EDAD 841 - Leadership Seminar, Strategy, Power, and Influence

3 Credits (Summer)
Traditional sources of strategy, power and influence in organizations are in decline. The old hierarchical, static organizations are being replaced by collaborative, agile, distributed structures that embrace diversity. At the same time, the need to be an effective influencer to get things done is growing in almost every role at every level. Simple and repetitive jobs are becoming automated. Remaining jobs are more highly integrated and require more collaboration across teams, distances, and cultures, both for “official” leaders and team members. 

This course is designed to provide a fundamental exploration of organizations in their environments and introduce the strategic management process with a focus on planning and analysis, strategic decisions and leadership, and strategy. This course also examines the issues of power, influence, and politics within organizations, which includes effective leader and follower strategies and power and influence tactics, and their effects on employee motivation. The student will examine individual approaches; identify, analyze, and critique their own negotiating styles; and review gender communication variances. The student will also develop strategies for improving organizational relationships, responding to a variety of settings, and increasing their organizational influence. Finally, the student will examine emerging issues in leadership within a fast-paced environment.