Entry requirements

Option 1: 120 credits within the Master's Programme in Industrial Engineering and Management

Option 2: 120 credits within or a Bachelor's Degree within Science in Engineering or Technology. Participation in Industrial Strategy and Organisation.

Proficiency in English equivalent to the Swedish upper secondary course English 6.

Learning outcomes

On completion of the course, students will be able to:

Knowledge and understanding

• critically analyse the theory and practice of leadership in a global context,
• acknowledge and analyse leadership in technology-intensive settings,
• problematise and analyse different ontological, epistemological and methodological approaches within contemporary leadership research in technology-intensive firms,

Skills and abilities

• compare and contrast the implications of different perspectives on leadership in different cultural settings,
• identify challenges, suggest solutions and point out consequences for leadership in an engineering context,
• practice leadership in complex ethical situations,

Judgment and approach

• critically and independently evaluate own and others' leadership abilities,
• evaluate the relevance of leadership in multicultural contexts.

Content

The course builds on a set of theoretical perspectives and practical cases on key themes related to leadership and organizing in the global context and in technology intensive organisations, why thorough technical knowledge is a prerequisite. The main learning framework views the concepts of leadership as practice and highlights critical leadership studies, concerning the diagnosis of culture, power, ethics, identity and gender in relation to leadership. The course will discuss the distinction between individual and collective leadership, as well as the question of leaderless organizations, especially in the age of artificial intelligence. In this sense, the course combines both mainstream perspectives on leadership, and alternative ones, giving engineering students an opportunity to develop their own understanding of their leadership and organizing skills. Particular attention will be given to arts as an important source of knowledge about leadership and organizing together with artistic-based pedagogy as a learning method.

Instruction

Lectures, seminars, group work.

Assessment

Written assignments, both in group and individually, and written take-home exam.