Case Study No. 13 - Managing Oneself and Others, University of Leeds

Elements addressed by study

Special Features:

As part of the HRM (human resource management) aspects of this Level 1 module, students are required to organise themselves into small self-selecting syndicate groups to form part of the interview process for prospective students to the arts management course. The process makes the practical link with the theoretical aspects of recruitment and selection examined in lectures and seminars. The students themselves organise the interview days including the meeting and greeting of candidates, tours of the building and presentations about aspects of the campus, university and course. They are involved with candidates in group/team exercises and, in their syndicates, interview individual candidates prior to the formal interview with the tutor(s). Whilst (for proper legal reasons) the final decision to offer a place resides with the admissions tutor, feedback from the student interview panels provides an important and useful insight that aids the decision process.

It should be stresses that this is a practical exercise. It is not formally assessed but it is important in that it highlights one of the underlying philosophical principles behind the arts management degree: i.e. that all theoretical work should be informed by opportunities for real, live practical application.

Description of Key Aspects:

‘Managing Oneself and Others’ aims to introduce the students to some of the practical human resource aspects of management within the arts that have been considered in wider generic terms in the heavily theoretical ‘Managers and Organisations Module’. It is based on the premise that in order to be a good manager of others, one first has to be a good self-manager. Therefore, the module splits largely into two discrete but interrelated areas. The first examines issues of managed self development, the primary interpersonal skills and the philosophy behind our working relationships, including the nature of groups, team formulation and team building and issues of self perception as the basis of effective team working (the latter based loosely around the work of Meredith Belbin). The second segment looks at the implementation and practical application of these skills in the management of personnel. The core HR functions, (recruitment and selection, equal opportunities, training and development, appraisal, discipline and grievance, etc.), are considered as well as the implications for managing HR in the arts context. It is within this framework that the students are involved in the student recruitment and selection process.

The assessment of the module is likewise in two parts. The first is a standard essay based assignment interrogating interpersonal skills in the workplace and the second, (looking at the HR aspects of the module) is a formal case study based examination.

Analysis

Candidates find the experience has a positive effect on their decision be take up places on the course and often their nervousness about the formal tutor interview is reduced by having first met the student panel.

Since the majority of the students engaged in the recruitment and selection exercise have themselves been through the process, they find that not only does it offer praxis opportunities, but also gives a valuable insight as how they should behave as interviewers.

Evaluation:

Feedback from candidates who have been through the process and duly registered on the arts management degree has been largely positive. The input from the student syndicates paints an honest and more detailed picture both of student life and the nature of the course than might otherwise be possible.

For the interviewing tutors, it gives us a useful perspective on our own interview and selection processes.