GSP120 The Digital Leader

Unit Outline: 10 Week Teaching Period - 4 2024, Online

Overview

The highly volatile nature of organisations operating in a digital context has elevated the significance of those holding leadership roles. However, the transformation to a “digital leader” is complex, involving changes in self-awareness, knowledge, skills, and attitudes. The aim of this unit is for participants to increase their understanding of themselves and how their interactions with others impact on their effectiveness as leaders in complex digital environments. Additionally, the unit aims to encourage participants as leaders to develop an understanding of their audience, sensitivity to language use, and to demonstrate the value and power of language as a means of persuasion in complex managerial and leadership contexts. This is the first of three units specifically designed to develop your leadership capability. GSP160 Leading Teams for Growth and GSP200 Leading Transformational Change will build on the leadership foundations established in this unit.

Learning Outcomes

On successful completion of this unit you will be able to:

1. Demonstrate knowledge and application of contemporary leadership theoretical frameworks, models and tools (KS1.1, PC 3.1)
   Relates to: EXEC Business Capabilities: KS (1.1), PC (3.1)
2. Synthesise, reflect upon and evaluate data received from a variety of sources and tools in order to understand contextual drivers of your behaviour and to inform your personal leadership development opportunities (HO2.1, SL 4.1)
   Relates to: EXEC Business Capabilities: HO (2.1), SL (4.1)
3. Critically reflect on the social, cultural and ethical influences on your personal actions, goals and decision-making (SEC 5.1, SEC 5.2)
   Relates to: EXEC Business Capabilities: SE (5.1), SE (5.2)
4. Critically evaluate the communication needs of your audience and implement appropriate persuasion strategies to positively influence the outcomes and aid decision-making (KS1.1, HO 2.1)
   Relates to: EXEC Business Capabilities: HO (2.1), KS (1.1)
5. Organise, structure, and deliver a professional persuasive oral presentation to an identified audience (PC3.2)
   Relates to: EXEC Business Capabilities: PC (3.2)

Content

Learning Approaches

This unit adopts a blended learning approach and as such, includes a variety of teaching and learning approaches.

Intensive webinars are the primary method of teaching this unit. A textbook and/or readings and a range of digital materials that are designed to support and extend learning prior to, during and after class sessions available in the unit Canvas site and the online Discipline Hub supplements these webinars. Where appropriate, social media tools and forums will be used to extend learning and build connections with students outside the webinar sessions. Given the importance of the unit Canvas site and Discipline Hub to the teaching and learning strategy used in this unit, a computer and tablet device with internet access is strongly recommended for all students.

The principal purpose of the webinars and readings is to build upon the key concepts that were introduced through the Preparation for Class activities and readings. The purpose of the case study work, experiential learning tasks and assessment tasks is to help the student develop their understanding of the concepts and enable them to be applied within a range of business contexts.

There is an expectation that the student will participate in webinars, to take advantage of the opportunity to discuss important issues with their instructor and their peers.

It is expected that students have completed all Preparation for Class activities and readings identified in the unit Canvas site prior to coming to class and/or webinar to be able to maximise the learning opportunities of the class sessions.

A variety of learning activities designed to engage students in their learning will be incorporated into the lectures/workshops and webinars. Such learning activities may include short lectures, class discussions, debates, role plays, group work, guest speakers, student presentations, simulations, case study analysis, videos, readings, wikis, media/current events reports, web searches, etc.

There is a commitment to critical inquiry and intellectual debate in regard to the material covered. Students are encouraged to relate the theories and research discussed to situations known to them and will be encouraged to share their experiences relating to the topics explored in this unit with the class to enrich the overall learning experience of all students.

Expanding the awareness of Australian management policies and practices into intercultural and global perspectives is fostered within this unit. Typically, students enrolling in this unit have extremely varied backgrounds. There is diversity of professional background and socio-cultural background. Students are reminded that this is to their advantage and they have much to learn from one another. To this end, students are strongly encouraged to be sensitive to cultural, gender-related and international issues.

Feedback on Learning and Assessment

Students will receive a variety of feedback throughout this unit.

Informally, feedback will be given verbally in class through webinar discussions and during the debriefing of learning activities.

Direct feedback will be available to those students who request a private or group consultation session with the lecturer.

Formal feedback will be received on both formative and summative assessment tasks through a Criterion Reference Assessment sheet, which will also include written feedback on the assessment task. The Criterion Reference Assessment Sheet will be available in the unit Canvas site at the commencement of the unit. Students will receive feedback on their formative assessment task prior to their summative assessment task being submitted.

Assessment

Unit Grading Scheme

7- point scale

Assessment Tasks

Assessment: Self-Assessment Profile

You are required to submit a personal profile that should outline what you have discovered about yourself from the self-analysis process that has occurred during the unit and discuss the implications for leading digital organisations into the future.

Formative or Summative: Formative and Summative

Postgraduate Executive (AoL goals): KS (1.1), HO (2.1), SL (4.1), SEC (5.2)

This assignment is eligible for the 48-hour late submission period and assignment extensions.

