Strategic Human Resource Management

This program combines rigor (research-based, state-of-the-art knowledge) and relevance. The link with the HR and OD practice is closely monitored thanks to the input of several guest lecturers from practitioners and/or the business (beyond academic) background of our faculty.

Fundamentals

HRM Fundamentals

In this course, the central question is: how can organizations manage and develop their employees, in order to contribute to the organization and to the employee him/herself, in a sustainable way? The emphasis is on developing concepts, frameworks, and skills that are important to understand and successfully manage ‘the human resources’ in an organization.

Organizational Development Fundamentals

This course focuses on the basic principles (the fundamentals) and theoretical basis of Organizational Development (OD) that is needed understand to practice of OD. The relevance of these fundamentals becomes evident using case studies, real-life examples of interventions, and testimonies from practitioners and researchers.

International HRM

Part 1: This module explores management and leadership issues arising from working with different cultures and enables students to more successfully manage a range of cross-cultural challenges. It does so using a blend of practical examples, research-based theories and experiential teaching methods.

Part 2: This module aims at providing participants with a systematic and strategic framework to address some more advanced and specialized issues likely to be encountered in any organization working in today’s global context. It is taught in a total of 10 sessions.

Business Challenges & Innovation Labs

Innovation labs: Next Generation HR: Rethink, Reset & Retool HR:

Organizations are facing quite some HR challenges and issues in this VUCA world. Global trends such as increasing digitization, changing forms of organizations, diversity & inclusion, ageing workforce or even global disruptions, like pandemics or economic crises, bring challenges and opportunities in this field. We will challenge you to think along with us about innovations within HRM as a result of Business Challenges. How does HR look like in the future? How can we make HRM more sustainable by paying attention to diversity and inclusion? We will also zoom closer into the digital world, discussing phenomena such as data science, digital transformation, block chain and discussing the challenges and opportunities of these phenomena for HR and the organization in the future.

Strategic HRM & Business Partnering

This course will combine HR theory and practice as it looks at strategic human resource management processes, including current and emerging trends and issues. Our focus in this class is on the management of human resources in a way that is consistent with the goals and policies of the firm. In particular, we will explore the content and the processes surrounding the management and measurement of human assets.

Financial Management

Part 1 of the course gives a solid review of the financial accounting system. In Part 2, we examine a number of financial analysis tools that can be used to assess and manage a firm’s liquidity position and operational efficiency, profitability, growth and risk. Part 3 demonstrates how managers should make investment decisions that maximize the firm’s value.

Practices & Tools

Organizational Development Practices

Building on the basic principles and theory base addressed in ‘Organizational Development Fundamentals’, this course focuses on the OD interventions intended to help an organization improve its performance and effectiveness. Using real-life examples and multiple testimonials we will take a deep-dive into OD interventions. The course is designed to be interactive; course preparation, class participation and involvement of students is considered to be a precondition for learning.

Labor Relation Management

In the course 'LRM' we additionally deal with themes such as employee differences, trust, engagement, voice and partnership. We connect to the tradition of 'Industrial Relations' and build bridges with the field of HRM. Academic insights and concepts are linked to the HR reality of everyday life. We conclude with an exercise in critical thinking about ‘the dark side of organizations’. The format of 'critical think tanks' stimulates informal and experimental learning. The goal is to put forward fresh, innovative ideas that take us a step further into the current debate.

Human Resource Management Practices

The objective of the course 'HR Practices' is to highlight core themes in the context of attracting, developing and retaining talent, also referred to as the ‘employee life cycle’ and to let students reflect on their practical application as future HR-managers. The following three themes form the common thread throughout the course: Recruitment & Selection, Careers & Development, and Performance & Reward.

