module specification

By the end of this final-year core module “Leading Innovation”, you will have studied, and applied in practice:
• a range of leadership theories and techniques to critically evaluate and develop your own personal leadership style
• a range of leadership theories and techniques to critically evaluate contemporary innovation practice in organisations in a range of companies and industries engaged with innovation
• a range of innovation theories and techniques to critically evaluate contemporary innovation processes in organisations in a range of industries that innovate
• the synergies between leadership and innovation in a range of business contexts

The Module will be based around two themes:
(i) Theme 1: Leadership, where students will study, reflect on, and use leadership theories and techniques to assess and develop their own personal leadership style.  By doing this, students will be closely engaging with and evaluating classic and contemporary theories, and directly applying the ideas from these theories to their own experience and ambitions.

(ii) Theme 2: Innovation, where students will study, analyse, and evaluate the innovation processes of selected organisations and industries (by critiquing, for example, Case Studies), and how innovation is achieved and operates within the contemporary economy (by critiquing, for example, classic and contemporary examples). 

In addition, students will study the synergies between leadership and innovation, an emerging area in academic research and in practice.  By doing this, students will be closely engaging with and evaluating innovation practice and performance, informed by leadership theories and techniques, covered in Theme 1.

Each theme will conclude with a task / assignment: Theme 1 will conclude with a team-based Seminar Task, and Theme 2 will conclude with a pairs-based summative assignment. 

Once complete, this Module aims to enable students to understand a long-term timeline. 
• Firstly, students will ‘look back’ and be exposed to classic and contemporary leadership texts, so they can critically evaluate and develop their own personal leadership style.
• Secondly, they will ‘look forward’ and critically evaluate how innovation can further emerge in the economy and society, and how contemporary and future organisations and industries can ensure sustainability through enhanced innovation, blended with enhanced organisational leadership.

In addition, this Module has been designed following University guidelines and policies on:

- Artificial Intelligence:
https://student.londonmet.ac.uk/your-studies/student-administration/guidance-on-the-use-of-artificial-intelligence/# 
- Education for Social Justice Framework (ESJF):
https://www.londonmet.ac.uk/about/centre-for-equity-and-inclusion/a-fair-outcomes-approach-to-teaching-and-learning/the-degree-awarding-gap/education-for-social-justice-framework/ 
Sustainability:
https://www.londonmet.ac.uk/about/sustainability/

No prerequisites
Available for Study Abroad? YES

The Module will be divided into two themes:
• Theme 1: Leadership
• Theme 2: Innovation. 
A long-term time will provide a link between the two themes.

In Theme 1: Leadership, where students will study leadership in organisations, plus, reflect on their own personal leadership style. Students will be closely engaging with and evaluating classic and contemporary theories and directly applying the ideas from these theories to their own experience and ambitions (LO1, LO2).

In Theme 2, students will study, reflect on, and use key classic and contemporary innovation theories in order to critically evaluate how innovation emerges in the economy, society, and in organisations, how leadership influences innovation, and how innovation relates to organisational, economic, and social sustainability in a range of industries and contexts (LO1, LO2, LO3).

Classes in both Themes will be student-centred, and will contain tasks, exercises, close readings (of textbook chapters, academic articles, company websites, journalism / media articles), discussions, presentations, activities, videos, feed-back, and feed-forward, designed around preparing students for the assignments

Scheduled teaching will involve sessions which will include formal lectures, student-led sessions, workshops, seminars, discussions, presentations, online readings and tasks, and formative tasks.  All materials and readings will be available online, directly building blending learning directly into the Module.

Theme 1 will conclude with a Seminar Task, for which the students will receive written and verbal feedback to reflect on, and will feed directly into the Theme 2 summative assignment.  Students will receive ‘feed-forward’ for the summative assignment, followed by written and verbal feedback after submission.  These activities will allow students to reflect on their learning style and academic performance on this Module and on other Modules also.

These class and online activities will contribute directly to the student’s Personal and Professional Development (PD), as Theme 1 is based around Leadership, and Theme 2 is based around the synergies between innovation and leadership.

By the end of the Module, students will be able to:

•  LO1: Use a range of classic and contemporary leadership styles to critically reflect on their own leadership style and performance,

•  LO2: Apply to selected organisations studied a range of classic and contemporary leadership styles,

• LO3: Critically analyse innovation processes in the economy, society, and organisations, and to evaluate the synergies between leadership and innovation in organisations studied, referring to sustainability, digital technologies, AI, and Big Data, where appropriate

Link to online Library Reading List:

https://rl.talis.com/3/londonmet/lists/1298B755-9A39-E844-36B1-2E8A83D6F097.html?lang=en-GB&login=1

Core:
Shields, K (2025) Leading Innovation, 2nd Edition, Open Library
https://ecampusontario.pressbooks.pub/leadinginnovation2/

