MN5067 - Leadership in Practice (2026/27)
| Module specification | Module approved to run in 2026/27 | ||||||||
| Module title | Leadership in Practice | ||||||||
| Module level | Intermediate (05) | ||||||||
| Credit rating for module | 15 | ||||||||
| School | Guildhall School of Business and Law | ||||||||
| Total study hours | 150 | ||||||||
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| Assessment components |
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| Running in 2026/27(Please note that module timeslots are subject to change) | No instances running in the year |
Module summary
This module provides you with an understanding of leadership in both theoretical and practical terms. In order to develop your cognitive academic abilities, a study of leadeship theory will be undertaken. In this module you will explore the core theoretical underpinning of the theories of leadership. Using current case study examples you will learn how to apply your leadership knowledge critically. With the use of multi-media you will analyse how an understanding of leadership theory can contribute to developing, leading and managing business organisations.
You will explore the importance of the traits, behaviours and characteristics of leaders through the critical lens of current leadership models. To develop your knowledge of leadership in practice you will use real world case studies to develop your understanding of leadership dilemmas and how theory can be used to help solve them. You will explore the role of Power, Influence and Ethics in the role of the leader and how this can be developed to create a more ethical approach to leadership. In addition, you will examine how leaders deal with conflict in the workplace through workplace examples and cases.
You will have the opportunity to identify, reflect on and develop your own leadership skills. You will conduct a self-leadership audit through identifying your leadership style, traits and skills, e.g. negotiation, communication and then develop a self-reflective piece to evidence your leadership skills development and apply this new leadership knowledge in practice, in your future career roles.
On this module you will have opportunities to enhance key leadership skills e.g. goal setting and communication skills, developed earlier, and to develop key skills such as negotiation and persuasion as a means of dealing with conflict and morale issues that can arise when managing and leading people.
The module aims to:
1. Develop students understanding of core leadership theory, current models and leadership in practice.
2. Develop students understanding of power, influence and ethics in organisations.
3. Help students to identify their own leadership styles, traits, skills and behaviour e.g. negotiation and persuasion, and how they can apply this in their own leadership practice.
Prior learning requirements
No prerequisites
Syllabus
Leadership theory: the first part of this module is focussed on exploring leadership theory and leadership in practice. It will examine core theory such as Trait theory, Skills, Style and will explore the difference between transactional and transformational leadership styles. The use of real world, current case studies will support this exploration and students’ critical understanding of leadership in practice. In addition, the relevance of leadership in practice in the digital age will be explored (LO1: Analyse current leadership theories and models and demonstrate how these are applied in practice)
Power, Influence and Ethics – students will be introduced to these core concepts e.g. types and sources of power; What is influence? How do leaders develop it; What are Business Ethics? and how are they demonstrated through leadership? Students will be required to demonstrate their understanding of the role, importance and influence of these on modern leadership practices. Students will be required to examine the importance of understanding ethical considerations in leading in the digital era and real-world cases will be used to do this (LO2: Demonstrate an understanding of the role of Power, Influence and Ethics on modern leadership practices)
Understanding and identifying students’ own leadership traits, style, skills e.g. negotiation, communication, behaviours and ethics is a core part of the module. Using practical leadership development instruments students will be required to reflect on their own leadership skills. They will demonstrate their new self-understanding and how this can be developed further to support them in their careers as they move into leadership roles with a view to developing themselves as ethical leaders (LO3: Identify their own leadership traits, style, skills e.g. negotiation, communication, and behaviours and create a leadership self-reflective piece to demonstrate their new understanding and evidence how they might apply this in their future career leadership roles)
Balance of independent study and scheduled teaching activity
This module blends scheduled teaching activity with independent student research and application.
The module provides face-to-face and/ or online contact per week, which will be utilised in a variety of approaches including, lectures, tutorials, workshops, flipped classrooms, guided learning and discussion groups, online learning.
Learning activities will be supported by multimedia, including videos, self-administered questionnaires, case study analysis, student centred discussions and debates, guest speakers and virtual lectures. A strong student-centred focus means that concepts of applying theory to practice and developing their own leadership approach will support students to take an active role in their experiential learning. As such not only will students be encouraged to focus on the development of their own leadership knowledge but also to apply this to their own creative experience and observations of leadership.
Weblearn will be used for the distribution of module material, and it will also be used as an interactive mechanism between students and tutors, for example, to direct students to particular readings or to provide news about the module or the module content. It will also be used for the timely provision of generic feedback following formative assessment.
The assessment focuses on the learning outcomes for the module. The students are required to choose a business leader and critically analyse their leadership style by using the leadership theories studied in the module and how the leader uses Power, influence and ethics using the theories/model covered in class. They are also required to provide a self-reflection about what they have learnt from the module and about their own leadership approach and how it would be helpful in their future careers. The assessment consists of a video with detailed PowerPoint and self-reflection hence focusing on the digital learning, creativity and skills development.
Learning outcomes
LO1: Understand and analyse current leadership theories and models and demonstrate how these are applied in practice.
LO2: Demonstrate an understanding of the role of Power, Influence and Ethics on modern leadership practices.
LO3: Identify own leadership traits, style, skills and behaviours and demonstrate your leadership skills while applying this using digital technology.