Module: Leadership in Organisations

Aims

• To develop students’ knowledge and critical understanding of key issues regarding leadership in terms of behaviour, perception and social construction with a specific focus on methodological issues. Leadership will be considered in the broad sense, to include, for example, adjacent areas such as development, motivation, and employee/follower performance and attitudes.
• Classic leadership theories and why we have moved on.
• Management development, employee attitudes, motivation and performance.
• Self- and social awareness regarding leaders and leadership.
• Modern leadership approaches.
• Typical methods in the research on leadership.

Content

Ethical challenges in leadership.

Learning Outcomes

Subject-specific knowledge

• Have an advanced understanding of the limitations of many classic leadership approaches.
• Have a comprehensive understanding of key issues, such as management development, employee attitudes, motivation, and performance, with which leadership is connected. 
• Understand where leadership is placed within the general management picture.
• Understand one’s own biases in leader perceptions.
• Understand the difference between good and poor research in leadership.
• Understand the problems and issues in researching leadership in organisations.
• Have an advanced understanding of ethical challenges in leadership and the appropriate responses.

Subject-specific skills

• Ability to skillfully conduct leadership research.
• Ability to critically assess existing leadership research with respect to the methods applied.
• Ability to connect leadership with antecedents, correlates and outcomes that are key to organisations, such as development, motivation, performance and employee attitudes.
• Ability to understand and apply different methodological approaches to leadership research.

Key skills

• Ability to make an initial formulation and articulation of a potential scheme of research.
• Ability to understand and resolve the problems and issues in undertaking doctoral research.
• Ability to formulate, articulate and complete a scheme of research at doctoral level.
• Enhanced personal effectiveness.
• Effective written communication.
• Advanced skills of self-awareness and time management.

Modes of Teaching, Learning and Assessment and how these contribute to the learning outcomes of the module

• The module will be delivered in a workshop format over an intensive three-day teaching block. Workshops will comprise a balanced mix of lecture- and seminar-type delivery combined with small group discussions and other activities as appropriate to the nature of the material. Learning will also occur through tutor-supported, as well as self-supporting learning groups. There will also be online teaching support through a module blog. Finally, guided reading will address key topics. This range of methods will ensure that students will acquire the advanced skills and knowledge to enable them to develop a thorough understanding of this specialist field of study.
• The assessment of the module, by essay, is designed to test students' knowledge and understanding of the subject matter and their ability to articulate a researchable issue. 

Summative assessment

An individual written assignment that develops the initial formulation and articulation of a potential scheme of research, 5,000 words.

Formative assessment

Individual-based presentations and tutor feedback within workshops. Individual 2,500-word assignment.

The formative assessment is a smaller version of the summative assessment and serves to provide the students with feedback prior to submitting their summative assessment. It will comprise an initial critical review of the literature to be included in the summative assessment and first ideas on how to address the research question methodologically.