Issue link: https://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/470545
46 BizEd MARCH | APRIL 2015 "TODAY EVERY MANAGER, regardless of his or her functional spe- cialization, is on the front line of people management." That statement was offered by Elissa Perry and Carol Kulik in a 2008 article in The International Journal of Human Resource Management. It's spot-on. Despite a popular theory that "managing people is all just common sense," the bulk of managers face perplexing trials when it comes to managing employees. In fact, in the 2013 Conference Board CEO Challenge survey, 729 CEOs reported that their most critical challenge is "managing human capital." In addition, business alumni, business leaders, policymakers, and busi- ness faculty all supply bountiful data about the importance of managing employees. Even so, the human side of business typically is subjugat- ed, sidelined, or flat-out ignored in business schools' core requirements. Indeed, it is rare for business programs to require a human resource management (HRM) course except for students who major, minor, or complete a specialization in HRM. I believe that, as a result, business schools are failing to prepare graduates for the real world of work. One reason HRM is so overlooked is that many business school administrators aren't sure what it is, so they assume that HRM courses are interchangeable with courses in organi- zational behavior (OB). While there are important synergies, the two disciplines are different—and, just as important, not all HRM and OB faculty can com- mendably teach both. OB is to HRM as economics is to finance; one lays a foun- dation for the other more applied course. Furthermore, some programs and faculty approach HRM solely from the viewpoint of managing the human resources department. But the more valuable perspective, particularly for broad-based business programs, is to teach it from the perspective of manag- ing human capital in the organization. HRM is essential to the organization, which means it should be central to business education. BY LISA A. BURKE-SMALLEY ILLUSTRATION BY DAN PAGE THE HUMAN CORE Why and how to make human resources management a critical part of the business curriculum.