knowledge and applied research skills to discipline-based problems.
4. Analyse and critique communications of an academic and popular nature.
5. Appreciate the ethical issues associated with research and knowledge production in the discipline.

The following Associated Assessment Criteria will assess the Exit Level Outcomes in an integrated manner.

• Apply the principles contained in classic strategic approaches (Minzberg's strategic planning approach, Porter's five competitive forces that shape strategy, and Kaplan and Norton's balanced scorecard), BCG matrix, Life cycle theory to the organisation.
• Use the Social Progress Index to assess South Africa's performance on its three indicators and compare these to the National Development Plan.
• Assess what we should be looking for when making senior, strategic appointments.
• Evaluate the suitability of the role of the human resource manager as a strategic partner for South African organisations.
• Design a strategic solution for the organisation to contribute to job creation for the unemployed.
• Design an equitable reward programme.
• Understand when reward discrimination is justified and use this understanding to design models for rewarding special groups.
• Deal with inequitable rewards.
• Understand employee withdrawal/turnover processes.
• Design retention strategies that organisations can make use of to retain top talent.
• Describe the latest legislative developments in the skills development environment in South Africa and assess the impact of these developments on the organisation.
• Identify key areas to consider in demonstrating the costs and benefits of human resource programmes.
• Construct arguments for the tangible links between HRD and the organisation's strategy.
• Identify core evaluator competencies required by HR practitioners working in the HRD domain.
• Review current evaluation approaches to generic HR and OB programmes and suggest design improvements.
• Identify success indicators for generic HR and OB programmes.
• Describe the major trends affecting organisational design and staffing in the South African context and assess the impact of these developments on the organisation.
• Identify organisational goals, strategies, and competing for effectiveness values.
• Develop an appropriate organisational design that aligned with the organisational strategy.
• Review organisational structure types and compare their strengths and weaknesses.
• Assess structural alignment, identify symptoms of structural deficiency and make suggestions for improvement.
• Explain how different staffing strategies support different business strategies.
• Derive a firm's staffing strategy from its business strategy.
• Describe the strategic staffing decisions any organisation must make.
• Plan, conduct job analysis and competency modelling.
• Forecast and plan strategic workforce needed.
• Describe various strategies to attract, recruit and retain applicants.
• Identify the legislative, regulatory, and ethical parameters guiding the use of personnel selection and assessment in South Africa.
• Develop a staff selection programme.
• Identify the criteria for successful staffing programmes.
• Apply strategies for personnel selection decision making in diverse organisations.
• Evaluate the effectiveness of recruitment and staffing activities.
• Promote self-awareness regarding cultural preferences and prejudices.
• Learn more about how to engage with people and groups that are different from the social majority.
• Analyse possible causes of conflict in the workplace based on difference and develop practical solutions.
• Design organisational processes and systems, to improve diversity management and a more inclusive workplace.
• Develop a range of organisational strategies to take full advantage of the wide variety of talents available in the diverse labour market.
• Identify and articulate a relevant and sound real-life people management problem.
• Derive an appropriate applied research question from a people management problem
• Build evidence-based logical arguments in writing.
• Source relevant academic literature using academic search engines.
• Employ an academic writing style as recommended by the American Psychological Association (APA)
• Reference according to APA conventions.
• Demonstrate tan ability to conduct a comprehensive literature review of current and leading research.
• Evaluate and critique current research or practices.
• Demonstrate the ability to use the resources of academic and professional or occupational discourses to communicate and defend potential solutions to the problem.
• Evaluate the merit of these solutions for their context.
• Demonstrate appropriate problem-solving skills in the proposed solution to a people management problem.
• Demonstrate specialised reference to literature gathered to provide a solution to the problem.
• Demonstrate advanced report writing competencies.

Integrated Assessment

Each module in the qualification is equally weighted, and learners need to pass all modules to pass the course work component of the qualification.

Assessments include assignments which articulate with work-based problems as a combination of theory and application. Each module contains six assessments (2 per module). The applied research task is related to one or a combination of topics covered in the course.

For the assessment of the research tasks

No person involved in the supervision of the professional Master's research project or projects may examine the project or projects. Two examiners examine each research project or projects in a professional Master's qualification, one of which must be external to the institution. Provided that the course convenor has not supervised the research project, he or she may examine, as the internal examiner, the project or projects. The internal examiner submits his or her examination report and recommendations together with the research projects to the external examiner for Examination. The external examiner examines each project using the rubric and examiner's report to ensure the same standard for the allocation of marks by the two examiners.

The examiners examine the projects of a set of learners or the whole class.

The two examiners' report and submits recommendations to the Head of Department or a committee of assessors for consideration and a recommendation to the Faculty Examinations Committee.