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MAN3121 Leadership - Unit Plan 2022 S1 REVISED
MAN3121 Leadership - Unit Plan 2022 S1 REVISED
Leadership
Semester 1, 2022
MAN3121
Leadership
Discipline: Management
Prepared by: Dr Andrei Lux, Version 4.5
LECTURER – ON CAMPUS
Name Room Email Phone Consultation Time
Dr Andrei Lux JO 2.378 a.lux@ecu.edu.au 08 6304 2417 By Appointment
LECTURER – ONLINE
Name Room Email Phone Consultation Time
Dr Andrew Zint a.zint@ecu.edu.au By Appointment
STUDY ASSISTANCE
Support Service Email Contact
Academic Skills Centre learningadviser@ecu.edu.au Appointments
Library Services library@ecu.edu.au 08 6304 5525
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF COUNTRY
The School of Business and Law acknowledges the Noongar people who are the traditional custodians of
the lands and waters on which our metropolitan campuses now stand. We acknowledge the Gadigal of the
Eora Nation as the traditional custodians of the lands and waters on which ECU Sydney campus now
stands. We acknowledge the Kulin Nation who are the traditional custodians of the lands and waters on
which ECU Melbourne stands. We offer our respects to Elders past and present.
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Centre for Learning & Teaching
ACADEMIC SKILLS CENTRE
Learning Advisers from the Centre for Learning and Teaching can work with you to develop your academic
and communication skills. They offer several learning support services including:
• Assignment drop-ins
You are strongly advised to access these services to assist in developing the academic and language skills
required to succeed in this unit.
A copy of the Workshops Timetable can be found on the Academic Skills Centre Blackboard site located
under My Communities on Blackboard.
The contact details for the Academic Skills Centre are listed above.
COMMUNICATION SKILLS
Communication skills are not only crucial for success at University, employers also want graduates who are
competent and confident communicators, with strong English language proficiency.
For assistance with improving your English language skills, you can attend one of the Academic Skills
workshops or email learningadviser@ecu.edu.au. Please visit Blackboard > Communities > Academic Skills
Centre for workshop registration and other information about developing your language and study skills.
Academic Integrity
The Academic Skills Centre Blackboard site has some useful resources to help you develop your skills in
referencing and paraphrasing (and hence avoiding plagiarism). There is also information about how to use
Turnitin.
Edith Cowan University has firm rules governing academic misconduct and there are substantial penalties
that can be applied to students who are found in breach of these rules. Academic misconduct includes, but is
not limited to:
• plagiarism;
• unauthorised collaboration;
• cheating in examinations;
Additionally, any material submitted for assessment purposes must be work that has not been submitted
previously, by any person, for any other unit at ECU or elsewhere.
The ECU rules and policies governing all academic activities, including misconduct, can be accessed
through the ECU website.
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Introduction to the Unit
Leadership skills are vital to success in many fields of business and professional service. Yet leadership
remains an elusive concept for many people. What exactly is leadership? How is it different to management?
Are leaders born with special abilities, or can anyone develop them? This unit unravels such mysteries,
showing you how successful individuals lead others by engaging rather than directing, and offers you
opportunities to identify and develop your own leadership potential.
We first examine theories and styles of leadership, looking at their implications for how we understand and
practice leadership in and out of organisations. We then examine important skills for leaders: increasing self-
awareness, empathising with others and effective communication. These skills are also useful in many areas
outside organisational leadership. Within the workplace, there will be some ways in which you can provide
leadership in almost any job.
Leadership potential can only be developed through reflection on your life experiences and personal
capabilities. The teaching and assessment tasks therefore invite you to use academic theories to reflect on
your own past experiences as a leader—in school, sport, and family as well as in work—to help you to
identify areas of strength and areas for future development. Considerable untapped leadership potential
exists in all of us, and finding it involves a lifelong process of personal growth. This unit will help you to begin
that journey.
ECU School of Business and Law is an Advanced PRME signatory and is committed to transforming
business and management education and advancing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
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Expectations of Lecturers and Students
This unit is conducted in accordance with the Student Charter (http://www.ecu.edu.au/prospectus/charter/).
Lecturers and students must all be mindful of common courtesies such as timely arrival to class, notification
of absence, ensuring mobile phones are switched to silent, and allowing each person the opportunity to
contribute and to gain as much as possible from the unit.
ACTIVE LEARNING
Studying a university-level course requires you to take an active role in what you are learning. To get the
most out of your time at ECU, you should engage with and actively participate in your units, and take
responsibility for your own learning.