Skills (more info below)

→ HR Consulting Skills Bootcamp
→ Master Project
→ Global Leadership Skills

Besides your regular curriculum, you will also have the opportunity to enhance your studies with Electives. All Master’s programs offer 1 full week of Elective courses; one week dedicated to an intensive relevant topic challenging the status quo and pushing you outside your comfort zone. The idea is to offer topics outside of the core curriculum that are based around the current geopolitical climate, relevant world news and future insights. They focus on matters that will benefit your studies and provide enhanced learning opportunities.

To give you an idea, previous Elective topics have included:

• Digital Transformation
• Designing Business Models for Future Growth
• Geopolitical Challenges
• Emerging Asian Markets
• International Healthcare Management
• Organizing for the Digital Future

The aim of this HR Consulting Skills Bootcamp is submerging the MHRM students in a “consultancy” mindset for 5 days. It is centered on consulting and commercial management skills. This seminar also reinforces the (chance to a) subsequent influx of students into the labor market as (internal/external) consultants. It is the pivotal moment of your year – a fascinating week where we partner with Deloitte and bring you an interactive skills-based week of getting into the mind of a consultant. Put your knowledge into action and truly learn what a consultant does, and what your future career might look like.

During the consulting assignment, you will be put to work as a junior consultant for eight weeks to solve a current HR business case of a start-up, SME or multinational. This consulting assignment is the icing on the cake of the Master in HRM, seeing as the hands-on advising role builds a bridge to the practice.

Your personal development is a core element in the journey you will undertake during your year at Antwerp Management School.

At AMS, we look beyond the mere transfer of technical knowledge. As our mission statement explicitly mentions, we also want to stimulate your personal development. With the award-winning Global Leadership Skills track (Responsible Business Education Teaching Award from Financial Times), we challenge and coach you to become more aware of who you are, how you cooperate with others, and what kind of career you want to pursue. We do this by building upon the three mission pillars of Antwerp Management School:

• Self Awareness: leads to stronger cooperation with others.
• Global Perspective: leads to a developed global mindset, allowing you to find better solutions to problems and complex issues.
• Societal Consciousness: leads to sustainability in essential economic processes, a fundamental value in business.

Throughout this journey, we will focus on these three levels of learning by working with a mixture of exercises, self-analysis instruments, moments of reflection, individual follow-up, collective sessions and peer coaching. We will offer you relevant frameworks to support you in understanding your strengths and needs, and defining your areas for growth.

Global Leadership Skills development is more than a ‘nice to have’, it is a basic prerequisite for career success and recruiters will be assessing this when you apply for a job. Today’s employers are looking for an impressive set of soft skills when selecting young graduates. These include: self-awareness, the ability to work collaboratively with others, leadership skills, the capacity to adapt to new situations and to develop new skills, openness to and respect for different perspectives, multicultural awareness, and long-term and system thinking, to name just a few. This course aims to support you in developing these skills and in finding a match between who you are and what the world of employment needs; between your career ambitions and what employers are looking for.

You will spend one week at our partner university Universidad Carlos III de Madrid and learn about HRM from another perspective – receiving inspiring lectures and hearing about different techniques and HR in an international setting.

We will examine the four current International HRM challenges, together with recognized International HRM professors, senior HR managers working for both Spanish and multinational companies and other inspiring guest faculty.

The five-day-course will be based on case studies, readings, some presentations, and, above all, the debate and the exchange of ideas and experiences. Throughout this intensive week, students will be encouraged to bring their own insights and thoughts on the material assigned into class discussion.

After following this program, you will be able to:

• identify and explain multidisciplinary frameworks, concepts and theories in the field of human resources and organizations;
• critically reflect on HR/OD related subjects and challenges on a macro (ecosystem), meso (organization) and micro (team/individual) level;
• apply HR/OD methods and frameworks and translate them into tools, practices and skills;
• apply scientific research methods to formulate HR/OD policy and proposals;
• demonstrate professional reporting and communicating skills;
• effectively collaborate in teams;
• demonstrate managerial and leadership skills on various levels;
• recognize the strategic benefits of sustainability and social responsibility;
• develop consulting skills to detect, analyze and solve real-life HR and OD challenges.