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The Evolution of Management and Leadership Theory

Develop an in-depth understanding of leadership by assessing your own leadership qualities with the use of different theories.

1,748 enrolled on this course

  • Duration

    2 weeks
  • Weekly study

    3 hours
This course is part of the program International Leadership, which is one of the building blocks that leads to a degree in BA International Business (Top Up). Find out more.

Discover your leadership qualities

Are leaders born or made?

On this short course, you will have the opportunity to examine the evolution of leadership theory by exploring the key concepts of leadership.

You will also have the chance to discuss and investigate the differences between leaders and managers and assess your own leadership qualities through leadership questionnaires.

What topics will you cover?

  • What is leadership?
  • The evolution of leadership theory
  • Assigned versus emergent leadership
  • The relationship between power and leadership
  • Identifying the difference between leader and manager
  • The Leadership Trait Questionnaire

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...

  • Explore the fundamental concepts of leadership and the evolution of leadership theory
  • Identify the differences between a leader and a manager
  • Assess your own leadership qualities

Who is the course for?

This course is for those who want to progress into a leadership role in their company or career, and for those looking for leadership skills as part of their continued professional development.

Please note that the individuals listed below in the “Who will you learn with” section may be subject to change.

Who will you learn with?

Dr Alim Abubakre is on the advisory board of London Business School’s Africa Club. He did his doctoral studies on CSR and strategy at Southampton University.

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 International Leadership, which is one of the building blocks that leads to a degree in BA International Business (Top Up).

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