ON-CAMPUS STUDENTS
If you are enrolled as an on-campus student you will need to attend a weekly lecture. You will be required
to complete online activities in class and you MUST bring a smart device with online Blackboard access
(a laptop is strongly recommended). It is important that you attend class every week, arrive punctually and
participate constructively and professionally. You will find it beneficial to complete the reading before class,
to give you an overview of the topic and improve your confidence with sharing your ideas during class.
Learning materials and resources will be available on the Blackboard site for this unit, to assist you with your
studies.
ONLINE STUDENTS
If you are enrolled as an online student you will find your learning materials on Blackboard. It is important
that you are proactive and self-motivated with your learning as an online student, making sure you commit to
your studies at regular times every week to ensure success. It is critical for your success in an online unit to
engage with other students via Blackboard > Discussion Board, asking and answering one another’s
questions, sharing different perspectives and engaging with the content.
To assist you with planning your time, please consider the following:
• Use the Study Schedule to guide your progress through the learning activities and assessment tasks
this semester;
• Check your ECU student email regularly;
• Stay in touch with your classmates regularly, via Blackboard > Discussion Board.
Plan ‘rigid’ study times in your weekly schedule and consider allocating separate times for reading,
learning activities, assignment research and discussion.
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DISCUSSION BOARD EXPECTATIONS
Networking with other students; asking questions to clarify understanding; responding to questions asked by
other students; debating different perspectives; and sharing articles or other information you discover
throughout your studies, are all important parts of learning. To enable you to ‘discuss’ the unit content with
other students or to ask questions about the assessments, etc., an electronic Discussion Board is available
on the Blackboard site for this unit. It is your responsibility to check the discussion board at least once a
week via Blackboard > Discussion Board. If you are not sure how to find, or how to use the Discussion
Board, ask (or email) your tutor or lecturer for help.
When using the discussion boards, you must display the normal courtesies of professional communication.
Please refer to ‘ECU Discussion Board Etiquette’ (below) to guide your communication with other students.
The discussion boards are monitored and postings deemed unprofessional, inappropriate and/or unrelated to
the unit content will be removed.
Northouse, P. G. (2021). Leadership: Theory and practice (9th ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE.
The textbook provides a sound platform for the unit but does not cover all perspectives of leadership.
Academic journal articles and books provide more recent research and critical advances. Students are
encouraged to read widely, to identify key questions, and to build a holistic understanding of the topic.
To have access to a textbook whenever required during your studies, the best option is to purchase a
personal copy, either through The School Locker bookshop or online. If you aren’t able to purchase an item
the library does have e-books that can be borrowed, however user access comes in many different forms
and access may therefore be limited in some instances (one user at a time, three users per title, unlimited
users). To learn more about borrowing online books please contact the librarian.
ACADEMIC JOURNALS
These are some of the most prestigious academic journals that publish relevant leadership articles:
• The Leadership Quarterly • Journal of Management
• Academy of Management Review • Journal of Leadership & Organizational Studies
• Academy of Management Journal • Journal of Leadership Studies
• Administrative Science Quarterly • Leadership & Organization Development Journal
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Study Schedule
This schedule provides a guideline on the topics covered and activities required each week, including
assessment dates during the semester. The weekly textbook readings must be completed before class,
while the activities will be completed in class.
3 7 Mar Personality and Traits Chapters 2, Big Five Personality Profile, Cognitive
– 11 Mar 3, and 15 Style, Myers-Briggs Type Indicator,
Psychopathy Test
4 14 Mar Situational, Servant, and Chapters 4, Leadership Grid, Fiedler's LPC Test,
– 18 Mar Authentic 5, 9, and 10 Fiedler's Situational Model, Authentic
Leadership Inventory
5 21 Mar Charismatic and Chapter 8 Have you got Charisma?
– 25 Mar Transformational
6 28 Mar Academic and Reflective N/A Why should anyone be led by you?
– 1 Apr Writing
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Weekly Engagement
All students are required to actively engage with the unit content each week. The manner of your
engagement will depend on whether you are enrolled as an On-Campus or an Online student.
ON-CAMPUS STUDENTS
If you are enrolled as an On-Campus student, you will be asked to complete a number of online exercises in
class each week. You MUST bring a smart device with online Blackboard access (a laptop is strongly
recommended). There are no right or wrong answers for the weekly tasks—your genuine engagement with
the activities is what matters.
