Teaching by Doing: A Conversation with an HR Leader and Instructor
Posted on April 9, 2026
When you talk with Sonja Christopherson, MA, you quickly realize you’re speaking with someone who has spent a career shaping what human resources (HR) management can be at its best. Her journey spans more than 25 years across sectors and industries, yet the common thread is unmistakable: a deep belief in people and their potential.
“Currently I focus on transformational coaching and aligning leadership behaviours with organizational strategy,” explains Chirstopherson, reflecting on her evolution from learning and development manager at Home Hardware to founder of her own organizational development, coaching and leadership consulting practice.
Meet the Instructor
Sonja Christopherson’s work has taken her from university campuses to corporate boardrooms, and even into partnership with the Disney Institute. “I partnered with the Disney Institute to deliver leadership strategies to more than 4,000 participants across Canada and the United States,” says Christopherson.
She has been a continuing education faculty member at Mohawk College for over 15 years, served as a human rights advisor at the University of Guelph, and designed executive leadership programs for both health care and retail organizations that focused on evidence-based initiatives aligning critical leadership behaviours with culture transformation and change at scale.
Christopherson's academic path is equally rich, holding a Bachelor of Arts from McMaster University and being one of our own alumni having completed a Master of Arts in Leadership at the University of Guelph. She has also completed an advanced Organizational Development and Human Resources program—modelled after Pepperdine University’s renowned master’s program—and holds certifications in Prosci ADKAR change management facilitation and professional coaching, MBTI, DISC, and SLII (Situational Leadership).
Even with all her credentials and accomplishments, what lights Christopherson up the most is the human side of her work.
“What I enjoy most about the HR field of study is its focus on people and potential,” she says. “I am especially drawn to how HR connects leadership, trust, communication, and culture to overall organizational success.”
That philosophy is at the heart of the Organization and Management course she teaches at the School of Continuing Studies, a required course in the Diploma in Human Resources Management program.
Balancing Organizational Strategies While Investing in Human Growth: Real-World Applications in the Classroom
When asked what her favourite thing about teaching the course was, Christopherson shared, “There is so much that stands out for me. We cover the gambit of HR functions —whether examining sociological perspectives, orientations and purpose of work, leadership development, change and transition, performance management, motivation, conflict resolution, groups and teams or simply how to create environments where employees feel valued and engaged.”
What excites her the most is what happens when students begin to apply the content. “I get excited when students engage in the learning and utilize the tools and frameworks in a productive way.”
Chirstopherson's teaching approach blends theory with lived experience. “The goal with this course is to take theoretical, evidence-based research on organizational behaviour and apply it to real-life scenarios,” she explains. Students complete assessments, work through tools firsthand, learn from both theoretical and contemporary materials, and learn from one another through collaborative dialogue. “While there is a lecture component,” Christopherson continues, “research shows that collaborative learning is by far a richer way to learn.”
Collaboration and Intentional Growth: The Meaning Behind HR
So why this course, and why now? For Christopherson, Organization and Management “provides a safe and comfortable place to discuss the real issues of working in this field. The content helps students recognize that the field of human resources balances the human side of work with strategic business outcomes.” She adds, “For me, that connection between what the course offers in terms of human growth and the impact to the individual, teams and organizations is what makes HR so meaningful.”
Finally, in the spirit of the collaborative nature of her classroom and her career, she shares about the course, “The learning will come not only from me, but from the insights we share with one another.”
Organization and Management begins April 16 and is offered alongside other courses within the Diploma in Human Resources Management.