module specification

This module explores the evolving landscape of people management, focusing on contemporary trends, development, challenges and innovations; shaping the field of strategic business management. It examines how people process adapts to technological advancements, workforce diversity, and changing employee expectations to foster effective people leadership and management practices. It also aims to develop student competencies and mindset, enabling them to be fir for new nature of the world of the work as an employee and a manager.

Prior completion of HRM modules or People management associated modules

•  Diversity and shift at workforce: an overview [LO1]
•  The new World of Work: precarious, remote, hybrid models, gig economy, and flexible work arrangements [LO1,4]
•  Leveraging with tools and technology: Artificial Intelligence (AI) and digital strategies in people management
•  People analytics [LO1-3]
•  Talent to Knowledge management and career development: new ways of resourcing, development and retention [LO1, 3]
•  Leadership and Management: Adapting leadership styles to fit to evolving workforce dynamics, legislative demand with emotional intelligence and putting people first [LO1,3] LO3]
•  Employee well-being and engagement: Mental health, work-life balance, and rethinking of motivation strategies in agile world of work [LO1, 4]
•  Employee relations: conflict to resolution, union and redundancies [LO1, 3, 4]
•  Green HR Practices: Corporate social responsibility, ethics, sustainability in people decision making process [LO1, 4]

Students will engage into critical analysis of case studies, news, scenario of real-world from beginning. They will work proactively and live-discuss connecting and applying relevant knowledge and transferrable employability attributes into practice [LO4].

This module combines lectures, interactive workshops, student led sessions, guest speakers, and practical case studies to provide students a comprehensive understanding of modern people management. This module will be taught in a 3-hour workshop that allows the inclusion of different pedagogical methods, including flipped classroom, role play simulation, group discussions and presentations.

Students will be expected to engage with wider scholarly reading on the topics, real world cases and interactions with their peers every week in the session and outside of the classroom to complete the relevant assignment.

The assignment involves a practical presentation of a case study analysis centred on contemporary human resource management. It is designed as an authentic task that fosters collaborative learning to deepen students’ understanding and encourage active participation. The assessment utilizes a 360-degree evaluation method, providing a thorough review process that supports inclusivity, fairness, and people-centred practices, while proactively addressing academic integrity concerns. As a formative assessment, student groups will progressively build their core knowledge, professional skills, interpersonal abilities, digital competencies, and other transferable skills essential for the modern workplace. The assessment is a 20-minute group presentation, applying these contemporary concepts of HRM to a case study of choice, and an individual critical reflection of 1000 words.

Upon successful completion of the module, students will be able to achieve following learning outcomes;
LO1. Critically analyse emerging trends in people management and their impact on organizational success. And evaluate the role of technology (e.g., AI, automation) in shaping modern HR practices.
LO2. Assess leadership and management styles in response to workforce diversity, shift and global challenges.
LO3. Develop strategic approaches to talent development, employee engagement, and performance management with data and relevant strategies and apply ethical and sustainable principles in contemporary people management
LO4. Understand and develop relevant professional, personal and people competences of contemporary HRM, such as teamwork, communication, time management, researching, critical analysis and presentation.

Reading List
HR6065: Contemporary trends and development in People Management | London Metropolitan University

- Gold, M. and Smith, C., 2022. Where's the ‘Human’in Human Resource Management?: Managing Work in the 21st Century. Policy Press.
- Wilkinson, A. and Dundon, T., 2021. Contemporary human resource management: text and cases.
- Redman, T. and Wilkinson, A., 2009. Contemporary human resource management: Text and cases. Pearson Education.Contemporary-human-resource-management-text-and-cases-3rd-edition.pdf
- Beardwell, J. and Claydon, T. eds., 2007. Human resource management: A contemporary approach. Pearson Education. 8904 HRMA_A01.QXD
- Taylor, S., 2011. Contemporary issues in human resource management. Kogan Page Publishers.
- Ahmad, S., 2015. Green human resource management: Policies and practices. Cogent business & management, 2(1), p.1030817.Green Human Resource Management: Policies and practices
- Paillé, P. ed., 2022. Green human resource management research: issues, trends, and challenges.
- Starbuck, C., 2023. The Fundamentals of people analytics: With Applications in R (p. 380). Springer Nature. 978-3-031-28674-2.pdf
- Isson, J.P. and Harriott, J.S., 2016. People analytics in the era of big data: Changing the way you attract, acquire, develop, and retain talent. John Wiley & Sons. Jean-Paul-Isson-Jesse-S.-Harriott-Jac-Fitz-enz-People-Analytics-in-the-Era-of-Big-Data_-Changing-the-Way-You-Attract-Acquire-Develop-and-Retain-Talent-Wiley-2016.pdf
- Truss, C., Delbridge, R., Alfes, K., Shantz, A. and Soane, E. eds., 2013. Employee engagement in theory and practice. London: Routledge.
- Devia, K. and Indoriab, D., Leveraging Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning for Digitization in Human Resource Management: Opportunities, Challenges, And Best Practices. SRFE250501.pdf
- Murugesan, U., Subramanian, P., Srivastava, S. and Dwivedi, A., 2023. A study of artificial intelligence impacts on human resource digitalization in industry 4.0. Decision Analytics Journal, 7, p.100249.main.pdf
- Zavyalova, E., Sokolov, D., Kucherov, D. and Lisovskaya, A., 2022. The digitalization of human resource management: Present and future. Foresight and STI Governance, 16(2), pp.42-51.18035d6a524b0d40cf7f501ce85b816cc42a.pdf
- Adamska-Chudzińska, M. and Pawlak, J. eds., 2025. Work Engagement and Employee Well-being: Psychosocial Support to Build Engaged Human Capital. Taylor & Francis.
- Zaharie, M., Skuza, A. and Scullion, H., 2025. Contemporary Issues. Contemporary Human Resource Management: Text and Cases, p.447. ‘Talent management’
- Bender, M. and Bajzikova, L., 2025. Employer Branding and Talent Management. In Developments in Information and Knowledge Management Systems for Business Applications: Volume 8 (pp. 59-81). Cham: Springer Nature Switzerland.
- Bari, M.W. and Di Virgilio, F. eds., 2025. Handbook of Talent Management and Learning Organizations: A Post-Pandemic Perspective. CRC Press.

Webpages
https://www.peoplemanagement.co.uk/
https://www.cipd.org/uk