Managing Social and Human Capital (Coursera)

Managing Social and Human Capital (Coursera)

Based on their popular course at Wharton, this course will teach you how to motivate individual performance and design reward systems, how to design jobs and organize work for high performance, how to make good and timely management decisions, and how to design and change the your organization’s architecture. By the end of this course, you'll have developed the skills you need to start motivating, organizing, and rewarding people in your organization so that you can thrive as a business and as a social organization.

Class Deals by MOOC List - Click here and see Coursera's Active Discounts, Deals, and Promo Codes.

People are the most valuable asset of any business, but they are also the most unpredictable, and the most difficult, asset to manage. And although managing people well is critical to the health of any organization, most managers don't get the training they need to make good management decisions. Now, award-wining authors and renowned management Professors Mike Useem and Peter Cappelli of the Wharton School have designed this course to introduce you to the key elements of managing people.
Course 3 of 6 in the Business Foundations Specialization.

Syllabus

WEEK 1
Motivation and Reward
In this module, you'll learn how motivation affects an individual's performance and how to use that motivation to drive performance. You'll explore how incentive systems are designed and how psychological concepts such as behavior modification, imitation, conformity, and compliance influence and shape these systems. You’ll also examine the current process of hiring employees using technology, tracking systems, and outsourcing. And you’ll learn how you can provide valuable feedback to your employees, and make performance appraisals productive. By the end of this module, you’ll be able to apply what you've learned to best motivate, hire, and evaluate your employees.

WEEK 2
Tasks, Jobs, and Systems of Work
This module is designed to teach you the difference between a task and a job. You'll learn how jobs are historically designed, and you'll explore some of the drawbacks related to past work systems. You'll also learn how job design has been influenced by engineering and psychology. Finally, you'll look at real world examples from the GM and Toyota to compare their respective approaches. By the end of this module, you'll understand how jobs and systems of work have evolved to improve employee performance and productivity.

WEEK 3
Making Good and Timely Management Decisions
In this module, you'll learn how to make good and timely management decisions. Through several real-world examples, you'll see how leaders create and build a decision making mindset. You'll also learn how leaders can make costly decisions that affect their team or their entire company negatively. By the end of this module, you will be able to apply key concepts to making good and timely management decisions and build a higher performing team.

WEEK 4
Designing and Changing the Organization's Architecture
This module was created to describe the influence of an organization's architecture on management and its team's performance. You'll explore how inequity fosters disparity among employees and can inhibit a company's success. You'll also look at two real-world examples of leaders who tackled problems within their organizational structures to effect change. By the end of this module you will be able to identify key steps in which you can lead change within your organization.

Go to Class
MOOC List is learner-supported. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.

Related Courses

Accounting for Decision Making (Coursera) Coursera
University of Michigan

Accounting for Decision Making (Coursera)

Through this course, you will start by addressing the two “big questions” of accounting: “What do I have?” and “How did I do over time?” You will see how the two key financial statements – the balance sheet and the income statement - are designed to answer these questions and then move on to consider how individual transactions aggregate to make up these financial statements.

Oct 12th 2026
5-12 Weeks
Business English: Finance and Economics (Coursera) Coursera
Arizona State University

Business English: Finance and Economics (Coursera)

Do you work in finance or interact with finance professionals? Is it necessary to speak, write or understand English in your career? Follow the authentic characters in this course as they work through common business situations in finance and economics. Learn from your successes and failure, and think critically about your own communication options.

Oct 12th 2026
5-12 Weeks
Career Decisions: From Insight to Impact (Coursera) Coursera
Wesleyan University

Career Decisions: From Insight to Impact (Coursera)

I am an adult developmental psychologist by training and a career counselor by trade, currently the Director of the Gordon Career Center at Wesleyan University in Connecticut. In this course, I draw from my decades of experience as well as research from the fields of psychology, organizational behavior, and sociology to help you understand best practices for making career decisions.

Oct 12th 2026
4 Weeks
Mastering Hotel Financials (Coursera) Coursera
Starweaver

Mastering Hotel Financials (Coursera)

In the fast-paced and dynamic world of hospitality management, mastering the financial aspects of hotel operations is essential for success. "Hospitality Management: Foundations of Hotel Financials" is a comprehensive course designed to provide you with the knowledge and skills necessary to excel in hotel financial management. Whether you're an aspiring hotel manager, a small hotel owner, a hospitality student, or simply passionate about the industry, this course will empower you with the financial expertise required to make informed decisions and drive profitability in the hotel sector.

Oct 12th 2026
4 Weeks
Cross Functional Collaboration (Coursera) Coursera
Starweaver

Cross Functional Collaboration (Coursera)

Welcome to the "Cross-Functional Collaboration" course! This course focuses on the principles and strategies for collaborating effectively with colleagues from different functional areas. Through this course, you will learn techniques to overcome challenges, foster teamwork, and leverage diverse perspectives to achieve common goals. The course emphasizes the importance of building a culture of trust and cooperation among team members and covers various techniques to improve communication, manage conflicts, and make informed decisions through collaborative efforts.

Oct 12th 2026
1 Week
Influencing, Collaboration and Decision Making (Coursera) Coursera
Starweaver

Influencing, Collaboration and Decision Making (Coursera)

This course explores strategies for influencing others, collaborating effectively, and making informed decisions. Students will learn how to build credibility, negotiate effectively, and analyze information to make sound judgments and decisions. The course covers techniques to foster a culture of trust and cooperation, resolve conflicts, and make consensus-based decisions. Through interactive exercises and case studies, students will develop their influencing and collaboration skills, enabling them to work effectively with stakeholders at different levels.

Oct 12th 2026
1 Week
Behavioral Finance (Coursera) Coursera
Duke University

Behavioral Finance (Coursera)

We make thousands of decisions every day. Do I cross the road now, or wait for the oncoming truck to pass? Should I eat fries or a salad for lunch? How much should I tip the cab driver? We usually make these decisions with almost no thought, using what psychologists call “heuristics” – rules of thumb that enable us to navigate our lives. Without these mental shortcuts, we would be paralyzed by the multitude of daily choices.

Oct 12th 2026
3 Weeks
Management of Urban Infrastructures – part 1 (Coursera) Coursera
École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne

Management of Urban Infrastructures – part 1 (Coursera)

Sustainability, Resilience and Efficiency are fundamental considerations for city managers in managing urban infrastructures. Today, more than 3.9 billion people, making up more than 54% of the global population, live in cities. Urbanization is expected to continue in the coming years, raising the urban population to 6.0 billion by 2045. This dramatic increase in urban populations will inevitably increase the demand for energy, mobility (transportation), water, and other urban services in every city around the world. Without functional governance and management structures that ensure efficient, resilient and sustainable performance in cities, the current urbanization growth might become a catastrophic risk threatening the quality of life of the humanity.

Oct 12th 2026
5-12 Weeks
Estadística aplicada a los negocios (Coursera) Coursera
Universidad Austral

Estadística aplicada a los negocios (Coursera)

La toma de decisiones está en la esencia de los negocios. Gerenciar es tomar decisiones, muchas veces bajo presión, con información desordenada y en un contexto de incertidumbre. Un aspecto básico es entender y analizar la información, organizar los datos de forma de facilitar su posterior uso y la toma de decisiones.

Oct 12th 2026
4 Weeks