GRA 8515 Leadership Development
GRA 8515 Leadership Development
This course is part of the Master of Management in Energy, offered in cooperation between BI Norwegian Business School and IFP School. It provides a research-based foundation in leadership theory and practice, with a particular emphasis on leading people and organizations through the energy sector’s transition to sustainable practices.
The course draws on established and emerging scholarship in leadership, organizational psychology, and change management. Students will explore how psychological safety, compassion, and high-quality connections shape effective leadership. They will examine the role of active listening as a leadership practice, understand how creativity and idea work can be fostered in teams, and engage with theories of work motivation, personality, and self-determination. Throughout the course, these topics are situated within the context of the green transition, equipping students to lead change in complex and evolving organizational environments.
Teaching is delivered through a combination of lectures, seminars, and collaborative group work, blending academic rigor with practical application grounded in participants’ own professional experience.
Upon completion of this course, the student will be able to:
- Analyze the principles of psychological safety, high-quality connections, and compassion, and explain how these concepts contribute to effective leadership in organizational settings.
- Differentiate between major theories of leadership and evaluate their applicability to contemporary organizational challenges.
- Explain techniques for re-evaluating and challenging existing paradigms, particularly in the context of the green transition.
- Summarize the key tenets of self-determination theory and assess its implications for work motivation and employee engagement.
- Categorize typical individual and organizational responses to significant change events, drawing on affect-based and evidence-based frameworks.
- Evaluate the role of personality traits in shaping leadership style and effectiveness.
Upon completion of this course, the student will be able to:
- Design and implement leadership strategies to guide teams and organizations through the energy sector’s transition to sustainable practices.
- Apply motivational theories to foster team engagement and drive participation in green initiatives.
- Build trust and high-quality connections to lead teams through transformational changes in energy production and consumption.
- Critically assess and adjust leadership approaches in response to emerging environmental and organizational challenges.
Upon completion of this course, the student will be able to:
- Integrate diverse perspectives and leadership approaches to navigate the multifaceted context of the energy sector’s shift towards sustainability.
- Demonstrate adaptability and resilience in guiding organizations through the green transition, including under conditions of uncertainty and ambiguity.
- Implement evidence-based leadership methods and change management practices tailored to environmental sustainability.
The course is structured around the following topics:
- Psychological safety and its role in team performance
- Compassion, high-quality connections, and relational leadership
- Active listening as a leadership practice
- The power of knowing what you don’t know – intellectual humility and re-thinking
- Creativity, idea work, and fostering innovation in organizations
- Leadership philosophies and theories
- Work motivation and self-determination theory
- Personality and leadership
- Leading change in organizations
- Adapting to new and changing situations in the context of the green transition
One ECTS credit corresponds to a workload of 26–30 hours. The course consists of 5 ECTS credits, corresponding to a total workload of at least 135 hours.
Attendance to all sessions in the course is compulsory. If you have to miss part(s) of the course you must ask in advance for leave of absence. More than 25% absence in a course will require retaking the entire course. It's the student's own responsibility to obtain any information provided in class that is not included on the course homepage/ It's learning or other course materials. Sessions include lectures, seminars and group work.
The course is a part of a full Master of Management in Energy (MME) and examination in all courses must be passed in order to obtain a certificate.
In all BI Executive courses and programmes, there is a mutual requirement for the student and the course responsible regarding the involvement of the student's experience in the planning and implementation of courses, modules and programmes. This means that the student has the right and duty to get involved with their own knowledge and practice relevance, through the active sharing of their relevant experience and knowledge.
Granted admission to the Master of Management in Energy programme. Please consult our student regulations.
| Assessments |
|---|
Exam category: Submission Form of assessment: Submission PDF Exam/hand-in semester: First Semester Weight: 100 Grouping: Individual Duration: 30 Day(s) Comment: The students are evaluated through an individual reflection note, counting 100% of the final grade. Exam code: GRA 85154 Grading scale: ECTS Resit: Examination when next scheduled course |
| Activity | Duration | Comment |
|---|---|---|
Teaching | 40 Hour(s) | |
Student's own work with learning resources | 95 Hour(s) |
A course of 1 ECTS credit corresponds to a workload of 26-30 hours. Therefore a course of 5 ECTS credit corresponds to a workload of at least 135 hours.