ONLINE STUDENTS
If you are enrolled as an Online student, your lecturer will post weekly questions on the online Discussion
Board, which you can access on Blackboard. You will need to complete the Weekly Engagement exercises
AND you will need to post responses to the Discussion Board questions each week. One or two paragraphs
per week will be sufficient for the discussion board and there are no right or wrong answers—your genuine
engagement with the activities is what matters.
PREPARATION
Before starting your engagement each week, you should familiarise yourself with the required reading and
reflect on the concepts that have been introduced.
Assessment Information
The assessments aim to help you build a personal view of leadership that is grounded on sound academic
theory and can inform your current or future workplace practices. Wherever possible, students are given the
freedom to choose appropriate topics for the assessments.
In order to pass this unit, you must achieve an overall mark of 50% or more from the assessment tasks
summarised below.
ASSESSMENT SUMMARY
Students may also be required to sit an oral examination to support the originality of an assessment. This is
normally in person (or else by phone), as soon after the assessment as practicable, but may be deferred if
you are unable to attend and can provide supporting evidence. Failing to attend an oral examination will
result in a mark of zero for the assessment.
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Assessment 1: Leadership Analysis
Value 40%
Length 2500 words (±10%, excluding end-text reference list)
Format Written with 1½ line spacing, Times New Roman size 12 font, and APA 7th Edition
style referencing.
Due Date & Time Sunday 10 April (before midnight Australian Western Standard Time AWST)
How to Submit Electronically, via Blackboard > Assessments > Turnitin link
Unit Learning 1. Communicate leadership knowledge and concepts in a clear and persuasive
Outcomes
manner.
2. Apply relevant leadership knowledge and theory to local and global business
situations.
3. Conceptualise the issues and outcomes of leadership behaviours and styles
through analysis, evaluation, and synthesis.
Course Learning CLO1: Apply broad and coherent knowledge to a range of business situations,
Outcomes incorporating international/global/cultural perspectives.
PREPARATION
Before starting this assessment, you should familiarise yourself with the leadership theories covered each
week in this unit, as well as the issues facing contemporary business leaders that are discussed in class.
ASSIGNMENT INSTRUCTIONS
For this assignment, you are required to choose one (1) of the following six major leadership theories that
are covered in this unit:
a) Identify and explain the main aspects of your chosen leadership theory, then provide an example of a
leader who demonstrates your chosen leadership theory. Discuss how their behaviour illustrates the key
aspects of this theory, and consider the outcomes of their leadership style. (½ of the marks)
b) The world has changed significantly in the last few decades. Identify one major contemporary challenge
faced by business leaders today and then discuss how this leadership theory helps us to overcome such
difficulties in the modern global business environment. (½ of the marks)
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• Refers to specific leadership behaviours and avoids vague generalisations.
• All aspects of the work conform to a high academic / professional standard.
• Clearly written, with an effective introduction and conclusion.
MARKING CRITERIA
Please refer to the marking rubric on Blackboard for this assessment to see criteria and performance
expectations.
FEEDBACK
Feedback will be available electronically via Blackboard > My Grades.
PREPARATION
Before starting this assessment, you should familiarise yourself with the self-awareness building exercises
and reflection models.
ASSIGNMENT INSTRUCTIONS
a) Identify two (2) of your foremost instrumental values and discuss how they contribute to your leadership.
(½ of the marks)
b) Identify your one (1) greatest weakness and discuss how you can use one (1) of the reflection tools to
overcome this limitation and improve your leadership. (½ of the marks)
Note: An introduction and conclusion will NOT be required for the Personal Reflection.
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MARKING CRITERIA
Please refer to the marking rubric on Blackboard for this assessment to see criteria and performance
expectations.
FEEDBACK
Feedback will be available electronically via Blackboard > My Grades.
PREPARATION
Before starting this assessment, you should familiarise yourself with the various leadership theories, skills,
and approaches to communication that are covered in this unit.
ASSIGNMENT INSTRUCTIONS
This assessment gives you the opportunity to step into a leadership role and apply the theories and skills
learnt during this unit.
You are the Managing Director of a medium-sized manufacturing organisation (100 employees in total) that
designs and produces kitchen appliances. You have a production facility in Perth and regional offices around
Australia, with a head office in Melbourne that houses your design, accounting/finance, marketing, sales, and
operations teams.
The date is 1 April 2020 and the world is approaching the peak of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
Most international and domestic travel is suspended, schools and universities have moved to online delivery.
