| Description | This unit of study is designed to encourage you to consider the role and significance of leadership in various organisational contexts. The unit introduces you to the major streams of leadership theory and traces the development of our understanding about leadership from the pre-modern through the post-modern or late modern era. We will explore how these theories allow us to understand leadership in practice and in what ways leadership is linked to different aspects of organisational effectiveness. We will examine the good, the bad, and the ugly sides of leadership, e.g. positive forms (transformational, socialised charismatic) and negative forms (pseudo-transformational, personalised charismatic, unproductive narcissistic and Machiavellian). We will explore leading for diversity and diversity in leadership (e.g. based on gender, culture and ethnicity) and relate these to ideas about leadership identity. We will examine leadership at different levels, from team leadership through executive leadership, and leadership succession. We will also examine leadership development and instruments and you will have an opportunity to reflect on factors that might influence your own leadership style. |
