Current Issues in People Management

Course information

Learning outcomes

Upon completion of the course, students

• Have knowledge of important theories, models and framework related to people management and the role of external environment.  
• Are able to analyze contemporary issues that organizations face and their implications for people management.
• Are able to provide theoretically founded evidence-based solutions to people management challenges that take into account both organizational and environmental characteristics.
• Have the aptitude and skills to design effective, ethical, and sustainable people management processes that allow organizations to both respond and contribute to issues arising from their external environments.

Content

This course introduces students to the current issues, trends and challenges that relate to managing people in organizations. Central to this course is the idea that the external environment impacts organizations in multiple, significant ways. To effectively manage people, it is crucial to be able to recognize, analyze, and adapt to the changes and developments in the external organizational environment. Examples of such issues or developments that organizations currently face include the need for increased flexibility and the associated legal, social, and organizational challenges; individualization of the employment relationship; demographic changes resulting in a more diverse workforce; technological changes and advances; sustainability & corporate social responsibility and crisis management capabilities. The course will provide students with an understanding of how these types of issues and challenges influence contemporary organizations and the skills required for successfully managing people in these environments.  

Teacher

Marjo-Riitta Diehl

Study material

To be confirmed in the syllabus

Workload

This course is offered in a hybrid format, including independent online study, limited contact teaching, individual assignments, and group work. 

Prerequisites

It is recommended that the MNGT-E1010 Managing Organizational Behaviour and MNGT-E2008 Strategic People Management are completed at the same time or before this course.

Evaluation

Assignments and group work

Teaching time and location

The teaching time and the location of the course can be found at Sisu information system

1. The link leads to Completion methods tab of the course page
2. From the top of the page (Version drop-down menu), check that academic year 2025-2026 is selected  

3. From the blue bar, click Lecture and open the Groups and teaching times tab to see the teaching time and the location of the course. Exam times can be seen by clicking Exam.
    

   Exam instructions at the Open University

The teacher has four (4) weeks to grade the exam submissions starting from the exam date.

Further information

Equivalences to other courses: MNGT-E1006 People Management Practices and Tools 

Online learning environment for the course  

MyCourses online learning environment is a tool for both students and teachers for communication and managing everyday course work. You need an Aalto User ID to log in to the course's MyCourses workspace and participate in teaching.

Digital workspace of the course:
MyCourses

More details on completing the course will be available at MyCourses closer to the start of the course.

Registration and course fee

Registration for Open University courses is done via the link below: 
Course registration

Registration for this course starts on 8.12.2025 at 9.00  
Registration for this course ends on 29.12.2025 at 23.59

It is not possible to register before the registration period has started or after it has ended.

The number of participants is limited to 2.

This course is organized by the Aalto University School of Business.

The course fee is paid upon registration for each course at a time and it is binding. Familiarize yourself with registration and payment rules as well as other guidelines for students:
Registration, payments and rules

Activating Aalto ID and Multifactor Authentication

You can activate your Aalto User ID the day after the registration and you should activate it no later than the day before the start of the course.
Instructions for activating your Aalto user ID

Once you have activated your Aalto user ID, also enable multifactor authentication. Some of Aalto University's services require multifactor authentication.

Instructions for using Multifactor Authentication