Duration
11 weeksWeekly study
10 hours
MPL700 Leadership Practice with Impact
This unit is designed for students undertaking leadership studies. This unit aims to deliver a detailed grounding of leadership theories, concepts, and issues. It is an introduction to leadership and will be the theoretical foundation upon other leadership units. It is normally the first leadership unit for students. It is delivered wholly online, with students taking full responsibility for their learning and progress. Through readings, online lectures, podcasts, discussion boards, and individual activities, students will engage with leadership theories and apply them to their own workplaces.
Syllabus
Week 1
Orientation to your Leadership degree
Start your learning journey
Let’s explore what you can expect from your degree and from your unit.
Supporting your success
Meet your teaching team and find out more about what you'll be covering in this unit, what you hope to get out of it and start exploring basic leadership concepts.
Week 2
What is leadership?
Getting started
Meet your education team and find out more about what you'll be covering in this course, what you hope to get out of it and start exploring basic leadership concepts.
Who do you see as a leader?
Explore leaders as role models and reflect on what your choice of leader role models say about you.
What is leadership?
Explore how leadership is defined by researchers and practitioners.
Introduction to assessments 1-3
Introduction to assessments 1-3
Weekly wrap
Reflect on the key principles covered this week and find out what's coming up next.
Week 3
Leadership in practice
Welcome back
Find out what is in store for this week, and take a closer look at your first task for Assessment 1.
Power: leadership vs management
Examine the difference between management and leadership by reflecting on sources of power and influence, and how these play out in the workplace.
Difference, perception and leadership
Discover ways in which individual differences influence how people see leadership.
Weekly wrap
Reflect on the concepts and frameworks we have explored so far, and find out what’s coming next.
Week 4
Early theories of leadership
Welcome back
Get ready to explore more recent leadership theories and find out more about your second task for Assessment 1.
Leadership traits
Explore the traits and theories associated with effective leaders.
Leadership behaviours
Discover the theory behind which styles of leadership are considered to be the most successful.
Weekly wrap
Reflect on what you've learned this week and find out what’s coming next.
Week 5
Leadership context
Welcome back
Find out more about what we’ll be covering this week.
Situational leadership
Investigate how your surroundings impact on leadership effectiveness.
Contingency leadership
Explore how you can make leadership suit both the individual and the context.
Path-goal theory
Identify how obstacles impact leadership effectiveness.
Weekly wrap
Reflect on what you've learnt about charismatic and transformational leadership, how they differ from transactional approaches and find out what's coming up next.
Week 6
Charismatic and transformational leadership
Welcome back
Find out more about what we’ll covering this week, plus details of your first task for Assessment 2.
Charismatic leadership
Start exploring recent leadership theories beginning with charismatic approaches.
Transformational leadership
Discover why transformational approaches to leadership dominate most contemporary research within this field.
Weekly wrap
Reflect on what you’ve covered this week.
Week 7
Authentic and servant leadership
Welcome back
Get ready to explore two more leadership theories.
Authentic leadership
Determine if you're the 'real deal' when it comes to authentic leadership, including how this relates to your final task for Assessment 2.
Servant leadership
Discover how to lead by serving others.
Weekly wrap
Reflect on what you’ve learnt about leader-member exchange and path-goal theory and find out about what’s coming up next.
Week 8
Implicit leadership theories
Examine implicit theories
Find out more about what we’re covering this week.
Global leadership and you
Explore your views of leadership in a global context.
Weekly wrap
Reflect on what we've addressed this week and look ahead to what's coming next.
Week 9
Critiquing leadership theories
Welcome back
We’ll examine why some theories and conceptual frameworks endure, while others fall by the wayside.
Everyone’s a critic
Explore how to apply critical thinking to your leadership practice.
The role of leadership theory in practice
Examine how leadership theories inform your leadership practice.
Weekly wrap
Review what you’ve learnt about lay theories followership and find out what’s coming up next.
Week 10
Contemporary leadership in a changing world
Welcome back
In this section, you will delve into the actions leaders take to address critical challenges in our society, beginning with crisis leadership.
Crisis leadership
Organisations may face diverse crises that demand effective leadership. In this section, you will explore some valuable frameworks of effective crisis leadership.
Digital leadership
Digital technologies are enhancing organisational efficiency while simultaneously presenting challenges to leadership. In this section, you will discover how to be an effective leader in a rapidly digitising world.
Weekly wrap
Reflect on what you’ve looked at this week and find out what’s on for next week (our final week of content).
Week 11
Contemporary leadership for a better world
Welcome back
Get ready to explore how to lead for an inclusive and sustainable world.
Leading for inclusion
Learn how to lead an increasingly diverse workforce and create an inclusive workplace.
Leading for sustainability
Explore what a leader can do to make our world more sustainable.
It's a wrap
Reflect on what you’ve covered this week.
Final assessment submission
Use this step to submit your Assessment 3 report.
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...
- Explain and critique the leadership theories included in the unit.
- Apply leadership theories to complex leadership problems.
- Assess your own leadership role and make recommendations for change
Who is the course for?
This course is for Deakin University postgraduate students.
Who will you learn with?
I am a senior lecturer at the Deakin Business School. My interests are in understanding effective leadership, high performing teams, and the benefits of good work design.
Kate is an organisational consultant and has taught in MBA programs for more than 16 years. She has a PhD in leadership. Her website is at www.katedempsey.com.au
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