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Advanced 60–70h over 8 weeks8 modules · 44 lessons

Mini-MBA in HR — 8-week Harvard-grade curriculum

An 8-week, professor-grade curriculum sequenced from the playbook. Strategy, org behaviour, talent science, total rewards, analytics, ethics, global & M&A, and a capstone — with HBS-style case studies. ~60–70 hours of focused study.

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Each module is a pillar of the role. Finish one before opening the next — you’ll always know exactly what to read next.

  1. 1
    Pillar · Strategy 9h0/6 done

    Module 1 — Strategy & business acumen (Week 1)

    Outcome: Read a P&L, apply Porter's Five Forces and VRIO to your labor market, and build a Balanced Scorecard for HR.

    Week 1 overview · objectives & prerequisites
    1. 1.1
      HR strategy on a page: the one document that aligns your people function to the business
      18 min read
    2. 1.2
      Porter's Five Forces & VRIO — strategy frameworks every CHRO should fluently use
      10 min read
    3. 1.3
      The Balanced Scorecard for HR — Kaplan & Norton, applied to people
      9 min read
    4. 1.4
      HR finance for people leaders: P&L, gross margin, and where payroll lives
      18 min read
    5. 1.5
      Unit economics for HRBPs: CAC, LTV, payback — what they mean for your hiring plan
      18 min read
    6. 1.6
      Headcount Modeling: The Spreadsheet Every CFO Wants and Most HR Teams Don't Build
      18 min read
    Next up → Module 2 — Org design, growth & change (Week 2)
  2. 2
    Pillar · Org architecture 8h0/5 done

    Module 2 — Org design, growth & change (Week 2)

    Outcome: Diagnose org structure with Galbraith & Mintzberg, spot the Greiner phase, and plan change without breaking it.

    Week 2 overview · objectives & prerequisites
    1. 2.1
      Org design with Galbraith's Star Model: the 5 levers you actually have
      18 min read
    2. 2.2
      Mintzberg's 5 org configurations: which one are you, and which one should you be?
      16 min read
    3. 2.3
      Greiner's growth model — the 6 predictable crises every scaling company hits
      9 min read
    4. 2.4
      Systems Thinking for Org Design — Feedback Loops, Leverage Points, Unintended Consequences
      10 min read
    5. 2.5
      Which change model when: Kotter vs ADKAR vs Lewin vs Bridges vs the Satir change curve
      14 min read
    Next up → Module 3 — Organisational behaviour & leadership (Week 3)
  3. 3
    Pillar · OB & leadership 9h0/6 done

    Module 3 — Organisational behaviour & leadership (Week 3)

    Outcome: Apply Schein, Edmondson and Hackman to teams; pair with the major leadership theories.

    Week 3 overview · objectives & prerequisites
    1. 3.1
      OB foundations: Schein on culture, Edmondson on safety, Hackman on teams
      11 min read
    2. 3.2
      Psychological Safety at Work — the Amy Edmondson Playbook for Managers
      11 min read
    3. 3.3
      Transformational Leadership — Inspiring Without Pretending
      12 min read
    4. 3.4
      Servant Leadership — Power Used to Make Others More Powerful
      11 min read
    5. 3.5
      Situational Leadership — Adjust to the Person, Not Just the Task
      11 min read
    6. 3.6
      Authentic Leadership — When 'Be Yourself' Is Actually a Discipline
      11 min read
    Next up → Module 4 — Talent science & performance (Week 4)
  4. 4
    Pillar · People systems 9h0/7 done

    Module 4 — Talent science & performance (Week 4)

    Outcome: Use Schmidt-Hunter selection science, Locke-Latham goal-setting, and the full talent stack.

