Critical Issues and Emerging Trends in Leadership

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Go to class

Provider

Coursera
Pricing

Paid Course
Languages

English
Certificate

Certificate Available
Effort

15 weeks, 1 hour a week
Sessions

Self-Paced
Level

Intermediate
Subtitles

English

Found in

Overview

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Investigate advanced and critical topics in leadership, including context, alternatives, paradoxes, representation, and the impact of power, culture, and embodiment. This course explores the challenges and opportunities facing leaders in a rapidly changing world. This course addresses the latest debates and critical perspectives in leadership studies, focusing on contextual influences, alternative models, paradoxes, care, embodiment, materialities, and representation. Learners will explore how leadership adapts to different cultural, historical, and organizational contexts, and how issues of power, equity, and identity shape leadership practice and research. The course equips participants with the analytical tools to critically assess and contribute to contemporary leadership discourse. The course adopts a critical and interdisciplinary approach, encouraging learners to question assumptions and engage with complex, real-world leadership challenges. Through diverse readings, thought-provoking videos, and quizzes, participants will develop advanced analytical skills and a deeper appreciation for the evolving landscape of leadership. This course is part three of a three-course Specialization designed to build a complete and cohesive understanding of the subject. While it offers valuable skills on its own, you'll gain the most benefit by progressing through all three courses as a structured learning journey. This course is based on The SAGE Handbook of Leadership, by Doris Schedlitzki, Magnus Larsson, Brigid Carroll, Michelle C. Bligh and Olga Epitropaki. Copyright ©2023 by Sage Publications Limited. All rights reserved, including rights for text and data mining and training of artificial technologies or similar technologies. Published by Sage Publications Limited, London. Used by arrangement with Sage Publications Limited.

Syllabus

How and why is context important in leadership?
- This module explores the role of context in leadership, examining how environmental and situational factors influence leadership effectiveness. Learners will analyze contingency theories and evaluate the impact of contextual variables on leadership outcomes. The module also addresses methodological challenges in studying leadership in different contexts.
Leadership within ‘alternatives'
- This module explores leadership in alternative organizational structures such as cooperatives, social movements, and militant organizations. Learners will examine how leadership is conceptualized, produced, and operated in these non-traditional contexts, and consider the implications for leadership studies.
Leadership and culture
- This module explores the complex relationship between leadership and culture, focusing on cross-cultural theories, postcolonial perspectives, and indigenous leadership practices. Learners will develop an understanding of how cultural contexts shape leadership perceptions and practices, and how to approach leadership research in diverse settings.
From ‘leadership' to ‘leading': Power relations, polyarchy and projects
- This module explores various conceptions of power in leadership, including power over, power to, and power with. Learners will understand how these forms of power influence organisational structures and collaborative processes. It also examines the evolving role of leadership in modern, technology-driven environments.
In defence of hesitant leadership: An ancient Chinese perspective
- This module explores alternative leadership concepts rooted in ancient Chinese philosophy, focusing on ideas like hesitancy, paradox, and flexibility. It introduces learners to the Tao Te Ching and its practical implications for modern leadership. Through critical analysis, students will gain a deeper understanding of how Eastern philosophies can inform contemporary leadership practices.
Popular culture and leadership
- This module explores how leadership concepts are represented and experienced through popular culture, including films, TV shows, and social media. Learners will analyze how these cultural narratives shape our understanding of leadership and identify key lessons for real-world leadership development.
The impact of context on healthcare leadership
- This module explores how context influences healthcare leadership, covering leadership strategies, contextual challenges, and the impact of global and local differences. It examines healthcare as a complex system and the role of sense-making in leadership decisions. Learners will gain insights into developing adaptive leadership for evolving healthcare environments.
On destructive leadership
- This module explores the concept of destructive leadership by analyzing the toxic triangle model, examining how leader traits, follower behavior, and organizational contexts interact to enable harmful leadership. It also investigates the limitations of traditional leadership concepts and highlights the importance of environment in shaping leadership outcomes.
Leadership and its alternatives
- This module explores the concept of leadership in modern organizations, challenges traditional leadership models, and introduces alternative theories and practical approaches to understanding leadership dynamics. It covers theoretical and practical perspectives, encouraging critical thinking about how leadership is perceived and applied in real-world settings.
Paradoxes in agentic and communal leadership
- This module delves into the complexities of paradoxical leadership, exploring how leaders can effectively balance agentic and communal behaviors. It examines practical strategies for managing contradictions in leadership and the role of sense-making in fostering organizational success. Learners will gain insights into the interplay between leadership styles and situational demands.
Leadership dialectics
- This module explores leadership through a dialectical lens, examining how opposing forces shape leadership practices and theories. Learners will gain insights into the dynamic nature of leadership and the role of paradox in organizational contexts. The module also introduces critical approaches to analyzing leadership through empirical research and theoretical frameworks.
Care and caring leadership: Positive attractions and critical asymmetries
- This module explores the concept of caring leadership, focusing on its impact on follower well-being, relational dynamics, and power structures within organizations. It delves into both the positive and critical dimensions of care, including self-care and the risks of self-sacrifice. Learners will gain insight into how care can shape organizational culture and ethical leadership practices.
Politicising the leader's body: From oppressive realities to affective possibilities
- This module explores how leadership is shaped by the body and emotions, moving beyond traditional mind-centric views. It investigates the intersection of leadership, identity, power, and embodiment, offering new insights into organizational practices. Learners will gain a deeper understanding of how embodied and affective dimensions influence leadership theories and actions.
Leadership as (new) material(ities) practices: Intra-acting, diffracting and agential-cutting with Karen Barad
- This module explores new materialities theories and their implications for understanding leadership, focusing on how relational assemblages shape organizational practices. It introduces key concepts from feminist new materialism and Karen Barad's agential realism, and evaluates how these perspectives challenge traditional leadership frameworks. Learners will gain insight into the intersections of theory, practice, and materiality in leadership studies.
Leadership representation: A critical path to equity
- This module explores the role of leadership representation in advancing equity, inclusion, and social justice. It examines historical and contemporary challenges faced by equity-seeking groups in leadership roles, the impact of intersectionality, and the symbolic and socioeconomic significance of representation. Learners will gain insight into how representation influences organizational and societal outcomes.