Students
GMBA8003 – Adapt Your Leadership Style
2021 – Coursera term 3, Fully online/virtual
Notice
As part of Phase 3 of our return to campus plan, most units will now run tutorials, seminars and other small group activities on campus, and most will keep an online version available to those students unable to return or those who choose to continue their studies online.
To check the availability of face-to-face and online activities for your unit, please go to timetable viewer. To check detailed information on unit assessments visit your unit's iLearn space or consult your unit convenor.
General Information
Download as PDF
| Unit convenor and teaching staff |
Unit convenor and teaching staff
Unit Convenor
Dr Frances Chang
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|---|---|
| Credit points |
Credit points
5
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| Prerequisites |
Prerequisites
Admission to GMBA or GradCertGlobalBusPrac
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| Corequisites |
Corequisites
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| Co-badged status |
Co-badged status
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| Unit description |
Unit description
This unit looks at how transformational, authentic, and inclusive leadership styles are, in theory and practice, providing an alternative to more autocratic, job-centred, and command and control leadership styles. In exploring this shift, the unit critically examines Henry Mintzberg's observation that much of a leader's time is spent dealing with never-ending and relentlessly occurring complex and ambiguous interruptions of a messy organisational reality and the necessity of having to adopt adaptive and resilient practices to cope. Students will examine how the digital transformation of work has dramatically altered the perception of leadership, with all organisational members being expected to take on some form of self-leadership in the complex team and project work that is increasingly framing the "future of work". This demand is causing tensions between the expectations of traditional leaders and the good and emergent practices and strategies necessary to being agile and nimble in today's ultra-competitive and increasingly disruptive marketplace. Students will be asked to critically examine what adaptive practices of leadership and followership might be employed to minimise these tensions, and the dysfunctionality that accompanies them. |
Important Academic Dates
Information about important academic dates including deadlines for withdrawing from units are available at https://www.mq.edu.au/study/calendar-of-dates
Learning Outcomes
On successful completion of this unit, you will be able to:
- ULO1: Critically evaluate the similarities and differences between traditional and contemporary theories of leadership and identify the practices of established leadership theories
- ULO2: Examine how the interruptive complexities and challenges of day-to-day organisational life might require agile shifts between different leadership styles
- ULO3: Analyse how post-industrial forms of participative and self-organising leadership and followership might enable or disable effective cross-functional performance
- ULO4: Develop recommendations as to how leadership theories and models might need to evolve to optimise cross-functional performance
General Assessment Information
Submission
You will submit your assessment tasks via your online unit on Coursera.
For written assessment tasks, you must submit in either PDF or Word (.doc) file types. If your submission is in a file type that cannot be opened, late penalties will apply for submitting the correct file after the due date.
For individual submissions, please use the following naming convention for your file:
lastname-firstname-GMBAxxx-A1.*
lastname-firstname-GMBAxxx-A2.*
For group submissions, please use the following naming convention for your file:
team-number-GMBAxxx-A1.*
team-number-GMBAxxx-A2.*
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Extensions
Please note that no extensions will be granted. There will be a deduction of 10% of the total available marks made from the total awarded mark for each 24 hour period or part thereof that the submission is late (for example, 25 hours late in submission = 20% penalty). This penalty does not apply for cases in which an application for special consideration is made and approved.
For any questions regarding your assignment submission please contact your Unit Convenor. If you would like to apply for Special Consideration please submit a request via ask.mq.edu.au
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Formatting instructions
These instructions pertain only to written assignments. In the case of other formats (e.g., slide decks) specific formatting instructions may apply. Written assignments should be in 11 point Arial font with 1.5 line spacing. Each page of the report should be numbered and have at minimum 2.5 cm margins from the left and right edges and top and bottom of the page. The word count is strictly enforced. The actual word length of the document, not including references or appendices, should be clearly stated on the title page of the report. Written assignments should have the following structure:
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A title page with the question, your student name and student number, word count of the text
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The body of the report structured with paragraphs and with appropriate headings and citations, with page numbers.
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Complete reference list of material cited in the text.
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Referencing
Please use the American Psychological Association (APA) 6th edition reference style. This means that when referring to an article or book etc, you indicate the author’s name followed by the year of publication (Jones, 1989). For multiple authors include all names (Jones, Smith, & Wilson, 1990). If you use a direct quote put the quoted words in “quotation marks” and include the page number with the reference (Jones, 1989, p. 76). A reference list should be presented in alphabetical order at the end of the paper. Further information on APA style is available at http://libguides.mq.edu.au/content.php?pid=85232&sid=634282
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Commercial in Confidence
Please note that you must not disclose any information marked ‘Commercial in Confidence’ without permission from the party who supplied it (e.g., your current or previous employer, customers, etc.).
Assessment Tasks
| Name | Weighting | Hurdle | Due |
|---|---|---|---|
| Leadership reflection | 40% | No | Monday 17 May, 11:59pm, 2021 (AEST) |
| Leadership in action analysis | 60% | No | Wednesday 9 June, 11:59pm, 2021 (AEST) |
Leadership reflection
Assessment Type 1: Reflective Writing
Indicative Time on Task 2: 11 hours
Due: Monday 17 May, 11:59pm, 2021 (AEST)
Weighting: 40%
Length: max 1,500 words (excl. references) for the critical reflection plus discussion posts Format: Discussion forum contributions plus written critical reflection Task: The purpose of this assignment is to stimulate your thinking on different leader behaviour and motivation and to evaluate the appropriateness of the technique to the situation facing the leader. There are two parts to this assignment: You will be asked to post on the Discussion Forums over two weeks and write a critical reflection on your posts and interaction with others.
