This module aims to:

Provide students with a critical understanding of the strategic link between leadership and organisational change;

Develop students' awareness of key leadership theory including a critical appreciation of its applicability in a range of organisational contexts;

Examine contemporary leadership issues including moral-based leadership, i.e. ethical, servant and/or authentic leadership, and how leadership relates to diversity, inclusion and sustainability;

Provide students with a critical understanding of how to enable high levels of people engagement, promote learning and development, and select appropriate approaches in different situations for individuals;

Provide students with evidence-based insight of how leaders in the people profession can think in a systemic way, i.e. understanding how to align the different elements of the organisation’s system, for example the values, the culture, structures, people practices and p olicies, to maximise the organisation’s performance;

Provide students with a critical understanding of how to build a case for change, including an understanding of how to engage people for that change to be effective; how to choose the right approach that supports a change culture; how to involve the right people and listen to their views; how to continuously innovate and deliver change at pace, and knowing what else needs to be in place to enable that change for the long-term;

Provide students with knowledge of the principles and current issues relevant to conflict resolution in contemporary organisations in order to support students' development of subject specific and key transferable skills necessary for employment in positions related to the management of human resources and organisational psychology;

Provide an opportunity for students to acquire a range of analytical techniques required for the effective tactical and strategic negotiation for succe ssful employee relations development.

(LO1) Students will be able to define leadership and explain how it differs from management, the different theoretical perspectives that underpin leadership and how they can be applied across different cultures.

(LO2) Students will be able to critically appraise responsible leadership, how leaders contribute to ensuring corporate social responsibility and how these impact on employer brand, reputation and management of different stakeholders.

(LO3) Students will be able to critically analyse different ethical perspectives on leadership, how different mindsets and values influence internal and external decision-making and the role of effective leadership in driving and sustaining change.

(LO4) Students will be able to demonstrate their business acumen through a critical understanding of the organisation, the commercial context, the external environment and the wider world of work, and how they impact people and organisations.

(LO5) Students will have developed their personal leadership skills and be able to critically appraise coaching and mentoring in relation to leadership development.

(LO6) Students will be able to critically understand and practically appraise key models and theories of organisational change management, evaluating the strategies used for planning, managing, and delivering sustainable change, and identifying the risks involved.

(LO7) Students will be able to practically appraise how to manage conflict effectively through consultation, mediation, negotiation.

(LO8) Students will be able to critically apply organisational development theories and methods to diagnose and implement and sustain effective organisational change strategies in real-world business contexts.

(S1) Commercial awareness
This is a real ‘theory to practice’ module and students need to apply theory to two leaders in their assignment and also use a commercial example in their presentation.

(S2) Time management
Planning as a group can be a challenge and is a key skill that is developed, hence improving time management skills.

(S3) Teamwork
Reflection on group discussions.

(S4) Leadership
This module develops leadership skills through simulations and case studies, enabling students to practice decision-making, team motivation, and effective responses to organisational challenges.

(S5) Problem solving
Students will develop the ability to demonstrate awareness of their own approach to change management and develop problem solving skills.

(S6) Communication
Seminars require effective communication of ideas through presentation/discussion.

(S7) Personal effectiveness
The module content and activities will require students to directly reflect on their own personal effectiveness and leadership style as a future leader and/or people manager.

The module will be delivered over twelve weeks, comprising ten teaching weeks plus two enhancement weeks. The approach to teaching and learning will combine the use of large group in-person and asynchronous lectures, small group seminars (or workshops), scheduled seminar preparation sessions, and cross-programme contemporary issues sessions.

Lectures (total of 14 hours) - Each week will include at least a one-hour scheduled lecture, except for four weeks (scheduled at the beginning, mid-points and end of the module), which will be delivered as two-hour, in-person, live lectures. One-hour lectures could also be delivered live and in-person but may alternatively be provided online or asynchronously (including appropriate scaffolding and online supporting material) at the discretion of the module teaching team.

Seminars (total of 12 hours) - Each module will include six two-hour seminars. These seminars will be interactive small-group in-person workshops.

Seminar prep aration (total of 6 hours) - Each seminar will also include a scheduled one-hour preparation session, enabling students to engage in relevant preparation activities, as deemed necessary by the module teaching team.

Contemporary Issues Sessions (total of 4 hours) - The module will also include two two-hour contemporary issues lectures or events that are directly relevant to the module and broader programme of study. These may include a lecture from a member of faculty on their research, an external industry speaker or a member of the advisory board and will be organised by the Director of Studies in coordination with module teams.

Self-directed learning (total of 164 hours) – Students will engage in self-directed learning in a wide variety of ways throughout the programme. This will include engaging in scaffolded independent learning tasks set outside the classroom on the virtual learning platform, independent reading from essential and recommended sources (e.g., jour nal articles, textbooks, industry reports, practitioner publications), assignment development and preparation, formative online quizzes, case study analysis, simulation-based tasks, and self-directed group activities. Staff responsible for the module will also provide weekly office-hours and dedicated assessment and feedback sessions for students to seek individual support and formative feedback on their independent learning and progress.

Indicative topics on this module will include:

Fundamentals of leadership: managing and leading people.

Leadership theories and their application: including trait and behavioural theories of leadership; and newer approaches relevant to strategic leadership, e.g. transactional, transformational, contingency, moral-based leadership, leadership for sustainability etc.

Responsible leadership: sustaining an effective and ethical organisational culture through people practices.

Leading across cultures: authentic leadership, ethical challenges in the contemporary leadership environment and its implications for diversity and different national cultures.

Becoming a strategic leader: characteristics, and interpersonal skills relevant for strategic leadership, business acumen, governance, the organisational and environmental context.

Personal leadership development: reflection on one’s own leadership style and critical apprais al of coaching and mentoring in relation to leadership development.

Models and theories of organisational and individual change.

Organisational change diagnosis, interventions, and effectiveness.

Organisational development methods/models of understanding and managing change.

Change as a driver of conflict including the role of power and politics.

Psychological explanations of individual approaches to conflict management, e.g. psychological contract as a tool to understanding conflict.