Leadership

The course is delivered as a free standing, second cycle course.

A Bachelor’s degree, or equivalent thereof, is necessary in order to enter the course, which includes courses in psychology corresponding to at least 30hp. Language skills equivalent to Swedish B/Swedish 3 and English A/English 6 are also required.

The field of management and leadership is comprehensive and multidisciplinary. The course is aimed at those who are interested in acquiring a deeper understanding of management and leadership from a psychological perspective. The course begins with a review of current leadership literature on leadership behaviour and conditions, such as the role of personality, leadership style and beahaviours, managerial roles/funtions and power management among other things. Thereafter the students carry out analyses of leadership behaviours using leadership development and OBM (Organizational Behaviour Management). The course ends with an individual written exam.

A student who successfully completes the course should be able to:

Knowledge and understanding 

• Explain how personality, leadership style, manager role/function and the management of power affect leadership efficacy
• Based on current research, analyze and critically evaluate these concepts/models
• Critically discuss how knowledge of personality, leadership style, manager role/function and management of power can be applied in different organizational contexts

Competence and skills

• Based on current research in psychology, summarize, explain, and discuss key concepts on leadership 
• Explain, analyze and discuss how these concepts/models can be applied in different organizational contexts,
• Carry out and report an individual paper focusing on leadership with focus on how managers can influence their employees.

Judgement and approach

• Independently summarize existing leadership theories and their application,
• Problematise and critically evaluate key leadership theories,
• Analyse and reflect on how leadership issues are related to contextual factors.

Teaching takes place in the form of lectures and seminars which include foundational overviews of current research.

Language of instruction: Swedish

All teaching, course literature and other course material provided during the course are subject to examination and are therefore mandatory.

The course examination consists of written assignments, presentations and a written exam. All mandatory exercises, seminars, group work and presentations require active participation. Arrangements to compensate for absence are made according to the course leader’s instructions.

A student who has failed the same examination twice by the same examiner has the right to change the examiner. The student shall submit a written request to the Department. The request shall be granted unless there are special reasons to the contrary (Chapter 6, Section 22 of Higher Education Ordinance).

Students with recommendation for special educational support from the University of Gothenburg may receive an adapted examination or alternative examination form, provided that the examiner decides it is compatible with the course objectives and it does not require unreasonable resources.

In the event where a course has been discontinued or has undergone major changes, the student shall be guaranteed at least three examinations (including the ordinary examination) during a period of at least one year up to two years after the course has been discontinued/changed. The same applies for internships and on-the-job trainings, but with a restriction to only one additional examination session.

The grading scale comprises: Pass with Distinction (VG), Pass (G) and Fail (U). To obtain a final grade of Pass (G) on the course, the student must meet the following requirements:

• Active participation in obligatory seminars
• Pass (G) grade on individual written assignments and presentations
• Pass (G) grade on the individual written examination

To obtain a final grade of Pass with Distinction (VG) on the course, in addition to the requirements for a Pass (G) grade, the student must meet the following requirements:

• Active participation in obligatory seminars
• Pass (G) grade on individual written assignments and presentations
• Pass with distinction (VG) grade on the individual written examination

The course coordinator is responsible for ensuring that students are given the opportunity to provide an anonymous, written course feedback at the end of the course. On completion of the course, the course coordinator writes a course report, which includes a summary of students' feedback. The course report is discussed in a relevant course evaluation group and is communicated both to the students, who completed the course evaluation as well as to the students who are starting the course. The reports are available to students.

If the course requires use of internet, computer, digital resources, it is a student's responsibility to make sure they have access to such resources.