Classic Leadership and Organization Dilemmas, 15 credits

Main field of study

Course level

Advancement level

Course offered for

• Master Programme in IT and Management
• Master's Programme in Business Administration - Strategy and Management in International Organisations

Entry requirements

• Bachelor's degree equivalent to a Swedish Kandidatexamen within Business Administration or Economics
  or
  A bachelor's degree equivalent to a Swedish Kandidatexamen with/and at least 60 ECTS (two semesters of full-time study) of Business Administration-related courses (for example Accounting, Marketing, Organization Theory, Strategy, Finance, HRM)
• English corresponding to the level of English in Swedish upper secondary education (English 6/B)
  (Exemption from Swedish)

Intended learning outcomes

After completion of the course, the student should be able to

• identify, explain and apply key concepts of leadership and organization and relate them to the exploration/exploitation challenge.
• identify, explain and reflect upon fundamental leadership dilemmas through classic works of literature as well as business cases, and relate them to contemporary issues in innovation, organizational learning and decision-making
• analyse complex situations from a leadership and organization perspective, identify patterns and problems, develop plausible explanations, suggest possible solutions, and reflect upon the outcomes of actions taken.
• critically analyse and integrate knowledge gained through reading, discussions, and cases, and express it orally and in writing in an academic manner.

Course content

The basic assumptions of this course are that (1) leadership and organization share a symbiotic relationship, (2) that major leadership issues also are issues of life, and (3) that great classic works of literature hence provide a good basis for exploring and reflecting upon some of the great challenges and dilemmas of leadership and organization. In the first phase of the course we will focus an organizational challenge that has kept researchers (and managers) occupied for years:
How can we manage an organization's simultaneous needs for exploration of new opportunities (relying on imagination, vision, foolishness, courage, breaking rules and routines) and exploitation (developing more efficient ways of working through rationality, standards, routine, rules, and similar patterns of thinking) and more specifically how do we allocate scarce resources between the two?
In the second phase of the course we will go more in-depth and explore fundamental questions of leadership such as what is the relation between genius and madness? How do we recognize great leaders among the crazies? How do we nurture genius if we cannot recognize it? How do we sustain commitment in the face of adverse or ambiguous outcomes? How do we come to believe that a leader has succeeded or failed? That one leader is better than another? What should we value in leadership and individuals who are leaders? Here reading classic works such as Shakespeare’s Othello, Shaw’s Saint Joan, Tolstoy’s War and Peace, and Cervantes’ Don Quixote will provide food for thought. These questions will then be connected to the exploration and exploitation challenge as well as contemporary issues in innovation, organizational learning and decision-making.

Teaching and working methods

The course is designed to encourage active participation and the students are involved in various forms of interactive learning situations. The basic learning pillars are

• Interactive lectures, complemented by individual reading to introduce the students to the research areas, lay a theoretical foundation, and provide a basis for discussion.
• Cases and classic seminars where the students will discuss and apply what they have learned during lectures and reading to practice their ability to analyse complex situations, and present reasonable and relevant solutions to problems in these areas.
• Paper-writing based on lectures, readings, cases and team discussions. Homework and independent study are a necessary complement to the course.

Examination

The course will be examined through a number of exercises that are spread out over the duration of the course. Detailed information about the examination can be found in the course’s study guide.

If special circumstances prevail, and if it is possible with consideration of the nature of the compulsory component, the examiner may decide to replace the compulsory component with another equivalent component.

If the LiU coordinator for students with disabilities has granted a student the right to an adapted examination for a written examination in an examination hall, the student has the right to it.

If the coordinator has recommended for the student an adapted examination or alternative form of examination, the examiner may grant this if the examiner assesses that it is possible, based on consideration of the course objectives.

An examiner may also decide that an adapted examination or alternative form of examination if the examiner assessed that special circumstances prevail, and the examiner assesses that it is possible while maintaining the objectives of the course.

Students failing an exam covering either the entire course or part of the course twice are entitled to have a new examiner appointed for the reexamination.

Students who have passed an examination may not retake it in order to improve their grades.

Grades

Other information

Planning and implementation of a course must take its starting point in the wording of the syllabus. The course evaluation included in each course must therefore take up the question how well the course agrees with the syllabus. 

The course is conducted in such a way that there are equal opportunities with regard to sex, transgender identity or expression, ethnicity, religion or other belief, disability, sexual orientation and age.

If special circumstances prevail, the vice-chancellor may in a special decision specify the preconditions for temporary deviations from this course syllabus, and delegate the right to take such decisions.

Department