What’s the best way to teach a student not majoring in human resources all they need to know on the subject? Mary Gowan, dean of the Martha and Spencer Love School of Business, tackles that question in “Human Resource Management: Managing Employees for Competitive Advantage,” a new textbook co-authored with a colleague from Rutgers University.
Published this winter by Prentice-Hall, the book helps students understand the dynamic environment of human resource management by teaching them how to manage employees rather than the human resource function in general.
Each chapter in the text is divided into two sections: The first looks at principles of human resource management, while the second focuses on practical applications of theory.
“Even if a student isn’t going into management right away, it is important to know about human resource principles and practices from an employee perspective,” Gowan said. “Each chapter is divided into two sections. The first section describes the theory and principles that guide human resource activities in organizations. The second section discusses the impact of factors such as laws, company size, and organizational mission on human resource management.”
The big difference between this book and previously published texts, Gowan said, is the explicit focus on theory and practice.
“We really felt like there was a need. The existing texts weren’t written in the way that they needed to be,” she said. “Learning theory without being able to apply it isn’t very helpful.”
The text includes guided exercises and a partnership with Prospera, an organization that does online human resources management. The text directs students to Prospera’s Web site to use resources in the same way they would use them in a real-world environment.
“It’s a beautiful partnership,” she said. “It fits well with the Elon model of experiential learning.”
In the past, Gowan had turned down book deals, opting instead to work only on supplemental texts and materials, including a CD-ROM for Prentice-Hall. During her time on the faculty at the University of Maryland, she worked with David Lepak, a professor of human resource management at Rutgers. Gowan said that if she ever wrote a book, Lepak had to be her co-author.
The project took five years, she said, but they are both delighted by the results. Lepak’s classes are among those already using the text since its December publication.
Gowan came to Elon in July 2007 from George Washington University in Washington, D.C., where she was associate dean for undergraduate programs and associate professor of human resources management in the School of Business. She has held visiting or regular faculty positions at the University of Central Florida, UNC Charlotte, UT El Paso, the University of Maryland, the Helsinki School of Economics and Mercer University.
Her research focuses on corporate reputation and career transitions. Gowan has done extensive consulting with large and small organizations, both public and private, and is a member of the Society for Human Resource Management Foundation Board and the Alamance Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors.
– Written by Bethany Swanson ’09
