COURSE SYLLABUS

On completion of the course the student will be able to:

1. Account for core leadership theories and explain key dimensions of responsible leadership.
2. Explain the role of leadership for collaboration, integration and co-ordination processes in engineering-focused organizations.
3. Recognize and describe the relevance of different leadership perspectives in a global and intercultural environment.
4. Account for core theories for managerial communication and explain keys to succeed with interpersonal communication, especially in the context of managing projects and teams in engineering-focused organizations.
5. Account for strategies and challenges related to persuasive and negotiating communication in different managerial situations.
6. Account for core theories and models in change management and elaborate the various sources of uncertainty in engineering focused companies.
7. Account for key ingredients in consultant client satisfaction and client relationship management.

8. Identify and analyze engineering leadership challenges, applying relevant literature.
9. In view of complex leadership situations, present viable solutions for moving forward.
10. Demonstrate interpersonal communication skills.
11. Demonstrate oral presentation skills.
12. Demonstrate ability to formulate written managerial communication.
13. Provide constructive feedback.
14. Analyze uncertainty and change management situations in engineering-focused companies, applying relevant literature.
15. Evaluate consultancy briefs and consultancy proposals.
16. Professional use of software and content creation strategies/techniques for practice-oriented reports

17. Critically assess own leadership style and abilities as well as communication skills.
18. Evaluate business leaders’ approaches to manage change and uncertainty and articulate alternative approaches.
19. Apply an academic approach in writing reports/papers, including use of academic references and appropriate writing and referencing style.

This course represents the second course of the Engineering Management Master programme. It is designed to develop skills and competencies that are necessary for leadership and/or consultancy roles. It provides an overview of core topics and practical tools for leading and managing through uncertainty and change in engineering contexts. For this purpose, the course comprises the following four modules:

Leadership – developing knowledge about leadership and abilities to deal with leadership in engineering-focused companies and complex situations. Insights on different leadership styles, roles, and perspectives, and the role of leadership for collaboration, integration, and co-ordination processes in engineering-focused companies. Perspectives on leadership in view of global and intercultural business environments.

Managerial communications – strengthening abilities for interpersonal, cross-functional, and cross-cultural communications. Insights and skills for visual and oral presentation and communication for change, including understanding the keys to persuasion, negotiation, and speaking confidently.

Uncertainty and change management – developing abilities to recognize and lead through change and uncertainties in the continuous business development process (related e.g. to economic, technical, organizational, and human issues). Insight on what makes organizations change, how they change, and what it takes to manage such change. Learning about processes for implementing change and responses to change at individual as well as organizational level.

Key elements to consultancy – including keys to professional consultancy reports, techniques to evaluate briefs and consultancy proposals, and communication strategies for consulting work.

Connection to research and practice

The teaching is based on current theories on leadership, communication, and change management. Students are required to read and relate to research-based literature in the examinations. The course offers students interaction with practitioners and to gain insight on the meaning and challenges of leadership for someone who has a managerial role in an engineering-focused organization. The course provides opportunities for students to develop their communication skills in practice and recognize their leadership styles. The introduction to consultancy is mainly practical, allowing students to interact with a consultant and apply some basic tools for this role.

The course includes various teacher-led sessions (e.g. lectures and seminars), self-studies, peer-to-peer group work, presentations, and interaction with practitioners.

Language of instruction is in English.

It is the responsibility of the examiner to ensure that each course is evaluated. At the outset of the course, the programme evaluators in the course must be contacted. In the middle of the course, the examiner should meet the programme evaluators to identify strengths/weaknesses in the first half of the course. At the end of the course, the examiner should remind students to fill in the survey. The examiner should also call a meeting with the programme evaluators to debrief the course, based on course evaluation data and comments. The next time the course runs, students should be informed of any measures taken to improve the course based on the previous course evaluations. At the end of each study period, JIBS’ Director of Quality and Accreditation crafts a “Course Evaluation Quarter Report”, presenting the quantitative results from course evaluation surveys. The Associate Dean of Education, The Associate Deans of Faculty, Programme Directors, and JSA President and Quality receive the report.

Academic integrity
JIBS students are expected to maintain a strong academic integrity. This implies to behave within the boundaries of academic rules and expectations relating to all types of teaching and examination.

Copying someone else’s work is a particularly serious offence and can lead to disciplinary action. When you copy someone else’s work, you are plagiarising. You must not copy sections of work (such as paragraphs, diagrams, tables and words) from any other person, including another student or any other author. Cutting and pasting is a clear example of plagiarism. There is a workshop and online resources to assist you in not plagiarising called the Interactive Anti-Plagiarism Guide.

Other forms of breaking academic integrity include (but are not limited to) adding your name to a project you did not work on (or allowing someone to add their name), cheating on an examination, helping other students to cheat and submitting other students work as your own, and using non-allowed electronic equipment during an examination. All of these make you liable to disciplinary action.

Please note that changes may be made to the reading list up until eight weeks before the start of the course.

A reading list associated with the specific issues will be available at the start of the course.