Encouraging divergent thinking in HRM studies through use of project management case studies

Abstract

It is important that human resource management (HRM) undergraduate students develop critical thinking around project management decision making as part of their transferable skills development. Such initiatives provide opportunities for students to consider the implications of their decisions in relation to practical settings, that they might better address unexpected HRM demands of the future. We integrate project management into our teaching to progressively build students' skills in HRM. First, students engage in a project management case study and conduct a formal presentation. Second, we extend student awareness of divergent approaches to project management through engagement with excerpts from previous HRM student case studies. Third, the students execute project management of a written case study, under examination conditions. Our approach scaffolds students' higher order thinking and engagement with the divergent nature of the HRM discipline. We provide facilitator and student feedback to illustrate our outcomes. This research is relevant to management educators and, we suggest, is transferable to disciplines other than HRM.