MAN 5069 Teamwork and Leadership; Applied Organizational Psychology

MAN 5069 Teamwork and Leadership; Applied Organizational Psychology

Course code: 
MAN 5069
Department: 
Leadership and Organizational Behaviour
Credits: 
30
Course coordinator: 
Hallvard Føllesdal
Kathrine Johannesen
Course name in Norwegian: 
Samspill og ledelse; anvendt organisasjonspsykologi
Product category: 
Executive
Portfolio: 
Executive Master of Management
Semester: 
2022 Autumn
Active status: 
Active
Level of study: 
Master
Teaching language: 
Norwegian
Course type: 
Associate course
Course codes for multi- or associated courses
Course codeSemester
MAN 5070
2022 Autumn
MAN 5071
2023 Spring
Introduction

This course is based on Norwegian and international research and experience. The program provides useful and practical knowledge about communication and interaction between large groups, small groups, and individuals in social systems. 

The program provides scientifically based knowledge about teamwork and leadership, drawn from empirical studies in e.g., group psychology, personality psychology, and organizational psychology. Participants will learn to use their knowledge in planning and facilitating the development of their own and others' competence in leadership and knowledge of human relations. 

Interpersonal competence is a core skill in today’s performance-oriented work life, a competency all organizations need. By using theory, solving tasks, and drawing on own experience, you will be challenged personally to learn about the human side of organizations, and how it impacts leadership, decision making, and work performance. 

After the program, you will have obtained applicable psychological knowledge for use in organizations where change occur rapidly. You will get the opportunity to reflect over your own experiences, and apply and improve your interpersonal competence. 

The overarching objective for the program is to convey a holistic understanding of the various forces in human interaction that impact satisfaction, productivity, and innovation. Through a continuous process, the program conveys scientifically based psychological knowledge that offer each participant a unique opportunity for personal development. 

Learning outcomes - Knowledge
  • Know about fundamental questions in various parts of psychology, e.g., organizational psychology, cognitive psychology, personality psychology, and social psychology.
  • Obtain knowledge of basic concepts in psychology and be able to apply them (also in writing)
  • Knowledge of basic theories and research studies in organizational psychology of relevance for team work and leadership.
  • Basic knowledge of psychological theory relevant for leading groups and managing relationships.
Learning outcomes - Skills
  • Be able to apply knowledge and experience in organizational psychology at their own work place.
  • Be able to improve leader skills in interpersonal relationships
  • Shift focus from goals to process, and from oneself to the organization
  • Learn to work more effective as a leader, for instance how to drive performance in a group, make decisions, manage conflicts/facilitate cooperation/increase satisfaction
  • Increased psychological knowledge relevant for, e.g., sales, completion of projects, follow-up on customers.
General Competence
  • Increased relational competence, which increases ones ability to create sustainable groups and organizations. 
  • Increased self-awareness and understanding of one's impact on other people
  • Increased ability to understand other's perspective, which provides a better foundation for ethical reflection.
Course content
  • Group psychology: leadership and interaction in and between teams.
  • Reflection team: Roles and group processes
  • Organizational development: innovation and survival strategies
  • Personality and leadership: Self-awareness and development of others.
  • Coaching of colleagues: Application of psychological competencies.

1st Module - Group psychology: Leadership and interaction in and between teams.

Motivation and demotivation of team members is important for a team’s success. Therefore, group psychology is a fruitful topic of study for those who are concerned about obtaining results. This module provides classic structured experiential exercises and psychological theory about groups, and gives the necessary background to understand topics covered in later modules. Students will experience, and receive scientifically based knowledge about, relationships in and between work groups.

Overview of topics

- Team development
- Leadership and communication
- Experience learning
- Competition and cooperation
- Security + anxiety = performance
- Relations to external consultants
- Relations to leaders and co-workers
- Group identity
- The unconscious in groups
- Changing group culture
- Training in participative observation

2nd Module – Reflection team: Roles and group fantasies

How a group constructs its reality may impact how it succeeds with internal and external relationships. The module provides new perspectives on the experiences from Module 1. Each participant will get the opportunity to study one’s own and others’ group behavior and relationship competence in light of classic and newer psychological theory and research findings.

Topics

- What characterizes the winning team?
- Surface roles, interaction roles, and core roles
- Conflict and conflict management
- Power, authority, and obedience
- Role differentiation in groups
- Constructive and destructive forces in groups
- Archetypical roles and deep-role fantasies

3rd Module – Organizational development: Innovation and survival strategies.