Additional:
Abdul-Azeez, O, et al (2024) Transformational leadership in SMEs: Driving innovation, employee engagement, and business success, World Journal of Advanced Research, 22(3), 1894-1905
https://ecampusontario.pressbooks.pub/leadinginnovation2/

Allagui, I (2020) Innovation in legacy media institutions: the case of the Al Jazeera Media Network, Vol 6, Journal of Creative Industries and Cultural Studies, Vol 6, pages 36-55, at: https://jocis.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/JOCIS_6_Allagui.pdf

Alsolami, H, et al (2016) Revisiting Innovation Leadership, Open Journal of Leadership, Vol 5, No 2, at: https://www.scirp.org/journal/paperinformation.aspx?paperid=67219

Cortellazzo, L et al (2019) The role of leadership in a digitalized world: a review, Frontiers of Psychology, Vol 10, article 1938, at: https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2019.01938/full

Das, S (2016), Magazine publishing innovation: two case studies on managing creativity, Publications, Vol 4, No 15, at: https://www.mdpi.com/2304-6775/4/2/15

Dybdahl, LM (2019) Innovation for Sustainability, pp. 193-211, Palgrave, at: https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-319-97385-2_11

Galanti, T and Fantinelli, S (2024) Managing the future of talents: digital innovation in learning organizations, https://www.emerald.com/insight/content/doi/10.1108/tlo-06-2023-0096/full/pdf?title=managing-the-future-of-talents-digital-innovation-in-learning-organizations

Hill, L, et al (2014) Collective Genius: The Art and Practice of Leading Innovation, Harvard Business Review Press (selected chapters / articles will be made available online)

Hill, L et al (2014) Collective Genius, Harvard Business Review, https://plengegen.com/wp-content/uploads/Collective-Genius.pdf

Hill L (2014) How to Manage for Collective Creativity, Ted Talk plus Text Transcript, at:
https://laidlawscholars.network/posts/56704-how-to-manage-for-collective-creativity-linda-hill

Koziol-Nadolna, K (2020) The role of a leader in stimulating innovation in an organization, Administrative Sciences, Vol 10, No 59, at: https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3387/10/3/59

Kraus, Sascha, et al (2022) Facebook and the creation of the metaverse: radical business model innovation, or incremental transformation?, International Journal of Entrepreneurial Behaviour and Research, Vol 28, No 9, pages 52-77, at: https://www.emerald.com/insight/content/doi/10.1108/IJEBR-12-2021-0984/full/html
Lemmetyinen, A, et al (2025) Enlivening a place brand inclusively: evidence from ten European cities, Place Branding and Public Diplomacy, 2167-80 / https://link.springer.com/article/10.1057/s41254-024-00362-5
Soleas, E (2020) Leadership strategies for motivating innovation in individuals: a systematic review, in Journal of Innovation and Entrepreneurship, Vol 9, May 2020, see:
https://innovation-entrepreneurship.springeropen.com/articles/10.1186/s13731-020-00120-w#citeas

Tredinnick, L and Laybats, C (2022) Information and Knowledge Leadership, Business Information Review, Vol 0, pp. 1-2, at: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/02663821221125134

Websites:
Chartered Management Institute on ‘Leadership’, see:
https://www.managers.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/CHK-256-Understanding_Management_and_Leadership_Styles.pdf

Innovation Leadership Forum (global consultancy)
https://innovationleadershipforum.org/our-wisdom/10-billion-people-to-feed/

McKinsey & Co (2022), Committed Innovators: How masters of essentials outperform
https://www.mckinsey.com/capabilities/strategy-and-corporate-finance/our-insights/committed-innovators-how-masters-of-essentials-outperform

Moeller Institute, on Leading Innovation:
https://www.mollerinstitute.com/leading-organisations/leading-innovation/

Journals:
Journal of Leadership (SAGE), see: https://journals.sagepub.com/home/lea

Journal of Leadership and Organizational Studies (SAGE), see:
https://journals.sagepub.com/home/jlo

Journal of Innovation and Entrepreneurship, see:
https://innovation-entrepreneurship.springeropen.com/

Journal of Creativity and Innovation Management, see:
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/14678691

Various articles from The Stanford Social Innovation Review, see: https://ssir.org/#

Companies and organisations associated with Leading Innovation
- Hatch Innovation, https://www.hatchinnovation.co.uk/
- IDEO, see: https://www.ideo.com/eu
- Center for Creative Leadership https://www.ccl.org/Fujitsu  https://www.fujitsu.com/global/ / Also see: https://www.fujitsu.com/global/vision/insights/201907event/
• EFMD Global (global leadership consultancy) https://www.efmdglobal.org/
• Soprasteria, https://www.soprasteria.co.uk/about-us/our-business