Leadership – MSc

This module will examine contemporary approaches to leadership in circumstances of rapid change, disruptive technological innovation and increasing globalisation. Learners will study contemporary leadership theories focusing on the complex interactions among the leader, the followers, the situation and the system as a whole.

They will also explore the personal dimension of leadership and what makes an effective leader in different contexts (e.g. self, group, organisational, community).

Learners will be supported to assess their current leadership capabilities and explore the opportunities for how and where they can develop their leadership capabilities in the future.

This module will equip leaders with the essential skills to leverage evidence-based research, in-depth critical thinking and data-driven decision-making in the realm of business leadership.

Learners will also be introduced to Action Learning and Action Research, providing the foundations for carrying out their Applied Leadership project.

Learners will develop an ability to assess the functioning of an organisation in order to diagnose, manage and lead change.

The module uses an evidence-based change perspective to enable participants to accurately diagnose organisational issues using different methods and phases of organisational diagnosis.

The module will analyse the role of the leader in the organisational development and change process and explore how to effectively map and model the implementation of successful change initiatives.

This module requires learners to critically examine topics that are currently relevant in the field of contemporary leadership. The module examines leadership trends, contemporary topics and challenges and how leaders can respond to these challenges. This module builds upon the leadership skills developed in previous modules.

Topics will vary from year-to-year but may include, for example, sustainability, ESG, hybrid working, engagement, culture and climate, leading virtual teams, ethics in the workplace, and artificial intelligence.

The Strategic Leadership module supports learners to fine tune their strategic thinking skills to achieve superior results as leaders within an organisation.

Strategic leadership involves envisioning, planning, and guiding an organisation toward its objectives and goals and emphasises the ability to adapt to changing environments for long-term success. It involves making decisions that align with the organisation’s vision, mission, and overall strategy.

Learners will explore the many facets of strategic leadership as well as assessing their own strategic leadership capabilities.

This module aims to equip learners with a variety of facilitation and collaboration skills and strategies to effectively deploy with individuals, teams and stakeholder groups as part of an Inclusive Leadership style.

Inclusive leaders are aware of their own biases and actively seek out and consider different perspectives to inform their decision-making and collaborate more effectively with others. They have a facilitative style that fosters employee and wider stakeholder participation and involvement in decision processes.

There will be a focus throughout the Module on Inclusive Leadership at Individual, Team and Organisational levels.

In this final module Learners will be supported to synthesise the knowledge from the previous modules to practically apply to a leadership challenge in their own organisation or community setting.

Learners will revisit the project that they initially considered in the OD and Change module, and draw on the learning from the Leadership Research and Systems Thinking module. They will use an Action Research approach to the project and will be assigned a supervisor who will guide them in the planning, implementation and write up of their project.