    Week 4 overview · objectives & prerequisites
    1. 4.1
      Selection science — Schmidt & Hunter's 100-year meta-analysis, updated
      10 min read
    2. 4.2
      Structured Hiring: A Framework That Works
      11 min read
    3. 4.3
      Onboarding: The First 90 Days That Retain People
      10 min read
    4. 4.4
      Locke & Latham's goal-setting theory — the science behind (and against) OKRs
      9 min read
    5. 4.5
      Performance Reviews People Don’t Dread
      12 min read
    6. 4.6
      Career Ladders That Don’t Trap People
      13 min read
    7. 4.7
      Succession Planning: The Discipline That Quietly Decides the Next 5 Years
      17 min read
    Next up → Module 5 — Total rewards & motivation theory (Week 5)
  5. 5
    Pillar · Total rewards 8h0/5 done

    Module 5 — Total rewards & motivation theory (Week 5)

    Outcome: Pay philosophy, equity audits, and the economic theories (agency, tournament, expectancy) under it all.

    Week 5 overview · objectives & prerequisites
    1. 5.1
      Writing a Compensation Philosophy You Can Defend
      12 min read
    2. 5.2
      Pay Equity Audit in 30 Days: A Repeatable Methodology
      14 min read
    3. 5.3
      Agency theory & tournament theory — the economics under your comp design
      10 min read
    4. 5.4
      Vroom's Expectancy Theory — The Equation Behind Every Motivated Effort
      11 min read
    5. 5.5
      Salary negotiation from HR's seat: a step-by-step playbook to close offers cleanly
      18 min read
    Next up → Module 6 — Evidence, analytics & adult learning (Week 6)
  6. 6
    Pillar · Evidence & L&D 8h0/5 done

    Module 6 — Evidence, analytics & adult learning (Week 6)

    Outcome: Practise evidence-based management, run causal analyses, and redesign training using Knowles & Kolb.

    Week 6 overview · objectives & prerequisites
    1. 6.1
      Evidence-based management — Rousseau's case for treating HR like a science
      9 min read
    2. 6.2
      Causal inference for people analytics — A/B, diff-in-diff, and the questions correlation can't answer
      11 min read
    3. 6.3
      The 12 People Metrics That Actually Matter
      10 min read
    4. 6.4
      Adult learning theory — Knowles' andragogy and Kolb's experiential cycle
      9 min read
    5. 6.5
      Kirkpatrick's four levels in modern L&D — what's still useful, what's been replaced
      10 min read
    Next up → Module 7 — Ethics, negotiation & global (Week 7)
  7. 7
    Pillar · Influence & global 9h0/6 done

    Module 7 — Ethics, negotiation & global (Week 7)

    Outcome: Distributive vs integrative negotiation, ethics frameworks, cross-cultural design, and M&A people integration.

    Week 7 overview · objectives & prerequisites
    1. 7.1
      Principled negotiation for HR: Fisher & Ury's 'Getting to Yes' in HR contexts
      18 min read
    2. 7.2
      Distributive vs integrative negotiation — why HR keeps leaving value on the table
      10 min read
    3. 7.3
      Business ethics frameworks for HR — utilitarian, deontological, virtue, and the test that actually helps
      9 min read
    4. 7.4
      Whistleblower program design: protection, channels, and the no-retaliation guarantee
      10 min read
    5. 7.5
      Cross-cultural HR — Hofstede, GLOBE, and Trompenaars made operational
      11 min read
    6. 7.6
      M&A people integration — the playbook for the period when 70% of deals lose their value
      12 min read
    Next up → Module 8 — Cases, future of HR & capstone (Week 8)
  8. 8
    Pillar · Synthesis 8h0/4 done

    Module 8 — Cases, future of HR & capstone (Week 8)

    Outcome: Teach yourself with HBS-style cases (Netflix, GE), form a view on AI in HR, and synthesise the curriculum into your own 5-page HR operating system.

    Week 8 overview · objectives & prerequisites
    1. 8.1
      Case study — the Netflix culture deck, 15 years on (what to copy, what to leave)
      13 min read
    2. 8.2
      Case study — GE's vitality curve, 1981–2015 (and why every imitation failed)
      12 min read
    3. 8.3
      AI in the HR Stack: What Works, What Doesn’t, What to Pilot
      14 min read
    4. 8.4
      Mini-MBA in HR — capstone: synthesise your own HR operating system
      14 min read