Organizational Leadership and Change

Catalog description

This course introduces leadership theory and managerial roles to plan, organize, implement, monitor, and evaluate organizational change efforts. Strategic communication plays a critical role in the change-management process, and students will examine best practices in organizational leadership and change management. The course thus introduces leadership theory and some best practices of change leadership such as to scan, focus, align, mobilize, and inspire. The course will focus on several key areas such as: why leaders need to guide staff through periods of change and help transform organizational culture, why formal and informal leadership behaviors are needed at many levels of an organization, and why multiple intelligences are needed not only to manage and lead change, but also to predict and address resistance, anxiety, and the forces of inertia that can sabotage even small change efforts.