The videos below are each associated with a specific chapter. In the videos, the interviewees talk about their experience with the topic of that chapter, as well as give some insight into their career paths to help illustrate the variety of careers that are available to students in this area.
Chapter 1 - Jennifer Dootson
Jennifer Dootson is HR Business Partner at d-Wise, a technology and consultancy company providing solutions for the life science and healthcare sector. She is also studying part time for her MSc in HRM at Manchester Metropolitan University. In the video she talks about what attracted her to HR as a career and why she chose to study it at university, sharing some tips on making the most of your studies and finding the right job.
Chapter 2 - Carrie MacKenzie
Carrie McKenzie is the Voluntary Services Manager at Sheffield Teaching Hospitals in the UK. She and her small team coordinate and manage the nearly 600 volunteers who contribute to the hospital, including three therapy dogs. Volunteers provide services ranging from helping patients with their food to running arts and crafts activities. In the video Carrie talks about how everyday management and HR activities can be adapted to volunteer workers.
Chapter 3 - Kirsten Henderson
Kirsten Henderson is a consultant with Jo Fisher Executive in New Zealand, an international executive search company which specializes in helping clients to find high-calibre candidates for leadership and specialist positions. With her years of experience in international search, Kirsten also has some great insights into the challenges of finding rare skill sets in an international market and the challenges of cross-cultural working.
Chapter 4 - Mark Harcourt
Mark Harcourt is Professor of Strategy and Human Resource Management at the University of Waikato, Hamilton, New Zealand. He conducts research into the employment relationship, justice and health and safety at work, and lectures in HRM and strategy. In the video, Mark talks about the changing nature of the employment relationship and the impact of our default ways of thinking on what we accept as ‘normal’ in that relationship.
Chapter 5 - Roger Longden
Roger Longden is Managing Director of There Be Giants, a management consultancy based in Manchester, UK, specializing in helping organizations to develop systems and cultures to support high performance. In the video he talks about why performance management is so important, as well as challenges and new approaches to managing performance that take advantage of recent technological developments.
Chapter 6 - Claudia Nario
Claudia Nario is a consultant who works with the Center for Creative Leadership, Brussels. Originally from Chile, where she worked as an independent consultant and an HR executive in a large airline, Claudia is now based in Barcelona and travels around Europe conducting leadership development programmes. In the video she talks about what makes a good leader and her essential ingredients for developing leaders.
Chapter 7 - Rebecca Lencho
Rebecca Lencho is a Human Resources Manager at Rockline Industries, an American manufacturing company with five sites in the USA as well as locations in the UK and China. She is based at the Springdale, Arkansas site. In the video she talks about the range of tasks she undertakes as a general HR manager as well as sharing insights into managing culture and change within her organization.
Chapter 8 - Kris DeLano
Kris DeLano is the Corporate HR Director for Rockline Industries, a manufacturing company founded in the USA, which now has sites in Europe and China. With 30 years’ experience in HR, Kris has a breadth and depth of understanding of the HR role and the best ways to build personal and professional credibility. In the video she gives her insights into how the HR function contributes to and implements organizational strategy.
Chapter 9 - Darren Cook
Darren Cook is a film director, TV editor and photographer with over 20 years’ experience in the film industry. He runs his own company, Scruffy Bear Pictures, and is currently working as Head of Production with Applejack Creative Services. In this video he talks about the way work is organized and structured in this creative industry, where projects are generally short term and rely heavily on personal contacts and networks.
Chapter 10 - Paul Walsh
Paul Walsh is a Learning and Development Specialist at Manchester Metropolitan University, whose job involves delivering training for individuals and teams, providing coaching and mentoring, and working on organizational development projects. In the video he talks about the rewards and challenges in this work and how to make the move into this career, as well as giving some tips on how to maximize learning transfer in organizational training.
Chapter 11 - Ginger Chen
Ginger Chen is a Senior Manager in the Human Resources Department at Cigna, a life and health insurance company in Taipei, Taiwan. In the video, Ginger talks about the key role of employee engagement in promoting performance and motivation, giving examples of how she and her team work to improve engagement at the corporate and team level.
Chapter 12 - Lara Montefiori
Lara Montefiori is Head of Psychology at Arctic Shores, a company that specializes in gamebased assessment. In the video she explains what game-based assessment is all about and talks through some of its advantages and the challenges she faces, as well as how her company integrates scientific research with commercial awareness to create innovative products.
