Business Management and Organizational Leadership

Hours: 310 / Access Length: 12 Months / Delivery: Online, Self-Paced

Course Overview:

Today’s managers need to be equipped with the right skills to deal with the growing number of challenges facing them. This course includes dealing with the competition, coping with ethical dilemmas, identifying and hiring talent, managing diversity, building sustainability, and adapting to the latest technology. This course presents an overview of management, with a focus on the characteristics of successful managers, manager development, and the importance of critical thinking in management.  This course will encourage students to define effective management and identify the strategies necessary to be successful business managers.   The course presents practical strategies for effective leadership in both organizational settings and one’s own life.  A comprehensive overview of the basics of leadership is presented in a student-centered format. 

Offering a straightforward introduction to the basic principles of leadership, this course provides students with practical strategies for becoming more effective leaders in organizational settings and in their own lives. Using leadership theory and practical activities, this course will provide a comprehensive overview of the basics of leadership in an understandable, student-centered format.  Each section of this course will focus on a fundamental aspect of leadership, discuss how it can be applied in real leadership situations, and provide relevant profiles of leaders.  The course will utilize applied activities such as case studies, self-assessment questionnaires, observational exercises, and reflection and action worksheets to help the student further explore leadership concepts and real-world applications.

Organizational and Behavioral Leadership Objectives:

• Define leadership and explain the evolution of the concept of leadership
• Identify the different traits of leaders
• Describe how to engage people’s strengths through the leadership process
• Define the three types of leadership: the authoritarian, democratic, and laissez-faire styles, and develop an individual leadership style and philosophy
• Describe the strategies used to attend to both tasks and relationships as part of the leadership process
• Describe the importance of developing leadership skills, and identify common leadership skills that improve effectiveness
• Describe the process of developing a workable vision within any context of leadership
• Identify the strategies used to establish a constructive climate, manage conflict, and overcome obstacles

Course Outline:

Business Manager Career Prep Curriculum:

Lesson 1: Introduction to Management

In this lesson, you will receive an overview of management.  You will define management and identify the characteristics of an effective management.  Different management styles will be discussed and explored.  In addition, you will learn about the history of management and the ways it has evolved over the years.

Lesson 2: Sustaining - A Balanced Approach to Management

In this lesson, you will begin to learn about implementing a balanced approach to management.  You will learn about the importance of critical thinking for managers, as well as strategies to manage during times of organizational change.  This lesson will also provide an overview of diversity, ethics, and social responsibility in management.

Lesson 3: Planning

In this lesson, you will learn how to implement planning into management.  Planning is a crucial component of effective management, yet many managers fail to do it.  This lesson will focus on making better decisions, setting goals, and designing strategies.

Lesson 4: Organizing

In this lesson, you will learn about the organizing component of management.  Effective managers must be able to organize people and processes to ensure that the system does not break down.  This lesson will cover all aspects of organizing, including structuring organizations, managing team performance, and being aware of the human side of management.

Lesson 5: Leading

In this lesson, you will learn about leadership.  You will learn about the importance of leadership skills in management, and you will identify the qualities and strategies that promote effective leadership. This lesson will cover a variety of topics relate to leadership, including the role of managers as leaders, how to understand individual behavior, and the importance of communicating and motivating others. 

Lesson 6: Controlling

In this lesson, you will learn about the importance of controls in management.  A  control is a tool that helps managers use information to influence behavior and affect operational performance through greater efficiencies and effective decision making. By exercising control, managers are better able to oversee activities and direct employees toward achieving organizational goals. 

Lesson 7: The Future of Management

In this lesson, you will learn about the future of management.  You will begin to consider the ways in which the role of the manager may change and will develop strategies for managing that changing role effectively.  As part of this lesson, you will learn about entrepreneurship and its potential for changing the face of management.

Organizational and Behavioral Leadership Curriculum:

Lesson 1: Understanding Leadership

In this lesson, you will explore the multifaceted nature of leadership, examining six unique perspectives. You will learn to distinguish between leadership and management, analyze significant findings from global leadership studies, and identify examples of destructive leadership. Additionally, you will understand the key factors that contribute to effective leadership in various contexts.

Lesson 2: Recognizing Your Traits

In this lesson, you will explore the essential traits that contribute to effective leadership. You will examine six key traits that successful leaders commonly exhibit and compare how these traits have manifested in the leadership of renowned global and historical figures. You will also gain insights into how specific traits influence the leadership process in various contexts.

