Leadership: Theory & Practice

Module description

What is the module about?

This module is about the theory and practice of leadership in organisations. It provides students with knowledge, understanding, and application of leadership theories and concepts. Through weekly workshops and participation in exercises designed to develop leadership skills, students will hone their abilities in reflective practice and self-analysis.

 

Who should do this module?

Today’s managers leaders need to perform several roles and functions and roles in order to be effective and successful. Among those, leadership is essential and is about , considering that managers are those who getting things done through other people.

In order to be successful and effective in an organisation, we need to understand leadership. The overall objective is to familiarise you with leadership and relevant materials in management

In this module we aim to provide students with knowledge and understanding of a range of perspectives and theories on leadership and to consider leadership in a variety of organisational contexts. A key part of the module is about self-development and reflection so that students experience leadership development processes and exercises in tutorials.

This module will not necessarily make you a good leader, but it is intended to help you to develop your leadership skills. More specifically, we hope to accomplish the following goals:

• Read, understand, write about and discuss a range of literature on leadership.

• Critically evaluate how different approaches to leadership relate to different organisational activities and settings.

• Understand leadership development processes and exercises having experienced them in tutorials.

• Understanding a variety of theories and approaches to leadership

• Becoming familiar with some of the basic skills and knowledge necessary for managerial success

• Developing the leadership skills that you will need to work effectively as a manager

• Developing some of the skills that you will need to identify, analyse, and solve problems of leadership in an organisation

• Applying the research and theories studied in this class to the practice of organisational leadership

 

Provisional Lecture Outline

Lecture 1: Introduction to the Module

Lecture 2: Early Theories of Leadership including Leadership Traits, Behaviours, and Situational Leadership

Lecture 3: Contemporary Theories of Leadership including Transformational and Charismatic

Lecture 4: Followership

Lecture 5: Power and Leadership

Lecture 6: Leading Change

Lecture 7: Cross-cultural Leadership

Lecture 8: E-Leadership

Lecture 9: Leadership Development

Lecture 10: Future of Leadership and Module Wrap Up

Assessment details

50% Examination

50% Coursework

The format of the examination has not yet been confirmed. All students will be expected to sit any remote exams in January, but semester 1 only students will be set an alternative assessment or sit the exam remotely in lieu of any in-person exams.

Teaching pattern

Weekly Lectures

Weekly Tutorials

Suggested reading list

Key text or background reading

Latest edition of Yukl, G. A., & Gardner, W. L. III (2020) Leadership in Organizsations (9th edition). Please note that this edition may have been updated by the start of the module.

 

Module description disclaimer

King’s College London reviews the modules offered on a regular basis to provide up-to-date, innovative and relevant programmes of study. Therefore, modules offered may change. We suggest you keep an eye on the course finder on our website for updates.

Please note that modules with a practical component will be capped due to educational requirements, which may mean that we cannot guarantee a place to all students who elect to study this module.

Please note that the module descriptions above are related to the current academic year and are subject to change.