Developing Leaders (RDLD) 680

Developing Leaders

Status:

Open

Delivery mode:

In-residence. Delivered via Brightspace.

Credits:

Area of study:

Business

Prerequisites:

To be eligible to register in this elective, students must have successfully completed STMT 500 before the start date of the elective or have permission from the MBA Program Director and the Academic Area Manager. Also, students must have an internet connection that will support videoconferencing and a computer setup that allows participation in mandatory video conferences (webcam, microphone, speakers) to participate during the "virtual live" formats in a Microsoft Teams environment.

Precluded:

None

Faculty:

Faculty of Business

Notes:

The In-Residence week of this course will be offered in-person during the first week of the course with attendance being mandatory. In addition, Microsoft Teams will also be used to deliver four synchronous workshops during the ten-week period, which are also mandatory. Schedule dates will be provided in each offering of the course.

Academic Area Manager:

Marta Massi, PhD

Overview

In business, managers have been taught to concentrate on numbers, focus on processes, and develop structures to get people to act predictably–all tasks that are very important to the success of any organization. However, many individuals believe that by following a managerial path they are acting as leaders. This is not always the case as managing and leading are vastly different activities to be learned. The task of managing is about command and control of resources such as people, time, budgets, ideas, operations, technologies, and communications. Whereas the task of leading is about assisting, invigorating, adapting, developing, inspiring, and sustaining. Leadership seeks to prepare organizational environments and the people within them, to make positive culture and organization life happen. Where managers uphold norms and complete extraordinary work, leaders inspire extraordinary activities through people and change. Managers seek order, leaders seek transformation. Managers look to the future, and leaders look for potential. Where managers maintain, leaders guide. Accordingly, under effective managers, organizations endure; under effective leadership, organizations flourish. Clearly, organizations can benefit most with leader and manager strengths.

The focus of this course is on developing leadership capability in oneself and in others. The core premise is that leadership is a learnable set of practices and principles that can be understood and incorporated into one’s life. Leadership is not reserved for the very few, nor is it based on a particular gene, or on being born into the right family circle. Developing leadership skills is about acquiring proficiencies in key areas that leverage pre-existing skills and expertise.

In this course, learners develop their leadership potential by raising personal awareness, developing understandings, and growing into a new perspective on how to lead at work. Leadership is about challenging, changing, developing and strengthening the leader within.

Outline

This course is divided into ten weeks.

Week 1 – In-Residence Week
Week 2 – Leadership from the Inside Out
Week 3 – Inclusive and Diverse Workplaces
Week 4 – Setting the Teams Up for Success
Week 5 – Leading Cultural Organization Change in a Digital World
Week 6 – The Gift of Coaching
Week 7 – Navigating the Tough Times
Week 8 – The Future of Leadership
Week 9 – The Future of Leadership - Continued
Week 10 – Bringing It All Together

Learning outcomes

By the end of this course, students should be able to

support a working definition of leadership drawing from historical and scientific roots and what is needed at different stages of organization development.
practice new leadership skills in areas such as emotional intelligence, personal awareness, empathy, and understanding of others, coaching, guiding, and mentoring.
lead and motivate teams in both physical and virtual spaces.
identify and lead an inclusive workplace and organizational culture.
demonstrate visionary, credible, honest, ethical, and respectful behaviour.
practice accountability and understand challenges that may get in a leader’s way.
understand how to become more resilient and agile in an age of complexity.
practice scenario development as a tool for anticipatory leadership.
examine and assess failure as a leadership learning opportunity.

Evaluation

Your grade will be based on the successful completion of three assignments and on your participation in moderated group discussions.

Activity	Weight
Active participation in: discussions, the AI activities, in-residence week activities, and week 10 online presentations	35%
Assignment 1 – Individual	25%
Assignment 2 – Team Presentation	20%
Assignment 3 – Final Team Presentation and Report	20%
Total	100%

To receive a passing grade in this course, you must meet these minimum standards:

receive a minimum of 60% on the participation component; and
receive an average grade of 60% over all course components.

Materials

Digital course materials

Links to the following course materials will be made available in the course:

Rodgers, C. (2021). The wiggly world of organization: Muddling through with purpose, courage and skill. (eText to be read before course starts)

Other materials

All other course materials will be accessed online.
Two online AI simulations are used in this course. You will be provided with information on how to access these in the course.

Athabasca University reserves the right to amend course outlines occasionally and without notice. Courses offered by other delivery methods may vary from their individualized study counterparts.