Leadership

F2023

Business studies * / Business Administration and Leadership * / Business Administration and Leadership

Course

English

Registration is through stads selvbetjeningwithin the announced registration period, as you can see on the Studyadministration homepage.

When registering for study activities, please be aware of the potential conflicts between study activities or exam dates. The planning of activities at Roskilde University is based on the recommended study programs which do not overlap. However, if you choose optional courses and/or study plans that goes beyond the recommended study programs, an overlap of lectures or exam dates may occur depending on which courses you choose.

10

Margit Neisig (neisig@ruc.dk)

Margit Neisig (neisig@ruc.dk)

ISE Registration & Exams (ise-exams@ruc.dk)

U60022GB

Students gain knowledge and insight into theories and perspectives on management that seek to answer current management issues. Through the use of management theory perspectives, students learn to identify and analyse practical organisational and management issues. Knowledge is also acquired of analytical perspectives on companies and management processes in the light of complex and evolving business and organisational conditions, and in relation to the surrounding world. Through critical analysis, empirical evidence is translated into a relevant discussion of management activity. The analytical work must demonstrate analytical and reflective assessment skills by being able to justify the choice of theories and analysis design in order to understand the special characteristics of the chosen organisational situation.

The course presents, discusses and applies theories about leadership in complexity and change. It follows current developments in leadership and focuses on how to analyze complexleadership-related situations through the inclusion of theory and method.

Themes:

• Introduction to the course and to theoretical perspectives on leadership in complexity and change

• Current and future challenges for leadership

• Leadership as commitment to the dynamic patterns of organizational life

• Paradoxes and leadership

• Traditional leadership theories

• Leadership as a human practice

• Collective leadership

• Methodological implications when using the perspective of leadership in complexity and change

• Complexity leadership

• Network leadership

• Purpose-driven leadership

Methods:

• You will learn methods for studying the complexity of leadership situations and you will apply such methods in a case selected by your group. You will also be introduced to methods and analytical perspectives related to leadership in complexity and change.

Concepts, theories:

• You get a brief overview of traditional leadership theories and concepts. However, the course focuses on newer leadership theories

Data, materials:

• During the course we will discuss cases, but the most comprehensive case will be the one your group chooses to analyze in the group synopsis.

Textbooks:

Carroll, B. J. Ford & S. Taylor: Leadership. Contemporary critical perspectives. 2nd ed., Sage 2019.

Sharon Varney: Leadership in Complexity and Change. - For a World in Constant Motion. De Gruyter, 2021.

In addition to the textbooks, we will also read a number of key articles. The syllabus for each course is listed on Moodle, where there are also direct links to the articles, which can be retrieved from the library’s databases.

Lectures, including presentation, dialogue, small exercises and feedback: 40 hours,

Preparation (reading + small exercises): 100 hours, (This means that for each 4-hour lecture you can expect to need 10 hours preparation)

Preparation of group synopsis 100 hours per student. (This means that if you are 4 students in a group, we expect the synopsis to reflect 400 student-hours)

Exam (including preparation): 30 hours.

A total of 270 hours = 10 ects.

The activity are evaluated regularly regarding the study board evaluation procedure. The activity responsible will be orientated about a potential evaluation of the activity at semesterstart. Se link to the study board evaluation praxis here https://intra.ruc.dk/nc/for-ansatte/organisering/raad-naevn-og-udvalg/oversigt-over-studienaevn/studienaevn-for-erhvervsoekonomi-og-virksomhedsstudier/arbejdet-med-kvalitet-i-uddannelserne/

Lecture 1: Introduction to the course and future challenges for leadership

Lecture 2: From traditional leadership theories to the paradoxes of leadership in post-bureaucratic organizations

Lecture 3: Leadership as engaging with the dynamic patterning of organizational life (part 1)

Lecture 4: Leadership as engaging with the dynamic patterning of organizational life (Part 2)

Lecture 5: Leadership in person (complexity and change) versus Collective leadership

Lecture 6: Methodological implications - Workshop

Lecture 7: Complexity leadership and Network leadership

Lecture 8: Purpose driven leadership and Theory workshop

Leccture 9: Wrapping-up: - leaderhip theories - methodological reflections

Lecture 10. Open session – group consultations

• Students gain knowledge and insight into theories and perspectives on management that seek to answer current management issues. Through the use of management theory perspectives, students learn to identify and analyse practical organisational and management issues. Knowledge is also acquired of analytical perspectives on companies and management processes in the light of complex and evolving business and organisational conditions, and in relation to the surrounding world.

• Through critical analysis, empirical evidence is translated into a relevant discussion of management activity. The analytical work must demonstrate analytical and reflective assessment skills by being able to justify the choice of theories and analysis design in order to understand the special characteristics of the chosen organisational situation.

Oral group exam based on a product written by a group.

Permitted group size: 2-6 students.

The character limit of the written product is:
For 2 students: maximum 24,000 characters, including spaces.
For 3 students: maximum 24,000 characters, including spaces.
For 4 students: maximum 24,000 characters, including spaces.
For 5 students: maximum 24,000 characters, including spaces.
For 6 students: maximum 24,000 characters, including spaces.
The character limits include the cover, table of contents, bibliography, figures and other illustrations, but exclude any appendices.

Time allowed for exam including time used for assessment is for:
2 students: 30 minutes.
3 students: 35 minutes.
4 students: 40 minutes.
5 students: 45 minutes.
6 students: 50 minutes.

The assessment is individual and based on the student's individual performance.
The assessment is an overall assessment of the written product(s) and the subsequent oral examination..

Permitted support and preparation materials at the oral exam: All.

Assessment: 7-point grading scale.
Moderation: External examiner.

Samme som ordinær eksamen / same form as ordinary exam

The synopsis should focus on a specific case that reflects specific aspects of leadership in an organizational situation. The situation should be discussed using relevant concepts from the course literature on leadership in complexity and change. The leadership theories must be chosen from the course literature, and only recent ones must be used. The synopsis can be related to the group's semester project.

The synopsis must:

1) Introduce the knowledge problem by building a theoretical and practical argument that shows the relevance of the selected situation and formulating a problem statement

2) Discuss 1-2 recent relevant leadership theories regarding the specific situation. Ask questions about how these theories are relevant in the chosen leadership situation, and what are their strengths/weaknesses in relation to the chosen problem formulation?

3) Reflect on the choice of methodological design regarding the self-selected problem formulation.

4) Analyze the selected case with concepts from the course syllabus on leadership in complexity and change

5) Discuss the results of the synopsis and their practical consequences for leadership and organisation.

The assessment emphasizes that the students demonstrate the knowledge, skills and competences defined for the course, as described here on Moodle. Including competencies for:

• To identify and analyze practical organizational and leadership issues using the course's concepts, theories and perspectives.

• To translate empirical evidence into a relevant analysis and discussion of leadership activity through critical analysis.

• To demonstrate analytical and reflective skills by being able to justify the choice of theories and analysis design in order to understand the special characteristics of the selected organizational situation