Outline

Overview

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.

Unit details and rules

Unit code	WORK6130
Academic unit	Work and Organisational Studies
Credit points	6
Prohibitions ?	ECOF5807 or ECOF6090
Prerequisites ?	None
Corequisites ?	None
Assumed knowledge ?	None
Available to study abroad and exchange students	Yes

Teaching staff

Coordinator	Kevin Lowe, kevin.b.lowe@sydney.edu.au

Type	Description	Weight	Due	Length
Presentation	Presentation Oral Presentation & Class Facilitation	20%	Week 04 Closing date: 20 Mar 2022	One hour
Outcomes assessed:
Participation	Participation in Activities Attendance, Verbal/nonverbal participation, Engagement, Unit citizenship	10%	Week 05 Due date: 27 Mar 2022 at 17:00	On-going
Outcomes assessed:
Assignment	Assignment Case Study	30%	Week 05 Closing date: 27 Mar 2022	2000 words
Outcomes assessed:
Final exam (Take-home short release)	Final Exam Written Exam	40%	Week 06 Due date: 02 Apr 2022 at 15:00	2.5 hours
Outcomes assessed:
= group assignment ? = Type D final exam ?

Assessment summary

Presentation (20 marks): This assignment requires students to work in groups to present, encourage engagement, and generate discussion of course related material in their tutorial class during the semester. Students will be assigned their groups and presentation topics in quasi-random order by the unit of study coordinator.
Participation in Activities (10 marks): Includes attendance, seminar participation, questions & engagement during other groups presentations, in-class comments including the chat feature and break out rooms where applicable, and general citizenship behaviours that advance the objectives of the course. Attendance alone is insufficient for achieving participation marks at the Pass level or above.
Assignment (30 marks): This assignment requires the student to individually develop a unique product that displays their knowledge of leadership theory by demonstrating their ability to apply at least two leadership theories to a specific example (or case/situation) of leadership in action. The student is expected to highlight the application of theory to the situation and to communicate a detailed outline as to how they would guide a group of peers through a process of discovery and learning with respect to the application of the theory. The individual assignment will draw from course knowledge, assigned readings, and the student’s own research within the academic literature to provide insights into how the leadership frameworks in use influenced the outcomes.
Final Test (40 marks): The final test will provide the student with a small subset of theories/topics drawn from the unit outline. The frame for the exam question(s) is that the student should assume they are writing a briefing on their theory/topic for a sophisticated upper-level manager. Students are expected to critically engage with the theoretical (and to a lesser extent the practitioner literature) and may bring their own experience, as appropriate, into the discussion.

Detailed information for each assessment can be found on Canvas.

Assessment criteria

The University awards common result grades, set out in the Coursework Policy 2014 (Schedule 1).

As a general guide, a high distinction indicates work of an exceptional standard, a distinction a very high standard, a credit a good standard, and a pass an acceptable standard.

Result name	Mark range	Description
High distinction	85 - 100	Awarded when you demonstrate the learning outcomes for the unit at an exceptional standard, as defined by grade descriptors or exemplars outlined by your faculty or school.
Distinction	75 - 84	Awarded when you demonstrate the learning outcomes for the unit at a very high standard, as defined by grade descriptors or exemplars outlined by your faculty or school.
Credit	65 - 74	Awarded when you demonstrate the learning outcomes for the unit at a good standard, as defined by grade descriptors or exemplars outlined by your faculty or school.
Pass	50 - 64	Awarded when you demonstrate the learning outcomes for the unit at an acceptable standard, as defined by grade descriptors or exemplars outlined by your faculty or school.
Fail	0 - 49	When you don’t meet the learning outcomes of the unit to a satisfactory standard.

For more information see sydney.edu.au/students/guide-to-grades.

For more information see guide to grades.

Late submission

In accordance with University policy, these penalties apply when written work is submitted after 11:59pm on the due date:

Deduction of 5% of the maximum mark for each calendar day after the due date.
After ten calendar days late, a mark of zero will be awarded.

This unit has an exception to the standard University policy or supplementary information has been provided by the unit coordinator. This information is displayed below:

The late penalty for assignments is five percent of the marks for that assignment per day.

Academic integrity

The Current Student website provides information on academic integrity and the resources available to all students. The University expects students and staff to act ethically and honestly and will treat all allegations of academic integrity breaches seriously.

We use similarity detection software to detect potential instances of plagiarism or other forms of academic integrity breach. If such matches indicate evidence of plagiarism or other forms of academic integrity breaches, your teacher is required to report your work for further investigation.

You may only use artificial intelligence and writing assistance tools in assessment tasks if you are permitted to by your unit coordinator, and if you do use them, you must also acknowledge this in your work, either in a footnote or an acknowledgement section.

Studiosity is permitted for postgraduate units unless otherwise indicated by the unit coordinator. The use of this service must be acknowledged in your submission.

Learning support

Simple extensions

If you encounter a problem submitting your work on time, you may be able to apply for an extension of five calendar days through a simple extension.  The application process will be different depending on the type of assessment and extensions cannot be granted for some assessment types like exams.

Special consideration

If exceptional circumstances mean you can’t complete an assessment, you need consideration for a longer period of time, or if you have essential commitments which impact your performance in an assessment, you may be eligible for special consideration or special arrangements.

