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Leaders and Followers

Explore the psychology behind leaders and followers, and the relationship between them.

507 enrolled on this course

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  • Duration

    2 weeks
  • Weekly study

    8 hours

Delve into the psychological needs of both leaders and followers

You will identify the differences between leadership and management, and explore the merits of system leadership.

You will also explore the importance of forming a personal vision for your institution, the needs of the people you lead, and the importance of transmitting memorably and consistently your core values – in actions, catchphrases and stories.

What topics will you cover?

  • What is the difference between leadership and management?
  • What are the merits of ‘System Leadership’?
  • What is the relationship between leaders and followers?
  • What are the human needs of leaders and followers, and what contribution is made to our understanding of these needs by evolutionary and social psychology?
  • Why is good communication so important?
  • Why do the best and the worst leaders often end up in trouble?

Learning on this course

On every step of the course you can meet other learners, share your ideas and join in with active discussions in the comments.

What will you achieve?

By the end of the course, you‘ll be able to...

  • Identify the difference between leadership and management
  • Evaluate the strengths and limitations of System Leadership
  • Evaluate the need for you as a leader to have a clear aim for your school
  • Explain the relationship between leaders and followers, the human needs inherent in this relationship and the psychological explanations for each role
  • Reflect on and evaluate your own school’s values and vision
  • Identify the reasons why leaders need to transmit, memorably and consistently, their core values – in actions, catchphrases and stories
  • Investigate and assess how the best principles and core values of a school should be applied in a real-life scenario
  • Assess the importance of good communication and the power of everyday behaviour, of body language, of storytelling
  • Evaluate why the best and worst leaders often end up in difficulty

Who is the course for?

This course is for students of the MA Educational Leadership.

Who developed the course?

Coventry University

Coventry secured 5 QS Stars for Teaching and Online Learning in the QS World University Ranking 2020 and has received No. 1 in the world for Massive Open Online Courses in MoocLab’s World University Ranking 2021.

  • Established

    1992
  • Location

    Coventry

Learning on FutureLearn

Your learning, your rules

  • Courses are split into weeks, activities, and steps to help you keep track of your learning
  • Learn through a mix of bite-sized videos, long- and short-form articles, audio, and practical activities
  • Stay motivated by using the Progress page to keep track of your step completion and assessment scores

Join a global classroom

  • Experience the power of social learning, and get inspired by an international network of learners
  • Share ideas with your peers and course educators on every step of the course
  • Join the conversation by reading, @ing, liking, bookmarking, and replying to comments from others

Map your progress

  • As you work through the course, use notifications and the Progress page to guide your learning
  • Whenever you’re ready, mark each step as complete, you’re in control

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