Leadership: Theory and Practice - MAN00186M

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Module summary

Since the beginning of human endeavour, the understanding and application of Leadership has been foundational to social cohension. In this module, you will learn the full scope of Leadership Theory, from the "Man on the White Horse" to what Leadership looks like in the world of Artificial Intelligence.

Module will run

Occurrence	Teaching period
A	Semester 1 2026-27

Module aims

This module provides a rigorous examination of leadership theories, principles, and practices essential for navigating the complexities of modern organisations. Students will critically evaluate established and contemporary leadership models (e.g., transformational, authentic, adaptive, systems leadership) and analyse their application within diverse contexts, including global, ethical, and dynamic environments. Students will be expected to critically engage with all the implications of Leadership theory, especially concerning bias, fairness, transparency, accountability, and societal impact. 

The module will also equip leaders with the critical judgment and frameworks necessary to guide organisations through organisational challenges such as change, innovation, sustainability and profound ethical questions in a world of sociotechnical systems such as Artificial Intelligence.

This module will also build practical development of essential leadership capabilities required for success in today's demanding professional landscape. Moving beyond pure theory it will emphasise self-assessment, skill-building, and reflective practice thus giving students the tools to discover their own leadership journey, 

 

Module learning outcomes

At the end of this module students should be able to:

Develop an in-depth understanding of the foundations, characteristics, features, critiques  and ethical challenges of leadership as theory as well as practice. 

Demonstrate an understand of different leadership and followership perspectives 

Critically engage with leadership in the context of global business environment, with a keen awareness of the effects on various stakeholders affected 

Analyse the impact of socio-technical systems and attendant sociologies on leadership

Critically analyse their own perspective of leadership theory and their own self-development needs

Indicative assessment

Task	% of module mark
Essay/coursework	100.0

Special assessment rules

None

Indicative reassessment

Task	% of module mark
Essay/coursework	100.0

Module feedback

Feedback will be given in accordance with the University Policy on feedback in the Guide to Assessment as well as in line with the School policy.

Indicative reading

Antonakis, J. and Day, D.V. eds., 2017. The nature of leadership. Sage publications.

Rickards, T., 2012. Dilemmas of leadership. Routledge.

Rickards, T. and Moger, S., 2017. Handbook for creative team leaders. Routledge.

Bass, B.M. and Riggio, R.E., 2006. Transformational leadership. Psychology press.

Gronn, P., 2008. The future of distributed leadership. Journal of educational administration, 46(2), pp.141-158.