Special consideration applications will not be affected by a simple extension application.

Using AI responsibly

Co-created with students, AI in Education includes lots of helpful examples of how students use generative AI tools to support their learning. It explains how generative AI works, the different tools available and how to use them responsibly and productively.

Weekly schedule

WK	Topic	Learning activity
Week 01	Introduction to leadership: Implicit leadership theory	Block teaching (5 hr)
Week 01	Leader emergence; Followership	Block teaching (5 hr)
Week 02	Leader member exchange; Measuring leadership	Block teaching (5 hr)
Week 02	Transformational and charismatic leadership	Block teaching (5 hr)
Week 03	Values based leadership: Authentic, Ethical, Servant	Block teaching (5 hr)
Week 03	Power and influence; Motivation to Lead	Block teaching (5 hr)
Week 04	Culture, Gender and Leadership	Block teaching (5 hr)
Week 04	Organisational change and leadership	Block teaching (5 hr)

Attendance and class requirements

Lecture recordings: All lectures and seminars are recorded and will be available on Canvas for student use. Please note the Business School does not own the system and cannot guarantee that the system will operate or that every class will be recorded.
Attendance: Students should ensure they attend and participate in all classes. Students are expected to attend and actively participate in all tutorials unless an illness or unavoidable circumstance, verified by a medical certificate or other verifiable evidence, prevents prudent attendance.

Study commitment

Typically, there is a minimum expectation of 1.5-2 hours of student effort per week per credit point for units of study offered over a full semester. For a 6 credit point unit, this equates to roughly 120-150 hours of student effort in total.

Required readings

All readings for this unit can be accessed through the Library eReserve, available on Canvas.

Learning outcomes

Learning outcomes are what students know, understand and are able to do on completion of a unit of study. They are aligned with the University's graduate qualities and are assessed as part of the curriculum.

Outcomes
Graduate qualities

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.

Graduate qualities

The graduate qualities are the qualities and skills that all University of Sydney graduates must demonstrate on successful completion of an award course. As a future Sydney graduate, the set of qualities have been designed to equip you for the contemporary world.

GQ1	Depth of disciplinary expertise Deep disciplinary expertise is the ability to integrate and rigorously apply knowledge, understanding and skills of a recognised discipline defined by scholarly activity, as well as familiarity with evolving practice of the discipline.
GQ2	Critical thinking and problem solving Critical thinking and problem solving are the questioning of ideas, evidence and assumptions in order to propose and evaluate hypotheses or alternative arguments before formulating a conclusion or a solution to an identified problem.
GQ3	Oral and written communication Effective communication, in both oral and written form, is the clear exchange of meaning in a manner that is appropriate to audience and context.
GQ4	Information and digital literacy Information and digital literacy is the ability to locate, interpret, evaluate, manage, adapt, integrate, create and convey information using appropriate resources, tools and strategies.
GQ5	Inventiveness Generating novel ideas and solutions.
GQ6	Cultural competence Cultural Competence is the ability to actively, ethically, respectfully, and successfully engage across and between cultures. In the Australian context, this includes and celebrates Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures, knowledge systems, and a mature understanding of contemporary issues.
GQ7	Interdisciplinary effectiveness Interdisciplinary effectiveness is the integration and synthesis of multiple viewpoints and practices, working effectively across disciplinary boundaries.
GQ8	Integrated professional, ethical, and personal identity An integrated professional, ethical and personal identity is understanding the interaction between one’s personal and professional selves in an ethical context.
GQ9	Influence Engaging others in a process, idea or vision.

Outcome map

Learning outcomes	Graduate qualities
Learning outcomes

Responding to student feedback

This section outlines changes made to this unit following staff and student reviews.

No changes have been made since this unit was last offered.

Additional information

Business School policies

Disclaimer

The University reserves the right to amend units of study or no longer offer certain units, including where there are low enrolment numbers.

To help you understand common terms that we use at the University, we offer an online glossary.

Current students

Overview

Overview

Unit details and rules

Teaching staff

Assessment

Assessment

Assessment summary

Assessment criteria

Late submission

Academic integrity

Learning support

Learning support

Simple extensions

Special consideration

Using AI responsibly

Weekly schedule

Weekly schedule

Attendance and class requirements

Study commitment

Required readings

Learning outcomes

Learning outcomes

Graduate qualities

Outcome map

Responding to student feedback

Responding to student feedback

Additional information

Additional information

Disclaimer

On this page

Useful links

Media

Student links

About us

Connect

Current students

WORK6130: Leadership in Organisations

Semester 1a, 2022 [Block mode] - Remote

Overview

Overview

Unit details and rules

Teaching staff

Assessment

Assessment

Assessment summary

Assessment criteria

Late submission

Academic integrity

Learning support

Learning support

Simple extensions

Special consideration

Using AI responsibly

Weekly schedule

Weekly schedule

Attendance and class requirements

Study commitment

Required readings

Learning outcomes

Learning outcomes

Graduate qualities

Outcome map

Responding to student feedback

Responding to student feedback

Additional information

Additional information

Disclaimer

On this page

Useful links

Media

Student links

About us

Connect