CIPD Level 7 – Advanced Diploma in Strategic People Management (Postgraduate: Masters Equivalent)

Mandatory modules:

Work and Working Lives in a Changing Business Environment

This unit will teach you about the ways in which leaders and managers working in people practice are responding to globalisation and what that means for work and employment. You will investigate the current and future mindset within organisations around technological developments, as well as evaluate social, demographic and economic trends. You will also analyse policy, practice, and corporate social responsibility and the ways HR professionals can apply and promote them for business productivity.

People Management and Development Strategies for Performance

In this unit, you will learn about the benefits of aligning people practice strategies with organisational objectives and learn how organisations integrate people practice with culture, brand and values. You will study areas of resourcing and performance management and learn how to critically evaluate the practical and ethical challenges presented by data analytics and technological developments.

Personal Effectiveness, Ethics, and Business Acumen

This unit is about supporting successful workers and promoting effective and ethical behaviours to champion better work and working lives and develop business acumen. The theories and concepts that underpin this subject are essential for promoting inclusiveness and influencing others through fair and transparent behaviours. Through core skillsets such as perception, critical thinking, communication and teamwork, this unit will promote understanding of how actions and inclusive behaviour impact on ethics and the organisation.

You will critically assess different ethical standpoints in people practice and how ethical behaviour maintains high standards. You will consider business improvement in relation to working lives evaluating the promotion of well-being, fairness and the contribution of personal integrity within organisations as well as evaluating the benefits and costs of collaborative methods, both internally and externally across a variety of business boundaries.

You will learn how to achieve and maintain challenging business outcomes through an understanding of the business, and self- awareness and improvement to support your career progression. Additionally, you will justify the benefits of maintaining a passion for learning, evaluate the need for continuing professional development and the merits of evidence- based critical thinking. Finally, you will demonstrate behaviours associated with effective influencing and decision-making as well as assessing the benefits of networking.

Business Research in People Practice

In this unit, you will plan a business research project including examination of themes that would add value to an organisation. You will distinguish between primary and secondary date, conduct, cost and benefit analysis, and research ethical issues around data collection. You will also design a strategy for analysing and organising your data and develop conclusions and business-focused recommendations as an outcome, reflecting on how you could improve future project design and delivery.

Resourcing and Talent Management to Sustain Success

This unit covers the impact of the business environment on resourcing and talent management and the need for strategy and practice. You will evaluate attraction and retention and compare the ways organisations build and maintain positive reputations in the labour market, including the review of technologies that can be used to improve recruitment and retention. You will also look at policy and practice in employee selection and induction and consider legal compliance and staff underperformance in organisations.

Strategic Reward Management

In this unity, you will examine the key factors that influence the design of effective reward policy, including the principles of transparency and equality. You will develop an in-depth and strategic understanding of the total rewards approach and the impact of pay and benefits in attracting and motivating employees. You will also assess the benefits and challenges of performance appraisal and its link to salary increases, and examine the ethical matters associated with various forms of reward.

Strategic Employment Relations 

This unit focuses on different perspectives of strategic employment relations, including the cooperation and conflict that varies between workplaces. You will Learn to critically evaluate these perspectives and justify the growth of low-quality jobs and the decline of high-quality roles in different parts of the economy. You will also analyse the role of determining pay, and review the pros and cons of arbitration, conciliation and mediation. You will then examine the design and implementation of grievance and disciplinary procedures to help moderate risk and resolve problems.

ELECTIVE Course Modules: (CHOOSE ONE)

Advanced Employment Law in Practice

This unit will help you develop a broad understanding of UK employment law and the legal framework for employment regulation in the UK. You will explain the major sources of employment law and its evolution, the role and function of the courts and other employment law institutions, as well as the principles of law in the fields of precedent, vicarious liability and continuity of employment.

Learning and Development Practice

In this unit you will analyse the internal and external links between strategy and policy and the influence of organisational power and politics on learning and development. You will also learn to critically evaluate the major stages in the design, delivery and impact of learning on individuals and organisations.

Managing People in an International Context

In this unit, you will analyse the different ways that organisations operate, trade and expand overseas, studying the ethical issues in the field of international management and employment. You will learn about how and why people management practices differ between various countries and regions around the world with a focus on effective employee management strategies in an international context.

Advanced Diversity and Inclusion

In this unit, you will develop a deeper understanding of the concept of diversity and inclusion, discussing a range of elements that characterise the UKs working population. You will analyse key trends and changes and time segregation as well as examine a range of economic theories and data sources. You will also learn about the legal, moral and business cases for managing diversity and inclusion.

Wellbeing at Work

In this module you will explore the vital links between work, health and wellbeing. You will learn how wellbeing connects with wider people management and organisational strategy and understand how it can be managed to support business goals. You will evaluate the main theories and issues surrounding wellbeing at work and identify the stakeholders that are required to maintain wellbeing initiatives. Finally, you will have the chance to develop a plan for your own workplace wellbeing programme.

Technology-Enhanced Learning

In this unit, you will explore the diverse range of technologies within learning and development, including a variety of technological platforms. You will analyse how technology enhanced learning methods are used in design, development, impact measurement and assessment. You will also explore the organisational barriers to learning technologies and the solutions involve, including learning analytics, data, and date protection.