Lesson 3: Understanding Leadership Styles

In this lesson, you will explore the concept of personal leadership styles and their impact on effectiveness. You'll analyze the implications of Douglas MacGregor’s theories, compare and contrast authoritarian, democratic, and laissez-faire leadership styles, and assess your own leadership style in various contexts. This exploration will help you develop a deeper understanding of your personal leadership philosophy.

Lesson 4: Attending to Tasks and Relationships

In this lesson, you will examine the dual dimensions of leadership behavior: task orientation and relationship orientation. You'll compare these styles and discuss their significance in effective leadership. By reflecting on your own inclinations toward tasks and relationships, you will better understand how to balance these behaviors to enhance your leadership effectiveness.

Lesson 5: Developing Leadership Skills

This lesson focuses on the crucial skills required for effective leadership, grouped into administrative, interpersonal, and conceptual categories. You will gain a comprehensive understanding of how these skills contribute to successful leadership by enhancing your ability to influence others and address challenges effectively.

Lesson 6: Engaging Strengths

This lesson addresses recognizing and leveraging leadership strengths. You will assess the role of strengths in leadership development and learn to engage your own strengths and those of others. The focus will also be on understanding how to utilize these strengths to foster better team dynamics and drive organizational success.

Lesson 7: Creating a Vision

This lesson focuses on the importance of creating a compelling vision in leadership. You will learn to identify the five key characteristics of a vision and assess the skills needed to transform a vision into reality. Understanding how to develop and communicate a vision will enhance your leadership effectiveness.

Lesson 8: Working With Groups

This lesson examines the dynamics of working with groups in an organizational setting. You will learn about different types of groups, the stages of group development, and the roles individuals play within groups. Additionally, the lesson will cover practical strategies for enhancing group effectiveness, including setting goals, establishing norms, and building cohesiveness.

Lesson 9: Embracing Diversity and Inclusion

This lesson explores the critical concepts of diversity and inclusion in leadership. You will review the interrelated processes of diversity and inclusion and evaluate how they impact organizational outcomes. Additionally, you will analyze Brewer’s assertion that inclusion requires both assimilation and differentiation and summarize the six key components of the experience of inclusion.

Lesson 10: Managing Conflict

This lesson addresses the inevitability of conflict in groups and organizations, highlighting it as both a challenge and an opportunity for leaders. You will learn how to manage conflict to produce positive change, explore various approaches to resolving conflicts, and understand the crucial role of effective communication in conflict resolution.

Lesson 11: Addressing Ethics in Leadership

This lesson examines the ethical responsibilities inherent in leadership. You will learn to define ethical leadership, analyze its key factors, and recognize the challenges of universally defining ethical behavior. Understanding these aspects will help you better navigate the moral dimensions of leadership and make decisions for the common good.

Lesson 12: Exploring Destructive Leadership

This lesson explores destructive leadership and its impact. You will examine the three defining components of destructive leadership and the Toxic Triangle framework. The lesson also covers how to identify and address toxic leadership by evaluating the roles of leaders, followers, and situational factors.

All necessary materials are included.

System Requirements:

Internet Connectivity Requirements:

• Cable, Fiber, DSL, or LEO Satellite (i.e. Starlink) internet with speeds of at least 10mb/sec download and 5mb/sec upload are recommended for the best experience.

NOTE: While cellular hotspots may allow access to our courses, users may experience connectivity issues by trying to access our learning management system.  This is due to the potential high download and upload latency of cellular connections.   Therefore, it is not recommended that students use a cellular hotspot as their primary way of accessing their courses.

Hardware Requirements:

• CPU: 1 GHz or higher
• RAM: 4 GB or higher
• Resolution: 1280 x 720 or higher.  1920x1080 resolution is recommended for the best experience.
• Speakers / Headphones
• Microphone for Webinar or Live Online sessions.

Operating System Requirements:

• Windows 7 or higher.
• Mac OSX 10 or higher.
• Latest Chrome OS
• Latest Linux Distributions
  

NOTE: While we understand that our courses can be viewed on Android and iPhone devices, we do not recommend the use of these devices for our courses. The size of these devices do not provide a good learning environment for students taking online or live online based courses.

Web Browser Requirements:

• Latest Google Chrome is recommended for the best experience.
• Latest Mozilla FireFox
• Latest Microsoft Edge
• Latest Apple Safari

Basic Software Requirements (These are recommendations of software to use):

• Office suite software (Microsoft Office, OpenOffice, or LibreOffice)
• PDF reader program (Adobe Reader, FoxIt)
• Courses may require other software that is described in the above course outline.