LD7120 - Leader Identity, Leadership, and Responsible Organisations

You will learn through a model that combines an academic knowledge base, online support and engagement with your module tutors. This unique learning model is designed to enable you to rapidly develop new skills and knowledge and apply them to challenging leadership contexts.

As such a mixture of lecture, seminar and workshop sessions will be delivered supported by on-line learning materials and activities. Lectures will be used to introduce the key topics using a research led approach. These lectures will be followed by seminar activities in which you will apply the theories, models and frameworks through a range of activities. This will include reflecting on your own experience of leading and leadership and ways of analysing organisations.

In order to develop your capacity and confidence as an effective learner, you will also engage in a substantial amount of independent learning. This will be supported by tutor-guided activities reflected in a learning plan, including prompted reading, activities to undertake and questions to address. Independent study requirements also entail reading beyond the learning materials/reading list provided, reflecting on its potential relevance for your own development.

An initial workshop will introduce you to the module, assessment and core topics. Subsequent to this you will be guided through a range of subject specific topics delivered over the period of the module. Key messages from these sessions will be available by video/podcast to support your learning outside of the classroom.

The virtual learning environment will be used to encourage individual and group contributions to critical debate on key topics and issues. Materials and discussion group work will be available on the e-learning portal to support and engage you. To support and embed the learning, provide the opportunity for reflection and encourage effective communication, you will engage in discussion forums via the University’s e-Learning platform.

This will include posing and answering topic specific questions posed by the tutor and peer group and providing peer group formative feedback. You will also be encouraged to use email and discussion board tool to clarify issues.

As a part time student the workplace will form a significant element of your learning. This will include regular directed activities outlined in the module learning plan. These activities will enable reflection on learning from taught sessions and subsequent application through research into practice.

Furthermore, you will participate in a learning set with your peers to facilitate a deeper discussion of the personal impact of the module contents on your individual professional practice and the application of learning into your own work organisation.

Finally, You will also be given work-based assignments and projects, which will support your learning by providing an experientially based opportunity to apply your learning and evaluate your own practice in this area.

A range of approaches are adopted to accelerate your learning in this module.

During the first week of this module, you will receive information about the module and Teaching & Learning Plan. The teaching and learning plan (TLP) sets out
• Learning outcomes and overall module and programme aims
• Teaching, learning and assessment strategy
• Teaching schedule
• Directed reading references (text and journals) and core texts for the module

Further supporting this learner journey, the first taught of this module will discuss the rational and learning objectives of this module and how it contributes to your overall programme goals. The formative and summative assessment strategy will be outlined as will a refresher on key academic skills and resources critical to your success as a learner on this module. This session will also be available as a video/podcast for further reinforcement.

During this module your module tutor, a subject specialist, will provide academic support including:
• Delivering workshops
• Providing guidance in relation to assignments
• Development of key resources, made available through the VLE
• Specialist subject advice, particularly in linking your work to academic research, concepts and emerging knowledge in the field
• Assessing assignments and assess or review any other agreed summative or formative outputs as appropriate

For those of you studying on a Degree Apprenticeship you will also be supported by an Executive Coach who provides your consistent support throughout your Degree Apprenticeship. This Executive Coach will support with:
• Helping you to understand the requirements of this module and how it relates to your workplace context
• Helping you to understand how you can apply and evidence the knowledge, skills and behaviours covered in the module to your own practice in the workplace
• Visiting you at work and engaging with your manager and/or mentor to ensure alignment between your learning and opportunities for applying and demonstrating a positive impact in your work organisation.

E-Reading Lists
The module will also have an e-reading list which directs learners to specific reading for each session. This includes direct access to repositories, journal articles and other academic sources. You will also be provided with access to a significant set academic research sources via the Northumbria University library portal.
You will also have opportunities to receive formative feedback from your tutor in response to opinions you express and issues you raise during workshop sessions and face-to-face or online tutorials. These formative feedback sessions are formally scheduled at key points throughout the module.

All modules at Northumbria include a range of reading materials that students are expected to engage with. The reading list for this module can be found at: http://readinglists.northumbria.ac.uk
(Reading List service online guide for academic staff this containing contact details for the Reading List team – http://library.northumbria.ac.uk/readinglists)

At the end of this module, you should be able to:

Knowledge & Understanding:
1. Demonstrate your knowledge of and critical understanding of the key concepts, models and theories in relation to the topics and themes covered in the module
2. Identify the opportunities and challenges relating to the changing nature leadership/management practice and responsible organisations

Intellectual / Professional Skills & Abilities:
3. Present a case analysis drawing on relevant theory and to present a critical evaluation of current practice and implications for future practice
4. Demonstrate critical self-reflection based on critical incidents that demonstrate competence and awareness of personal leadership impact

Personal Values Attributes (Global / Cultural awareness, Ethics, Curiosity) (PVA):
5. Demonstrate an appreciation of ethical dimensions of your own and others’ management practice in your critical reflection

The assessment will consist of ONE end of module assessment (5000 words in total) consisting of two parts:
PART A: Individual report (4000 words):
Indicative Brief:
You are asked to use your organisation to provide the context and unit of analysis for your assignment. You are required to carry out an analysis of any aspect of management practice/organisational behaviour in relation to a key topic/theme from the module. You should adopt a ‘problem-based approach’ to your organisational case analysis and use relevant authoritative sources to support and develop your critical analysis. An action plan based on recommendations that sustain, enhance, or change current practice should be included as an appendix to your report.
PART B: Critical reflection (1000 words).
Indicative Brief:
This part of the assessment will be included as an appendix to your main report (Part A). You will identify and reflect on one critical incident in your workplace where you have demonstrated practical application of leadership, ethical practice, and critical thinking skills. Using a recognised reflective and/or critical thinking framework, you will note the situation, what skills you used, the impact of these on the situation and you as a leader in your organisation context and your learning.

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How we define and think about organisations focuses attention on different aspects of organising and managing. Thinking about organisations as processes rather than entities, draws attention to the ways in which organising in different settings is accomplished. This is of interest in this module because it gives attention to the human and relational aspects of organisations. This 20 credit module, then, provides a bridge between the focus on individual leadership skills and competences (knowing self and leadership identity) and the theory and practice of leading and managing in organisations. We will consider contemporary issues and challenges facing individuals and organisations in terms of leading and managing in increasingly dynamic business environments to develop your ability to critically analyse behaviour and actions in organisations; to problem solve, plan and to employ critical judgement through careful consideration of and reflection on current and future management and organisational challenges.