The new psychology of leadership

Volledige vakbeschrijving

The course "Leadership and Management in a Global World" is about leadership, strategy and change in a global business context. It confronts students with strategic business issues of today with the aim to develop business knowledge and to improve leadership skills to deal with these issues in a more effective and creative way. In the global context companies are confronted with business issues such as increasing speed of innovation, cultural diversity, need for differentiation, increasing competition, rising energy costs and stricter regulations on CO2 emissions, etc. These issues are not isolated. They are connected to a world of rapidly changing technological, political, economic, and environmental developments. To deal with these issues more effectively it is important to understand the logic of the business industry or sector. An industry such as pharmaceutical or health care is organized differently than for example the airline industry or the automotive industry. Some industries are more local, and the role of government differs. We must have an eye for diversity and complexity behind industry and company logic. So understanding the business logic at hand is important, but it is not enough. If we want to create a better world for ourselves and our children, we should think more in terms of leadership and change. We will introduce examples of leaders and entrepreneurs that changed the rules of the game in an industry, for instance Obamacare in the healthcare business and Food revolution with Jamie Oliver in the Food industry. In line with Jim Collins’ thinking about “Level V leadership” (or “servant leadership” of Robert Greenleaf) we think that this type of leadership is not about charisma or personal characteristics, but about personal dedication to a goal or vision far beyond personal interests. This type of leadership is embedded ‘in context’. This implies that leadership is not a personal characteristic but a part of a relationship among people in a community, where qualities like trust, playfulness, and creativity are involved. The case studies form an input to reflect on personal leadership issues. Students are invited to share and discuss their personals sources of inspirations.