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Unit of study_

WORK6130: Leadership in Organisations

This unit is designed to encourage students to consider the role and significance of leadership in various organisational contexts. The unit introduces the major streams of leadership theory and traces the development of our understanding about leadership. The unit explores how these theories allow us to understand leadership in practice and in what ways leadership is linked to different aspects of organisational effectiveness. It then examines the 'good, the bad, and the ugly' sides of leadership, e.g. positive forms (transformational, charismatic) and negative forms (narcissistic and Machiavellian). The unit explores leading for diversity and diversity in leadership (e.g. based on gender, culture and ethnicity) and the role of leaders in constituting ethical and socially responsible organisations. The critical role of leaders in effecting organisational change is explored and the leadership of top management teams and leadership succession is examined. The unit also examines leadership development programs and instruments and students have an opportunity to reflect on factors that might influence their own leadership style.

Code WORK6130
Academic unit Work and Organisational Studies
Credit points 6
Prerequisites:
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None
Corequisites:
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None
Prohibitions:
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ECOF5807 or ECOF6090

At the completion of this unit, you should be able to:

  • LO1. investigate several major theories of leadership that relate to the leadership perspective and strategies evident in current organisations and among individual leaders
  • LO2. evaluate the implications of leadership theories for their relationship to individual, team and organisational performance in the workplace
  • LO3. apply a range of empirical examples to demonstrate the complexity of leadership in various economic, historical and geographical contexts
  • LO4. create and develop lines of argumentation which demonstrate the importance of applying both theoretical perspectives and empirical examples.