It is not always the best who wins. Fantasies and feelings may be important for a company’s financial performance. Relational competence and image influence, both individually and between organizations, becomes an important factor for survival. This module is concerned with psychological factors in the start-up, creation, development, marketing, and maintenance of knowledge organizations. Students will obtain psychological knowledge concerning the process of innovation, relationships between competing companies, and challenges and consequences for the particular employee.

Overview of topics

- Preparation for the project thesis
- Influence and impact
- The development of competence and trust
- Resource utilization and redundancy
- The psychology of project organizations
- Psychological capital
- The role of emotions
- Leading newly established teams
- Sales performance: competition as “win or perish”
- Building relationships
- Crisis and new possibilities

4th Module – Personality and leadership: Self-awareness and developing others

Self-awareness is important in leadership. In addition, emotional competence is important in the role as a leader. In this module, the students will obtain increased self-awareness by working in small groups. The students will through scientifically documented approaches, and practical exercises, be encouraged to increase their own and others ability to mentalize and emotional intelligence. Accompanied by modern personality psychology it will be practical training in person focused communication, relationship oriented leadership and development of human resources.

Overview of topics

- The leader as helper
- Personality types and traits
- Personality change
- Self-concept and social identity
- Openness as a factor for change
- Emotional intelligence
- Life traps and the impact of childhood
- Empathy, authenticity, accept and understanding others
 

5th Module – Coaching of colleagues: Application of psychological competence

Learning is not restricted to the school, but is life-long. This module provides a new look at earlier modules and provide participants training in applying what has been learnt in the program to solve leadership tasks and develop new opportunities. Application of experience- based psychological knowledge, dialogical communication, and relationship competence.

Overview of topics

- Solution-focused supervision
- Coaching of colleagues and Socratic dialogue.
- Self-reflection and person perception
- First impression and impression management
- Reflecting team
- Competence and incompetence as leader and colleague.

Teaching and learning activities

The programme is conducted through five course modules over two semesters, a total of approx. 150 lecturing hours.

Students are encouraged to read the curriculum after (instead of before) each module. 
Project tutorials differ in each Executive Master of Management programme. It will consist of personal tutorials and tutorials given in class. Generally the students may expect consulting tutorials, not evaluating tutorials. The total hours of tutorials offered is estimated to 4 hours per term paper.

Please note that while attendance is not compulsory in all programmes, it is the student's own responsibility to obtain any information provided in class that is not included on the course homepage/ itslearning or other course materials.

The students are evaluated through a term paper, counting 60% of the total grade and a 72 hours individual home exam counting 40%. The term paper may be written individually or in groups of maximum three persons. All evaluations must be passed to obtain a certificate for the programme. 

The term paper is included in the degree’s independent work of degree, cf national regulation on requirements for master’s degree, equivalent to 18 ECTS credits per. programme. For the Executive Master of Management degree, the independent work of degree represents the sum of term papers from three programmes.
 

In all BI Executive courses and programs, 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.

Software tools
Software defined under the section "Teaching and learning activities".
Additional information

It is recommended to use the program EndNote when writing the thesis and in the exam.  

It is important to participate on every lecture and day in the program, as they build upon each other. As the course is based on experiential learning, it is difficult to read about what happens in the course. 

Due to the focus on group dynamics and interpersonal relationships, this course will not be run digitally, for ethical and pedagogical reasons.

The course has been developed in collaboration with several psychologists, with Paul Moxnes as the first academic coordinator. Kathrine Johannesen and Hallvard Føllesdal have been responsible for the project, as academic coordinators, since autumn 2011.

Qualifications

Bachelor degree, corresponding to 180 credits from an accredited university, university college or similar educational institution. The applicant must be at least 25 years of age and at least four years of work experience. For applicants who have already completed a master’s degree, three years of work experience are required.

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
Weight: 
60
Grouping: 
Group/Individual (1 - 3)
Duration: 
2 Semester(s)
Comment: 
Term paper, counting 60% of the total grade.
Exam code: 
MAN 50691
Grading scale: 
ECTS
Resit: 
Examination when next scheduled course
Exam category: 
Submission
Form of assessment: 
Written submission
Weight: 
40
Grouping: 
Individual
Duration: 
72 Hour(s)
Comment: 
Individual 72 hours home exam, counting 40% of the total grade.
Exam code: 
MAN 50692
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
Teaching
150 Hour(s)
Prepare for teaching
150 Hour(s)
Student's own work with learning resources
500 Hour(s)
Self study, term paper and exam
Sum workload: 
800

A course of 1 ECTS credit corresponds to a workload of 26-30 hours. Therefore a course of 30 ECTS credit corresponds to a workload of at least 800 hours.