Assessment: Self-Development Plan

You are required to present a self-development plan that demonstrates your ability to identify areas for improvement and form strategies to address the areas identified. This provides a platform for integrating previous learning gained from other units in the program as well as from the workplace

Formative or Summative: Summative

Postgraduate Executive (AoL goals): : HO (2.1), PC (3.1), SL (4.1), SEC (5.1)

This assignment is eligible for the 48-hour late submission period and assignment extensions.

Assessment: Personal Leadership Philosophy

You are required to present a compelling narrative of your leadership aspirations to your peers as they relate to the leadership of digital organisations. Your aspirational statement should be informed by your own reflections evidenced in Assessment 1 and 2 as well as the relevant literature relating to the leadership of digital organisations.

Formative or Summative: Summative

Postgraduate Executive (AoL goals): HO (2.1), PC (3.2), SL (4.1)

This assignment is eligible for the 48-hour late submission period and assignment extensions.

Academic Integrity

Students are expected to engage in learning and assessment at QUT with honesty, transparency and fairness. Maintaining academic integrity means upholding these principles and demonstrating valuable professional capabilities based on ethical foundations.

Failure to maintain academic integrity can take many forms. It includes cheating in examinations, plagiarism, self-plagiarism, collusion, and submitting an assessment item completed by another person (e.g. contract cheating). It can also include providing your assessment to another entity, such as to a person or website.

You are encouraged to make use of QUT’s learning support services, resources and tools to assure the academic integrity of your assessment. This includes the use of text matching software that may be available to assist with self-assessing your academic integrity as part of the assessment submission process.

Further details of QUT’s approach to academic integrity are outlined in the Academic integrity policy and the Student Code of Conduct. Breaching QUT’s Academic integrity policy is regarded as student misconduct and can lead to the imposition of penalties ranging from a grade reduction to exclusion from QUT.

Resources

Risk Assessment Statement

There are no out-of-the-ordinary risks associated with lectures or tutorials in this unit.

Standards/Competencies

This unit is designed to support your development of the following standards\competencies.

QUT Business Capabilities (Postgraduate Executive)

HO (2.1): Critical Analysis

Relates to: ULO2, ULO4, Self-Assessment Profile, Self-Development Plan, Personal Leadership Philosophy

KS (1.1): Advanced Discipline and Professional Practice Knowledge

Relates to: ULO1, ULO4, Self-Assessment Profile

PC (3.1): Professional Communication (Written)

Relates to: ULO1, Self-Development Plan

PC (3.2): Professional Communication (Oral)

Relates to: ULO5, Personal Leadership Philosophy

SE (5.1): Ethical and Legal Understanding

Relates to: ULO3, Self-Development Plan

SE (5.2): Global, Cultural and Social Responsibility

Relates to: ULO3, Self-Assessment Profile

SL (4.1): Personal Leadership, Accountability and Reflective Practice

Relates to: ULO2, Self-Assessment Profile, Self-Development Plan, Personal Leadership Philosophy

Course Learning Outcomes

GS73 Master of Business Administration

1. [KS 1.1] Demonstrate and apply integrated and advanced theoretical and practical knowledge (including systems thinking approaches, multidisciplinary frameworks, and knowledge of research principles and methods) that incorporate recent development in business disciplines, professional practice, and digital innovation.
   Relates to: ULO4, Self-Assessment Profile
2. [SE 5.2] Apply knowledge and skills to demonstrate, interpret and critically reflect on, appropriate culturally and socially inclusive and responsible decisions and actions across complex, diverse social and cultural contexts.
   Relates to: ULO3, Self-Assessment Profile
3. [HO 2.1] Provide evidence of effective analysis, interpretation, evaluation and synthesis of complex data, theories, ideas, issues, situations, and trends across multiple contexts and demonstrate knowledge of how research and inquiry can be used to interpret, contribute to and create theoretical and practical knowledge.
   Relates to: ULO2, ULO4, Self-Assessment Profile, Self-Development Plan, Personal Leadership Philosophy
4. [PC 3.1] Demonstrate advanced use of language and argumentation in written communication, including digital communication, to frame strategic and influential responses to engage, persuade, negotiate, collaborate, lead, and transform in diverse and complex contexts (both physical and digital) and for diverse audiences.
   Relates to: Self-Development Plan
5. [PC 3.2] Demonstrate advanced use of language and argumentation in oral communication, including digital communication, to frame strategic and influential responses to engage, persuade, negotiate, collaborate and lead across diverse and complex contexts (both physical and digital) and for diverse audiences.
   Relates to: ULO5, Personal Leadership Philosophy
6. [SL 4.1] Demonstrate adaptive personal leadership and accountability, including self-awareness, reflective practice, and foresight in adapting and applying knowledge and skills to inform and influence effective, innovative, and agile practice in contemporary complex digital environments.
   Relates to: ULO2, Self-Assessment Profile, Self-Development Plan, Personal Leadership Philosophy
7. [SE 5.1] Demonstrate and apply knowledge of ethical and legal principles and practices of business, to contribute to responsible organisational governance and citizenship in local, national, global, and virtual business environments.
   Relates to: ULO3, Self-Development Plan