Syllabus
Registration via LPIS
This course "Becoming a Purpose-Driven Leader" aims to help participants gain a better understanding of the foundations of purpose, and to discover and nurture their "why" as they take on leadership roles in their organizations. This entails developing knowledge and skills to analyze key issues related to purpose on the level of identity, performance, objectives, and organizational change. Written and video cases, experiential exercises and real-life examples from the instructor’s research will demonstrate that effective leadership involves four critical processes: establishing direction, aligning people behind it, setting and maintaining values, and growth of self and others. These leadership tasks require self-awareness and self-management skills, therefore this course will also provide participants with an opportunity to reflect on their development as a future leader. Participants will have an opportunity to analyze organizational, social and individual purpose, and identify opportunities to apply these insights to their future career.
We will approach the subject of purpose from a variety of different angles and draw on insights from diverse disciplines, including sustainability, global strategy and management, organizational behavior, human resource management, and corporate governance. By the end of the course, participants will be well-equipped with a set of management concepts, analytical frameworks and practical tools that can help them deal more effectively with key leadership challenges.
The course is structured around five 5-hour classroom sessions. Each session is a module addressing a particular facet of purpose. Our modus operandi will be dialogue, and the teaching approach varied, with a mix of lecture input, group discussion, case analysis, experiential exercises, and videos.
Assessment
The course grade will be computed as an average of three elements:
a) Participation (30%)
b) Pre-Course Assignment (15%)
c) In-Class Group Assignment (30%)
d) Final Individual Assessment (25%)
a) Participation: Participants are expected to attend all of the sessions. Classroom performance will be evaluated based on attendance, preparedness, and quality of contributions (please note the word ‘quality’).
b) Pre-Course Assignment: Essay “What Does Purpose Mean to You?”: After you have read the required cases and articles and watched the preparatory video lectures, take some time to contemplate the questions below. Think of the best leader you have ever worked with or for. Who comes to mind? Describe this leader, his or her style, and what made this person an effective leader. What qualities (values, personal philosophies, etc.) and skills are most important in your own leadership? In other words: What type of leader are you? And what type of leader (or potential future leader) do you want to be?
Summarize your thoughts and ideas in a 1-2 page essay and upload it on CANVAS by November, 14th 2024.
c) In-Class Group Assignment: A case study selected by the instructors will be handed out at the beginning of Session 4, along with the instructions. You will be asked to organize yourselves into small groups to conduct an analysis of the case.The deliverable will be a Powerpoint presentation, to be submitted through the CANVAS system at the end of the session. One group will be randomly selected (unless one of the groups volunteers) to share their key findings, insights and conclusions in class, leading to classroom discussion of the underlying issues, approaches to the problem, and recommendations and solutions.
d) Final Individual Assessment:
Please note: This course is limited to 30 participants.
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