Values-Driven Leadership

Encountering ethical risks is an unavoidable part of leadership in any organisation. To successfully solve these complex organisational problems, you need to know how to leverage your values rather than compromise them.

On this microcredential, you’ll learn how to take a values-driven approach to effectively solve the problem of ethical risks. You’ll also gain crucial collaborative leadership skills to help you build an ethical organisational culture.

Guided by the experts from the award-winning Nottingham Business School, you’ll be able to advance in your leadership career as you learn how to lead in a systemic way. What’s more, you’ll also receive an accreditation from Nottingham Trent University to certify your values-based leadership abilities.

Learn how to prioritise stakeholders and promote ethical decision-making

Recognising stakeholders and identifying their needs is the first step in resolving ethical issues.

You’ll be introduced to stakeholder theory and different stakeholder models, learning how to apply these when confronted with an ethical dilemma.

You’ll also be equipped with tools, strategies, and resources to assist you in tackling complex problems. You’ll discover a range of philosophical scenarios and real-life case studies that you can apply to your own context.

Discover leadership theories and different approaches to problem-solving

Research on leadership is vast. You’ll discover a range of definitions and theories of leadership, evaluating which is most suitable in the context of your own organisation and leadership style.

You’ll also discuss how different leadership approaches impact organisational problem-solving. Engaging in recent research on leadership trends, you’ll consider how wider systems influence ethical decision-making.

Understand the benefits of collaborative leadership for organisational culture

Understanding how organisations can work to encourage or discourage certain behaviours is essential for developing ethical organisational cultures.

You’ll learn how to engage your team to solve problems collectively, and how this collaborative approach to leadership is beneficial for your organisation’s culture.

Harness systems thinking to solve organisational problems

Systems thinking helps you take a more holistic approach to problem-solving. Seeing your organisation as a series of connecting parts within a wider network will help you appreciate the bigger picture and think more strategically.

You’ll learn how thinking systemically could help you resolve ethical dilemmas. You’ll also learn to connect yourself and your employees to your organisation and its wider network.

By the end of the microcredential, you’ll have a clear sense of your values, and an understanding of how systems thinking can help you leverage them to become a better leader.

Your educator Mollie has, in partnership with the Academy of Business in Society (ABIS) and African faculty, developed the African leadership programmes of focusing on developing values-driven leadership on the African continent, with active programmes now running in Egypt, Kenya and South Africa.

How will this microcredential help in my career?

This microcredential will equip you with the knowledge and practical tools you need to resolve ethical dilemmas without compromising on your values. This will give you greater confidence and integrity as a leader in your organisation.

You’ll also learn how to promote an ethical working culture by taking a collaborative approach to leadership. This will help to harness the decision-making capacity of your colleagues, and earn their respect by empowering them to play a more active role in the organisational system.

Finally, you’ll learn more about the benefits of systems thinking, an organisational approach with considerable traction in management today. This will give you vital knowledge for your leadership career.

How will I be assessed?

At the end of the course, you’ll write a 2,000-word individual reflective report describing an ethical problem encountered by a given organisation. You’ll be required to assess the organisation’s culture and leadership, and develop a set of recommendations for how it could resolve the ethical challenge.

This will test your ability to reflect critically on values and value conflicts, and your systemic leadership skills.

Will I receive university credits?

Yes, you’ll earn 10 Level 7 credits at postgraduate level from Nottingham Trent University.

You can use these credits to build towards a Postgraduate Certificate in Leadership and Management Practice from Nottingham Business School (NBS).

NBS, part of Nottingham Trent University, is a world leader in experiential learning. They expertly design their courses to help you develop career-enhancing skills, knowledge, and experience. Their awards include the highest international benchmark of excellence for business schools and they are only one of nine UK business schools recognised as a PRME Champion (United Nations Principles of Responsible Management Education).