The government has just announced that all non-essential businesses where staff work in closer than 1.5m
proximity must cease operations from 2 April onwards—this includes your production facility and offices.
Residents are confined to their homes except for work and essential services. There is no clear indication
about how long these measures might stay in place.
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You are the leader of your organisation and you need to communicate with your key stakeholders at this
time. Prepare a report that includes three separate pieces of communication, directed at your:
a) Staff
b) Suppliers
c) Customers
Write out the exact wording that you would use for each intended communication (around 300-400 words
each). You can convey whatever information you think is appropriate for each group, and specify any online
or digital communication format (e.g. email, text message, WhatsApp, virtual meeting on Zoom, MS Teams,
etc.). You can fabricate a company culture and any background information about the organisation you wish.
Be creative and think carefully about the purpose, tone, and content of each message, in light of how it is
likely to be received and what impact it might have on its recipients. Provide a comprehensive debrief
after each communication that explains your approach (around 600-700 words each).
Refer to relevant leadership theory and skills that we have covered during this unit. Support your application
of these concepts in your debrief with reference to academic literature wherever possible.
Academically, there are no right or wrong solutions, as long as you support your decisions and approach
with reference to relevant theory. However, some may be more ethically responsible, and you will need to
consider the short- and long-term consequences of your approach; it is up to you.
You are welcome to research how other organisations have handled their communications around this time.
Provide a brief introduction and conclusion (50-80 words each) that outline the purpose of this report.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
Your Unit Coordinator has recorded a video explanation of the assignment which you can find on
Blackboard > Learning Modules > Week 10 - Leading Teams and Report Preparation.
MARKING CRITERIA
Please refer to the marking rubric on Blackboard for this assessment to see criteria and performance
expectations.
FEEDBACK
Feedback will be available electronically via Blackboard > My Grades.
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Feedback and Unit Development
We invite and welcome honest feedback at ECU, both for praise and criticism, and there are a number of
ways to proceed during a semester or teaching period. The teaching staff are your first and most important
point of contact for feedback about the unit (their details are on the first page of this document). If the unit
has a general discussion board, you can post your comments there as well. More formally, in week four of a
standard semester, the School has an online survey to gauge your opinions about the progress of the unit in
this early stage.
The University has a central email address to capture and action feedback of a more general nature. You
can email student.feedback@ecu.edu.au or visit the Student Feedback page (accessed at:
http://intranet.ecu.edu.au/student/support/contact-us/student-feedback).
Assessment Extensions
Any student who wishes to defer the submission of an assessment must apply to the lecturer before the due
date for an extension of the time within which to submit the assessment. The application must be in writing
and must set out the grounds on which deferral is sought.
An assessment submitted after the fixed or extended time for submission shall incur a penalty to be
calculated as follows:
• Where the assessment is submitted not more than five (5) working days late, the penalty shall, for each
working day that it is late, be 5% of the maximum marks available for the assessment;
OR
• Where the assessment is more than five (5) working days late, a mark of zero shall be awarded.
Failing a Unit
Failing a unit three (3) times may result in you being excluded from the unit, the major to which the unit
belongs, or even the course. Clarification and assistance can be found by contacting the Student Information
Office:
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Email Protocol
All emails should be sent from your student email account or via Blackboard, otherwise anti-spam filters may
prevent it from being delivered to your lecturer.
When using email to communicate with lecturer, always make sure that your message contains the following:
1. A subject that contains the unit code, and clearly describes the nature of your query or request. Your
lecturers receive many emails a day, and may also teach more than one unit, so if your email does not
contain the unit code, it is not possible to place your message in context. If the subject does not indicate
the nature of the message, it may well remain unanswered.
2. Change the default setting on your email program to include previous messages in replies, and make
sure that previous messages are included in an ongoing exchange. Your lecturer deals with many
students. Having a copy of the previous exchanges included in your message will expedite a response.
c) the campus at which you attend classes for the unit in question
(also indicate if you are an On-Campus or Online student)
In normal circumstances, your lecturer will reply within two (2) working days.
ECU is proud to have led the move to smoke-free university campuses in WA and Australia. ECU’s smoke-
free policy was established in 2012 to promote the health of staff, students and visitors. Smoking is not
permitted on any ECU campus and this applies 24 hours a day seven days a week. In accordance with the
ECU Smoke-Free University Guidelines (#4.4) "Employees observing other employees, contractors, visitors
or students smoking on University grounds should advise them that they are smoking in a prohibited area
and request them to move off ECU property."
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