Organizational Development and Leadership

This course introduces contemporary organizational development concepts and techniques. Leaders and change agents draw upon them to evolve their organizations in response to macro trends and marketplace dynamics. The course addresses the human aspect of OD including issues and practices in high performance teams, talent management, change and conflict management, and target audiences. Issues of organizational agility, structure, assessment, and measurements round out the OD leader tool kit. 

Effective leaders must have the ability to drive change while building resiliency into the organization. This course will explore the practical application of foundational change models within the contemporary organization. The course explores the interplay of engaged leadership, active resource planning, and effective people and conflict management to ensure the organization can respond rapidly to changing dynamics and emerging threats with agility.    

The most valuable resource within any organization is human talent and capability. This course explores the macro trends in the competition for talent and the evolving composition and needs of the workforce. Learners will apply concepts focused on talent acquisition techniques, the employee lifecycle, and applied andragogy to attract, retain and develop an effective, engaged, and satisfied workforce able to meet the evolving needs of the organization.

Optimal team and organizational performance require strategic and tactical goal alignment throughout and across the organization as well as an effective methodology for ongoing communication focused on expectations, goal attainment and accomplishment. This course explores contemporary performance management concepts, systems and practices which foster performance excellence and employee development. The course also explores inherent legal, ethical and outcome risks associated with performance management.

Leadership theories and practices is an ever-evolving field. This course will explore and contrast key seminal leadership theories and models, their strengths, and limits as well as their practical applications.  Learners will delve into the different leadership styles and situational leadership practices and evaluate their own leadership patterns and preferences. Variations in leadership expectations and styles across global regions round out the learn experience.  

This course offers learners the opportunity to apply their knowledge of leadership theories into organizational practices through a scenario-based approach.  Students will address the responsibilities and dilemmas fundamental to leadership while they navigate the leadership scenario project and assignments. This course will instill the practice of critical thinking and research to support decision making.

A fundamental role of leadership is developing and engendering a vibrant company culture by reinforcing core values through various communication methods. This course introduces learners to the modern methods used for leadership communication, including company communication systems, video, written word, and social media. Learners will have the opportunity to practice these skills across multiple communication mediums.

Leaders have the fundamental responsibility to motivate their teams and the entire organization. This course explores modern coaching and mentorship concepts and practices leaders draw upon to bring out the best in others. Learners will have the opportunity to practice coaching under various scenarios expanding their leadership tool kit. 

This course provides a survey of qualitative and quantitative research processes which includes preparation of research design, use of theoretical framework, and testing of a hypothesis by gathering and analyzing data. The content of the course will include a Capstone Project Proposal based on the type of research the student intends to pursue. It is specific preparation for the Program Capstone course students complete after this course. 

This course provides the opportunity for the learner to unite all the concepts and coursework from the program and apply it through a real-world project within an organization. During the semester, the student will work to define the problem and apply critical thinking, action research, and applied learning to propose a series of actions to address the issue. The final project will include a project plan, executive summary and oral presentation given to the chosen organization and submitted for scoring.