General Remarks
You will
- read scientific papers to build a theoretical foundation,
- apply findings in exercises and case analyses,
- build a personal latticework of leadership mental models,
- research and reflect on a (digital) leader, and
- present your findings to your fellow students.
To this end, you will read a series of scientific papers, consolidate and deepen your knowledge in exercises and reflections, build a personal latticework of mental models for leadership, and research a (digital) leader to make sense of their behavior using two theoretical frameworks.
As a graded exam assignment, you will present your findings to your fellow students and deliver a substantive, theory-informed critique of one of their presentations.
Contents
In this semester no lecture will be offered. Thus, you need to study the lecture notes on your own. These notes cover topics from self-awareness through interpersonal influence to organizational and ecosystem-level leadership, helping you understand leadership at multiple levels:
- Foundations & mental models (latticework thinking, decision-making under complexity, the digital leadership context)
- The leader (traits, emotional intelligence, self-awareness, evolution of leadership thought)
- Adaptive leadership (paradoxes, competing values, behavioral complexity, situational approaches)
- Motivating & engaging followers (path-goal theory, self-determination theory, engaging leadership)
- Building high-performing teams (team development, psychological safety, diversity & inclusion, virtual teams)
- Conflict, power & politics (conflict dynamics, sources of power, lateral leadership, organizational politics)
- Stakeholder management & coalitions (social capital theory, stakeholder mapping, engagement strategies, coalition building)
- Leadership in context (cross-cultural leadership, ethical and sustainable leadership, adaptive leadership for digital transformation)
- Storytelling (narrative as a leadership tool, persuasion, stakeholder communication)
Learning Objectives
You should improve your ability to consciously use, reflect on and further develop your leadership skills, in particular with regard to
- leadership requirements in the context of digital transformation and VUCA environments,
- identification of and reflection on your own leadership traits, strengths, and development areas,
- understanding and navigating leadership paradoxes and competing demands using adaptive approaches,
- creating conditions for follower motivation and work engagement,
- building and leading high-performing, psychologically safe, and diverse teams,
- analyzing and managing power dynamics, conflict, and organizational politics,
- systematic stakeholder identification, analysis, and engagement across multi-stakeholder environments, and
- communicating with impact using storytelling and narrative techniques.
Effort
You will gain 5 ECTS for this course. This equals approx. 150 hours workload, of which you need most to pass the course.
Schedule
Prepare for each session and work on the case study continually; plan your schedule accordingly.
| Date | Topic | Preparation |
|---|---|---|
| 28.10.2026, eod | Briefing: Assignment (via Email) | - |
| 12.01.2027, eod | Deadline: Submit Presentation (via Email) | Slides |
| 13.01.2027, 3.30 pm | Presentation (Room tbd) | Pitch |