GRA 2239 Leadership in Organisations

GRA 2239 Leadership in Organisations

Course code: 
GRA 2239
Department: 
Leadership and Organizational Behaviour
Credits: 
6
Course coordinator: 
Lina Daouk-Öyry
Stig Berge Matthiesen
Course name in Norwegian: 
Leadership in Organisations
Product category: 
Master
Portfolio: 
MSc in Leadership and Organisational Psychology
Semester: 
2023 Spring
Active status: 
Active
Level of study: 
Master
Teaching language: 
English
Course type: 
One semester
Introduction

Leadership development is an essential strategic priority for organizations, and this is most evident in the growing organizational costs spent on leadership development initiatives. This increase in financial spending on developing leaders has not, however, been accompanied by an equivalent increase in the level of satisfaction with the outcomes of these initiatives. In fact, many organizations point out substantial leadership deficit and complain that participating leaders are not equipped with the critical capabilities and skills they need in order to succeed in today’s turbulent reality.

As organizations search for practices to develop their future leaders, scholars search for concepts to explain leadership and its impact in organizations. The leadership literature presents several – and different approaches for leadership. Altogether, they provide answers and questions that illustrate the complexity of contemporary leadership, and how leadership should be carefully interpreted as a general construct with standard development practices.

In this course, we review different approaches for leadership and leadership development to better understand the complexity of leadership and why development of leaders is – and will be difficult. Whereas the course introduces general concepts of leadership, more complex views and critics will be presented and discussed in regard of leadership development and leadership effectivity.

Learning outcomes - Knowledge

By the end of the course, the student should be able to:

  • Analyze the complexity of various leadership perspectives.
  • Discuss how various leadership perspectives have different impact on organizational outcomes.
  • Analyze the various leadership development theoretical perspectives.
  • Discuss based on research evidence the outcomes of effective and ineffective leadership development.
Learning outcomes - Skills

By the end of the course, the student should be able to:

  • Critically suggest how various leadership perspectives could be applied in different settings.
  • Judge the relevance of specific leadership development perspectives to contemporary organizational leadership roles.
  • Explain using evidence-based research why some leadership development approaches are more effective than others.
General Competence

By the end of the course, the student should be able to:

  • Integrate contemporary issues and critical perspectives in leadership discussions.
  • Integrate contemporary issues in leadership development discussions.
Course content

Topics covered in the course include:

  • Leadership development – theory, practice, and critique.
    • Leadership development discourse and seminal leadership theories
    • Leadership development discourse and leader’s identity.
  • Effective leadership development
    • Effectiveness as a fluid concept.
    • Effectiveness assessment.
  • Leadership development and contemporary challenges.
Teaching and learning activities

The course consists of lectures, individual reflections, and group discussions and presentations of specified assignments. Some elements of this course (e.g., lectures) may be delivered digitally.

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

This course might have elements to be delivered by the lecturers 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 get 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: 
Submission
Form of assessment: 
Written submission
Invigilation
Weight: 
70
Grouping: 
Individual
Support materials: 
  • Bilingual dictionary
Duration: 
3 Hour(s)
Comment: 
.
Exam code: 
GRA22394
Grading scale: 
ECTS
Resit: 
Examination when next scheduled course
Exam category: 
Submission
Form of assessment: 
Multimedia production
Weight: 
30
Grouping: 
Group (2 - 3)
Duration: 
1 Semester(s)
Comment: 
Submission of video presentation
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)
Group assignments with oral presentations.
Submission(s)
30 Hour(s)
Individual assignments with written submission.
Sum workload: 
171

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.