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In the fifth of this monthly series on Executive MBAs and industries, QS TopExecutive looks at how EMBA candidates working in the field of human resources can benefit from this degree.

The management of human resources is one of the key functions of every business, large or small, and for many firms HR makes up a significant cost of overall operations. The success of a business stands and falls with its people. Well-selected employees who are suitable for their jobs and happy in their roles will inevitably be more productive and have a positive impact on the overall performance of an organization.

The HR industry

The underlying role of Human Resources Management (HRM) is predominantly that of recruitment and employment – getting the right people in the right contexts. But in an increasingly globalized economy, this area of business has become a considerably more complex field. HRM, both as a profession and as a field of study, includes legal, political, economic and social dimensions and requires specialized skills and knowledge to support and facilitate a company’s strategic goals.

New and increasingly global business contexts in a knowledge based economic environment have raised the level of demand that is placed on an HR manager and more specialized business knowledge is required to maximize the effectiveness of human resources for a business. Therefore, a Human Resources manager may find it particularly useful to enhance their knowledge and skill base with an Executive MBA degree.

EMBAs for HR professionals

A general EMBA degree enables an HR manager to gain valuable knowledge and insight into how a business operates at the strategic level and conveys important aspects of effective business management. It also gives HR professionals an important opportunity to access new networks and make new business contacts.

Given that HR is such a crucial area of business operations, most EMBA degrees comprise modules and courses that specifically address the processes and requirements of HR management. Topics relevant to HR that can often be found within the Executive MBA curriculum include strategic approaches to HR, employment law and litigation issues, approaches to performance management and training, as well as international issues in HRM practices. Modules focusing on human resources issues aim to allow managers to choose the best approach and strategy to HR practices in their own firm, understand the significance and role of HR to the business and develop, along with hard skills, the necessary soft skills to effectively communicate with and manage people.

EMBA specializations

There are also options for EMBA students working in HR to specialize in the field as a number of EMBA programs offer specific curricula that center on this subject. Such programs typically cover the core aspects of business management in the first year and a specialized HR focus in the second. Swiss institutions, University of Zurich and the Bern University of Applied Sciences for example, give their EMBA students the opportunity to gain in-depth knowledge of managing people in national and international contexts in an EMBA program with a specific HRM orientation. Students gain the skills to develop and implement HR concepts appropriate and relevant to specific business contexts. Both courses also allow EMBA students to see and consider the field of HR as a strategic partner and consultant to the overall business in providing advice and services to a firm. In this, students learn how HR can function as a change agent for business performance.

HR in a global context

Acknowledging the changing global context of business, the French Groupe IGS Formation Continue offers an EMBA with an internationally oriented HR emphasis, which aims to deliver HR practices and approaches with an international perspective. In this, students learn how to approach global challenges to HR in business and understand HR practices relevant to present and future global contexts by giving theoretical and practical illustrations of how HR drives and manages change in an international organization. The program also offers tools with which EMBA students are able to gain competences in “global, distributed and complex environments”. To be an effective international HR manager, aspects of job design and training strategies are as important as employment law and union issues, and EMBA programs with an emphasis on HR are able to convey and enhance such skills and knowledge comprehensively.

Advancing in HR

HR professionals, managers and leaders who work within a rapidly growing and perhaps internationally expanding organization are faced with a number of challenges to the management of people for a business. An EMBA program, general or specialized, can equip HR managers with the necessary tools to face such challenges effectively and creatively and make a positive difference to an organization’s overall success.

Look out for the next article in the EMBA and industries series: Focus on engineering