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Leaders: Their Role and Impact on Business

Examine different leadership theories and the key traits of a leader. Analyse the impact leaders have on an organisation.

2,690 enrolled on this course

  • Duration

    2 weeks
  • Weekly study

    3 hours
This course is part of the program Leadership, Power and Influence, which is one of the building blocks that leads to a degree in MSc Business and Organisational Psychology. Find out more.

Understand what makes a leader and the effects of leadership on a workplace

Defining leadership can be difficult. Leadership is a multidimensional construct that many theorists have dedicated their time to defining.

On this course, you will explore some of these theories - learning what leadership is and how good and bad leadership can affect a business and its employees. You will consider different leadership models to help clarify the universal components of leadership and how these components differ to management.

What topics will you cover?

  • Definition of leadership
  • Understanding of the ambiguity in its definition
  • Trait, behavioural, and contingency/situational models of leadership (e.g. Blake and Moulton 1964)
  • Differentiate the roles and effects of managers versus leaders
  • Introduce the effect of leaders on individual and organisational performance
  • Good versus bad leadership’s similarities and differences

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...

  • Describe the definition of leadership and identify its components
  • Assess trait, behavioural and contingency/situational leadership theories
  • Explain how leaders are recognised and how they differ from managers
  • Identify bad vs good leaders and measure similarities and differences
  • Apply the concept of a 'good' leader to a workplace setting

Who is the course for?

This course is for people looking for an enhanced understanding of leadership, its role and effects.

Please note that the staff described in the ‘Who will you learn with?’ section below may be subject to change.

Who will you learn with?

Assistant Professor in Business and Occupational Psychology at Coventry University. Lisa Burman - MSc, FHEA, PGDip.
Qualified Psychometric Test User.

Assistant Professor in Business and Organisational Psychology at Coventry University,
Dr Anne Turner - PhD, FHEA, CPsychol, BSc (Hons)
Research Interests Inc: Enclothed Cognition, remote e-workers

PhD Psychology, MSc Occupational & Organizational Psychology, BSc Psychology, MBPsS.
Associate Lecturer in Occupational and Business Psychology at Coventry University. Qualified Psychometric Test User

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
  • Complete 90% of course steps and all of the assessments to earn your certificate

Want to know more about learning on FutureLearn? Using FutureLearn

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Advance your career with a degree

Since 2017 you have been able to take a degree on FutureLearn. This free course is a bit like a starter course for a degree — it should give you a flavour of the degree subject but can also be your first step towards a degree qualification.

If you enjoy this course you can apply to join the program it’s part of to start working towards a degree on FutureLearn.

Don’t worry, you can still take the course without doing a full degree!

Do the free course
Join and complete the program
Get academic credit for an online degree from Coventry University
This course is part of the program Leadership, Power and Influence, which is one of the building blocks that leads to a degree in MSc Business and Organisational Psychology.

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