This course will provide students with an opportunity to learn essential core skills and techniques involved in leadership, enabling them to become better and effective leaders in their prospective careers. This course will develop and enhance students’ leadership skills and techniques so they will be able to inspire a team, successfully manage change and conflict, and better serve the needs of a team.
Module leader: Lisa Chamberlain
Lisa is a Graduate Teaching Fellow and PhD candidate at the University of Liverpool. Her research explores quality of working life issues, and her teaching focuses on human resource management and leadership. Lisa is an Associate Member of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development and an Associate Fellow of the Higher Education Academy.
Aims
- To develop confidence in understanding and communicating complex ideas
- To develop skills in research, collaborative learning and producing and delivering presentations
- To introduce students to the understanding of the concept of contemporary leadership theory from various theoretical and practical approaches and perspectives
- To train students in the core skills and techniques in order to become better and effective leaders
- To highlight the importance of the role of diversity and ethics in leadership.
Content
The following topics will be considered on the module:
- What is leadership?
- Leadership theories
- Different approaches to leadership
- Leadership diversity
- Exploring ethics and toxicity in leadership.
Structure
The module will be delivered over a three-week period in six two hour sessions (four hours per week, total 12 hours contact time). The final block will be an assessment session.
Each session will consist of short lecture-style sessions interspersed with practical activities and group discussions. The lecturer will demonstrate the approaches, skills, and techniques used in leadership and students will have a number of opportunities to put what they are learning into practice with their classmates. Students will be expected to participate fully and actively throughout the sessions.
In addition, it is expected that students will spend 38 study hours outside of the classroom contact hours on activities including assigned reading, optional reading of areas of personal interest, homework tasks, web research and preparation for assessment. The ‘flipped classroom’ approach will be used, requiring students to prepare in advance for the sessions. Students should be aware that in order to fully benefit from the face-to-face classroom sessions, the preparation work assigned should have been done prior to the lecture.
The course will be practical in nature, with the sessions highly focused on giving the students as much practical experience as possible, and encouraging them to put theory into practice throughout.
The indicative schedule is as follows:
Session one: What is leadership?
The course will begin with some general information about the module, including the aims and assessment. Then it moves on to consider the various definitions of leadership, the core elements in leadership, and the five essential keys for successful leadership. The session will also introduce students to the various views on leadership. It also explains the sources of power in leadership as well as the differences between leadership (leaders) and management (managers).
Student activity: Case study analysis and group discussion. Students will have an opportunity to identify the characteristics of leaders through brainstorming.
Session two: Leadership theories
This session will introduce students to the different theories on leadership and their characteristics. These include trait approach, skills approach, behavioural approach, style approach, and situational approach.
Student activity: the students will be given a questionnaire to evaluate their potential behavioural and skills leadership.
Session three: Different approaches to leadership
This session intends to provide students with a deep understanding of key elements and concepts surrounding charismatic leadership, transformational leadership, transactional leadership, authentic leadership, and entrepreneurial leadership.
Student activity: Case study and group discussion.
Session four: Diversity in leadership
This session aims to emphasise the importance role of diversity in leadership. The students will learn the underlying factors concerning diversity in leadership which are as follows: the diversity challenges for leaders, cultural diversity, gender diversity, and managing diversity.
Student activity: case study and group discussion.
Session five: Exploring ethics and toxicity in leadership
This session will introduce students briefly to the concept of ethics and then discuss the link between leadership and ethics. The students will learn about ethical leadership and how it can be applied in practice. Also, the lecture will explain bad or toxic leadership and how we can address this in the workplace.
Student activity: case study and group discussion.
Session six: Leadership case studies group discussion
In this final session the students will be given some real world case studies in the leadership context. The students will be grouped and will be provided with an opportunity to discuss the case studies in order to reflect what they have learnt during the course and how it can be applied in the real business world environment.
Teaching methods
The teaching approach will include the following:
- Taught sessions
- Flipped classroom – preparation work
- Small group working
- Group discussions
- Presentations
- Online learning
- Use of multimedia and interactive materials
- Use of case studies
- Workshops.
Assessment
Assessment will be by written essay/reflection of 1,000-1,200 words (worth 100% of the overall mark).
Standard University policies apply with regard to late submission of assessments.
Learning outcomes
On completion of this module, students will be able to:
- Research, find, select, and present relevant facts and information in order to support the argument and findings
- Compare and discuss various scholars’ works and opinions and express their own point of view coherently, logically, and concisely. Thus, students will be able to develop their self-confidence and initiative as well as written communication skills
- Demonstrate a general understanding of various theories and approaches in leadership. They will also be able to present the core skills and techniques of leadership. Students will be able to explain the importance of the role of ethics and diversity in leadership. Students will be able to critically analyse and evaluate the importance of the role of effective leadership to the success of an enterprise.
Skills
Key skills that will be developed:
- Collaboration and teamwork, through group discussions, activities and tasks in class, and collaborative research
- Communication, developed orally in group discussions, activities and tasks in class, and in writing by production of assessed assignment
- Analytical skills, through academic research and writing, which will enable the students to improve and develop their analytical skills including intellectual initiative, critical reflection, the ability to gather, assess, analyse and organise various data, problem solving, and marshal arguments coherently and concisely
- Organisational skills, through academic writing, which will assist the students to improve and develop their organisational skills including self-direction, self-discipline, to work under pressure and to meet deadlines, and management of time and resources.
Books, ebooks and websites
The University Library website provides access to many relevant books and electronic books, as well as academic journals and databases.
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