ART & PRACTICE OF LEADERSHIP

Learning Outcomes

On successful completion of this unit, students will be able to:

Conceptually link leadership theory with practice given a globalised environment

Assess a leader's actions using an integrated theoretical (authentic leadership) framework

Show evidence of enhanced knowledge, skills and attitudes, including inter-cultural competence, as they relate to the effective exercise of leadership across boundaries.

Develop a personal leadership statement and action plan that demonstrates a sound critical social analysis and a constructed understanding of what is an authentic leader in a contemporary workplace.

In brief, place your ideas in context and qualify your conclusion as necessary. For example, ask when is something accurate; where is it accurate and so on, and the use an ‘If' clause and ‘However'.....these strategies encourage you to contextualise argument and to look at/ highlight alternate views and options. When writing, here are a few tips based on recent history:

a) when writing, make sure that you identify the key issue(s) and state any definitional issues clearly;
b) use evidence to support any statements (avoid assertions);
c) avoid giving a detailed descriptive history of theory; rather, synthesise theory,
d) use placement and sentence structure to emphasise and de-emphasise facts as necessary, and
e) avoid introducing new information in your conclusion.

Assessment 1: Individual reflection (on leadership)

Introduction

Leadership is a valued constant in our lives and in organisations. Reflecting this importance, people & organisations invest in developing capabilities in many ways (via formal training, developmental activities and self-help activities). One of our greatest avenues of learning about how to lead and manage is from personal & professional life experiences. By reflecting on your life experience(s), I hope you discover some of what resonates most with you about your approach to leadership.

The task:

Write a personal reflection on what you understand leadership (as a process) to be, and why (what early experiences or examples inform this view).

Instructions

Select a personal experience or experiences as an individual in a group and/or organisation.

- For example: describe a leadership moment or event and then explore ideas such as:
- What seems important to you in a group or when you lead a group
- What assumption, for example, under pin your views of leadership
- What are typical performance ideals that you have of effective leaders Where you are most comfortable/uncomfortable in a leadership context

- Try to demonstrate that you have thought deeply about how you view leadership both professionally and personally, and how you will try to manage & lead in the future.

- References are not essential, unless used to clarify a specific term or idea. This is NOT a research essay or literature review. A reflective paper is personal, but you are encouraged to relate your writing to course material. If unsure, select 2-3 key ideas from the various identified topics and examine how they relate to you as a professional and as a leader.

- Your lecturer will regard your essay in the strictest confidence.

Assessment 2: Case Study Presentation and Report

Instructions:

There are a number of case studies that are included in your lecture sessions. Students are to select a session that interest them the most and present that sessions case study as a workshop in the class. Every case study has a story to tell so, critical to the success of your presentation will be how well you tell the story. Your case introduction and background will have to be succinct and clear.

A large part of your presentation should focus on the major themes of the case and relate the core messages with the topic of that lecture session. You are encouraged to elaborate on the theoretical framework discussed in the Reading set for that topic and discuss what would you have done differently and what would you recommend.

Do not remain descriptive - you are expected to show analytical and conceptual skill, as well as strong integrative capacity.

The cases are listed in the teaching schedule under each session. Students are to choose one case from the sessions.

Presentations should be made with the aid of overhead materials or PowerPoint slides. Please provide the class with copies of materials presented. Assume that your colleagues have read the material, and focus on bringing out its critical points. Presentations and workshops should be concise, lasting no more than 20 minutes. Allow time at the end for reflection and evaluation from the class. You are required to submit a 2,500 words on your reflections of the case.

Presentation structure & suggested format

A suggested format for your 15 minutes talk is as below. Allow time for reflection and discussion.

2 minutes - Introduction (issues and context) with theoretical relevance

8-10 minutes - Analysis of issue, highlighting factors and relevant lessons for leaders today 3 minutes - Conclusion/recommendations
10 minutes Q&A/discussion

Case Study Report

You are required to submit a 2,500 words on your reflections of the case. Using the literature on the topic of your case study, provide an indepth analysis and discussion together with recommendations and conclusions.

Assignment 3: Literature Review and Personal Thoughts

Length: Part 3.a 

Part 3.b (500 words)
+/-10%

Part 3.a: By the end of your lectures, you will have come to some sort of reality that the topic of leadership is complex and that there are no one single model of leadership. "Leadership models of the last century have been products of top-down, bureaucratic paradigms. These models are eminently effective for an economy premised on physical production but are not well-suited for a more knowledge-oriented economy. Complexity science suggests a different paradigm for leadership-one that frames leadership as a complex interactive dynamic from which adaptive outcomes (e.g., learning, innovation, and adaptability) emerge." Uhl-Bien et al (2007). In short, shifting leadership from the industrial age to a knowledge era has become the center of debate that calls for an overarching framework for the study of Complexity Leadership Theory, a leadership paradigm that focuses on enabling the learning, creative, and adaptive capacity of complex adaptive systems (CAS) within a context of knowledge-producing organizations.

Conduct a literature review on the above and lead a critical discussion on the topic.

Part 3.b: Conclude the literature review by providing your own thoughts highlighting what you think will be the future challenges.