GRA 2239 Responsible Leadership

GRA 2239 Responsible Leadership

Course code: 
GRA 2239
Department: 
Leadership and Organizational Behaviour
Credits: 
6
Course coordinator: 
Lina Daouk-Öyry
Stig Berge Matthiesen
Course name in Norwegian: 
Responsible Leadership
Product category: 
Master
Portfolio: 
MSc in Leadership and Organisational Psychology
Semester: 
2025 Spring
Active status: 
Active
Level of study: 
Master
Teaching language: 
English
Course type: 
One semester
Introduction

In today's ever-changing and increasingly complex business environments, the role of leadership has become more critical than ever before. As markets and technologies continue to evolve and global challenges threaten our society and planet, organizations must step up to create socially and environmentally sustainable solutions that address the urgent global challenges. This is where leaders have a major responsibility and can play a crucial role in driving people and organizations towards a more sustainable future.

Leadership is no longer just about crafting a clear vision or motivating employees. It's about creating a culture that fosters collaboration, innovation, and continuous improvement. It is not only about responsibility towards the organization and the employees, but also towards society and the planet we live in.  

This course addresses critical questions such as what characteristics are essential for succeeding in leadership roles in today’s business environment? How do leaders inspire and guide individual and group behavior within organizations towards a common goal? How can leaders contribute the advancement of organizations while also attending to the needs of society and the planet? What are the roles of values and ethics in shaping leadership today and in the future? What is the responsibility of leaders in creating more diverse and equitable societies that foster social sustainability in the long run?

In this course, we'll dive deep into the topic of leadership, drawing from a variety of disciplines including psychology, sociology, organization, and management to provide a comprehensive understanding of what it takes to be an effective leader in today's world. The focus is on the application of leadership principles and knowledge in practice through thought-provoking case analyses, engaging workshops, and immersive simulations, we explore a variety of topics related to leadership.

Learning outcomes - Knowledge

By the end of this course, students will learn about

  • Methods used to study leadership.
  • The different approaches to understanding leadership and leadership development and the relevance of each to today’s complex business environment.
  • The importance of socially and environmentally responsible leadership.
  • Leading organizations in extreme contexts where major events disrupt work.
  • The relationship between SDGs, ESGs, values, ethics, and leadership.
Learning outcomes - Skills

By the end of this course, students will be able to

  • Synthesize cases about leadership behavior, decisions, and development.
  • Critically reflect on the connections between the roles of leaders and ever-changing and increasingly complex business environments as well as the global challenges threatening our society and planet.
General Competence

By the end of this course, students will

  • Develop a critical understanding of the role, behaviors, decisions, and development of leaders in today’s complex business environments.
  • Assess the multiple factors that influence leadership behavior and decisions within organizations.
  • Critically appraise leadership behaviors and decisions in driving people and organizations towards a more sustainable future.
Course content

Topics covered in the course include:

  • Introduction to leadership
    • How has leadership been studied and what approaches can help us better understand and reflect on effective leadership in today’s complex business environment?
    • Why is socially and environmentally responsible leadership critical in the face of the global challenges threatening our society and planet?
  • Leader characteristics
    • What traits and characteristics of effective leadership are essential?
    • Are leadership traits innate or can we develop them, and how?
  • Managing change and organizational politics
    • What is the psychological and sociological science behind change management?
    • How can leaders navigate organizational politics to achieve goals responsibly?
  • Leading others
    • What strategies are best suited for leading and motivating employees in contexts where markets and technologies continue to evolve and global challenges threaten our society and planet?
  • Leadership values, ethics, and diversity
    • What are the roles of values and ethics in shaping leadership today and in the future?
    • What is the responsibility of leaders in creating more diverse and equitable societies that foster social sustainability in the long run?
Teaching and learning activities

The class utilizes a combination of interactive lectures that focus on thought-provoking case analyses, engaging workshops, immersive simulations, and group exercises. Specifically, students will experience a hands-on workshop about Adaptive Leadership and digital business simulation about leading teams where they will get to apply their knowledge into practice.

Software tools
No specified computer-based tools are required.
Additional information

This course is designed as a hybrid course where part of the material is delivered in the form of animated videos and interactive activities digitally. This information will be communicated to students upon course start.

Please note that while attendance is not compulsory in all courses, it is the student’s own responsibility to obtain any information provided in class.

All parts of the assessment must be passed in order to obtain a grade in the course.

Qualifications

All courses in the Masters programme will assume that students have fulfilled the admission requirements for the programme. In addition, courses in second, third and/or fourth semester can have specific prerequisites and will assume that students have followed normal study progression. For double degree and exchange students, please note that equivalent courses are accepted.

Disclaimer

Deviations in teaching and exams may occur if external conditions or unforeseen events call for this.

Assessments
Assessments
Exam category: 
School Exam
Form of assessment: 
Structured Test
Exam/hand-in semester: 
First Semester
Weight: 
70
Grouping: 
Individual
Support materials: 
  • Bilingual dictionary
Duration: 
3 Hour(s)
Comment: 
.
Exam code: 
GRA 22394
Grading scale: 
ECTS
Resit: 
Examination when next scheduled course
Exam category: 
Submission
Form of assessment: 
Submission other than PDF
Exam/hand-in semester: 
First Semester
Weight: 
30
Grouping: 
Group (2 - 3)
Duration: 
6 Week(s)
Comment: 
Multimedia submission (video to be submitted online, approx. 10 minutes)
Exam code: 
GRA 22395
Grading scale: 
ECTS
Resit: 
Examination when next scheduled course
Type of Assessment: 
Ordinary examination
All exams must be passed to get a grade in this course.
Total weight: 
100
Student workload
ActivityDurationComment
Student's own work with learning resources
75 Hour(s)
Teaching
36 Hour(s)
Group work / Assignments
30 Hour(s)
Multimedia project (video to be submitted digitally)
Submission(s)
70 Hour(s)
Individual exam
Sum workload: 
211

A course of 1 ECTS credit corresponds to a workload of 26-30 hours. Therefore a course of 6 ECTS credits corresponds to a workload of at least 160 hours.