The Challenges of Leadership

This unit examines the role and importance of leadership to organisational effectiveness. It begins with a discussion about why leadership is important and why people need to identify someone they can trust and follow. It examines some of the models of leadership and discusses how leadership can be distinguished from management through the development of a strategic organisational vision.

The unit discusses the increasing importance of a leader's ability to operate in a highly regulated environment and to maintain the highest levels of ethical conduct and behaviour in order to assure good corporate governance. It discusses the qualities expected of effective leaders and looks at some of the key failings of leaders as exemplified in the flawed hero of Sophocles' great work, Oedipus Rex.

The unit concludes with an examination of leadership in a time of change and explores a number of real life case studies.

Learning Outcomes

  • Demonstrate evidence of an advanced knowledge of the theories and psychology of leadership
  • Analyse and evaluate the various traditional models of leadership
  • Critique various examples of leadership or leadership behaviour as demonstrated in organisations and media
  • Discuss and describe the various ways that leadership effectiveness can be monitored and assessed
  • Conduct evaluations or research into leadership effectiveness

Content Areas

  • The Psychology of Leading: Why We Need to Follow
  • Theories and Models of Leadership
  • Vision: The Differences Between Leadership and Management
  • Leading in a Regulated Environment: The Instruments of Corporate Governance
  • How to Influence Leaders: The Role of the Stakeholders
  • Values and Ethics of Leadership
  • The Great Communicator: Qualities of Effective Leaders
  • Oedipus and the Blind Leader
  • Leading in a Time of Change
  • Leadership and Innovation
  • Measuring the Effectiveness of Leaders
  • Case Studies: Stories of Leadership Success and Failure

Unit Duration and Workload

This unit involves a total of 36 hours of face to face delivery or self-directed study including educator contact in flexible delivery modes, generating a further 120 hours of self-study per unit including research and related study activities, including assessment. This translates as 13 hours per week for the unit.