Organizational Consulting and Change

Catalog description

This course provides students with the insights and tools needed to work successfully as human resource management consultants, both as HR managers operating within a firm to improve organizational effectiveness and as external consultants providing project support to an HR organization. The consulting process is examined primarily from a systems perspective, with a focus on helping students develop the knowledge and skills required to build trust and influence, to contract with clients, and to maintain good working relationships with clients. During the course, students will gain a clear comprehension of the various stages of the consulting process, including diagnosis, action planning, implementation and project completion. Given the integral role of organizational change in this process, the course places an emphasis on understanding the key issues involved with helping organizations to effectively manage change. While attention is given to theory and practice in this course, the focus is on gaining hands-on experience dealing with real-world issues.