On successful completion you will be able to:
- Critically evaluate the similarities and differences between traditional and contemporary theories of leadership and identify the practices of established leadership theories
- Examine how the interruptive complexities and challenges of day-to-day organisational life might require agile shifts between different leadership styles
Leadership in action analysis
Assessment Type 1: Report
Indicative Time on Task 2: 15 hours
Due: Wednesday 9 June, 11:59pm, 2021 (AEST)
Weighting: 60%
Length: 2,500-3,000 words (excl. references) Format: Written report Task: The objective of this assignment is for you to analyse current and dynamic leadership issues by critically evaluating how they relate to leadership theory. Please refer to the section Course Resources - Assessment Information in your online unit for detailed information on this assignment as well as the marking criteria. You will be asked to submit your completed task via the Assignment submission link in your online unit.
On successful completion you will be able to:
- Analyse how post-industrial forms of participative and self-organising leadership and followership might enable or disable effective cross-functional performance
- Develop recommendations as to how leadership theories and models might need to evolve to optimise cross-functional performance
1 If you need help with your assignment, please contact:
- the academic teaching staff in your unit for guidance in understanding or completing this type of assessment
- the Writing Centre for academic skills support.
2 Indicative time-on-task is an estimate of the time required for completion of the assessment task and is subject to individual variation
Delivery and Resources
Required text
There is no required textbook for this unit. Please refer to the weekly required readings in your online unit. All readings are available via the Macquarie University library and do not need to be purchased separately.
Delivery method
This unit will be delivered entirely online via the Coursera Learning Management System. Access to a personal computer is required to access the resources and learning materials on Coursera.
Unit Schedule
For this unit, Live Events (via the web conferencing software Zoom) will take place once a week starting in Week 1 and ending in Week 6. The links to the events are available via Live Events in the online unit. Students are strongly advised to attend the Live Events. Recordings of the live events will be made available within 24 hours of the event and can be accessed via Resources in the online unit.
Attending the Live Event each week is an opportunity to engage with the unit content, your Unit Convenor and classmates. Students are encouraged to complete specified Live Event preparation learning activities prior to each scheduled Live Event in order to get the most value out of these sessions.
Please note: The teaching schedule is subject to change. Please refer to your online unit for the latest schedule.
| Week | Live Events | Assessments |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Webinar: Tuesday 4 May 2021, 10-11am (AEST) | |
| 2 | Webinar: Tuesday 11 May 2021, 10-11am (AEST) | |
| 3 | Webinar: Tuesday 18 May 2021, 10-11am (AEST) | A1 due: 17 May 2021, 11:59pm (AEST) |
| 4 | Webinar: Tuesday 25 May 2021, 10-11am (AEST) | |
| 5 | Webinar: Tuesday 1 June 2021, 10-11am (AEST) | |
| 6 | Webinar: Tuesday 8 June 2021, 10-11am (AEST) | A2 due: 9 June 2021, 11:59pm (AEST) |
Policies and Procedures
Macquarie University policies and procedures are accessible from Policy Central (https://policies.mq.edu.au). Students should be aware of the following policies in particular with regard to Learning and Teaching:
- Academic Appeals Policy
- Academic Integrity Policy
- Academic Progression Policy
- Assessment Policy
- Fitness to Practice Procedure
- Grade Appeal Policy
- Complaint Management Procedure for Students and Members of the Public
- Special Consideration Policy
Students seeking more policy resources can visit Student Policies (https://students.mq.edu.au/support/study/policies). It is your one-stop-shop for the key policies you need to know about throughout your undergraduate student journey.
To find other policies relating to Teaching and Learning, visit Policy Central (https://policies.mq.edu.au) and use the search tool.
Student Code of Conduct
Macquarie University students have a responsibility to be familiar with the Student Code of Conduct: https://students.mq.edu.au/admin/other-resources/student-conduct
Results
Results published on platform other than eStudent, (eg. iLearn, Coursera etc.) or released directly by your Unit Convenor, are not confirmed as they are subject to final approval by the University. Once approved, final results will be sent to your student email address and will be made available in eStudent. For more information visit ask.mq.edu.au or if you are a Global MBA student contact globalmba.support@mq.edu.au
Student Support
Macquarie University provides a range of support services for students. For details, visit http://students.mq.edu.au/support/
Learning Skills
Learning Skills (mq.edu.au/learningskills) provides academic writing resources and study strategies to help you improve your marks and take control of your study.
The Library provides online and face to face support to help you find and use relevant information resources.
Student Services and Support
Students with a disability are encouraged to contact the Disability Service who can provide appropriate help with any issues that arise during their studies.
Student Enquiries
For all student enquiries, visit Student Connect at ask.mq.edu.au
If you are a Global MBA student contact globalmba.support@mq.edu.au
IT Help
For help with University computer systems and technology, visit http://www.mq.edu.au/about_us/offices_and_units/information_technology/help/.
When using the University's IT, you must adhere to the Acceptable Use of IT Resources Policy. The policy applies to all who connect to the MQ network including students.
Unit information based on version 2021.02 of the Handbook