Learning Outcomes
Upon successful completion of the module, students will be able to analyze leadership, collaboration, organizational change, and strategic challenges in contemporary organizations and develop appropriate courses of action,
by applying relevant theories, concepts, and tools from leadership, collaboration, change, digital work, technology acceptance, AI-related organizational challenges, and strategic management,
in order to assess practical problems in modern organizations in a structured way and develop well-founded, evidence-based recommendations.
Content
How can leaders foster collaboration, guide change, and make sound decisions in digital work environments shaped by AI and technological change? This course examines leadership, teamwork, and organizational adaptation in contemporary organizations, with particular attention to collaboration, employee responses to new technologies, and human-AI interaction. Combining leadership principles with selected strategic perspectives, the course helps students analyze real organizational challenges and develop evidence-based solutions through case studies, role plays, discussions, and practical exercises..
The module introduces core concepts and applications of leadership, collaboration, organizational change, and strategic management in contemporary organizations. It combines foundational leadership topics with selected challenges of digital work, technological change, and AI.
Leadership and Collaboration • Definitions, functions, and scope of leadership and collaboration • Classical and contemporary leadership approaches, including trait, style, situational, transformational, shared, and digital leadership • Leadership and relevant outcomes: motivation, performance, commitment, and organizational citizenship behavior • Communication in leadership: feedback, employee interviews, and goal-setting discussions • Conflict management and principled negotiation (e.g., Harvard model) • Cultural influences on leadership and collaboration • Assessment centers and leadership potential Change, Digital Work, and Technology • Organizational change and leadership in change processes • Collaboration in digital, hybrid, and technology-mediated work environments • Technology acceptance and employee responses to new technologies • Human-AI interaction at work • Effects of digitalization, AI, and technology-driven change on leadership, collaboration, and organizational processes Strategic Management • Definitions, objectives, and process steps of strategic management • Strategic challenges in contemporary economies • Socio-economic and technological megatrends • Strategic analysis and decision-making tools • Major frameworks such as generic strategies, product life cycle, portfolio models, 4C, PEST, SWOT, and Five Forces Application and Transfer • Analysis of practical leadership, change, and strategic challenges • Case studies, teamwork, role plays, and applied exercises • Development of evidence-based recommendations for contemporary organizations
Methods
The module combines lectures with interactive and application-oriented learning formats. Students work with case studies, teamwork, discussions, role plays, and practical exercises in order to apply theoretical concepts to real organizational challenges.
- Grading: Exam as well as autonomous work and presentation on a specific topic
- Media
- Lectures
- presentations
- teamwork
- case studies
- simulation / role plays
Learning Material Provided by Lecturer
Literature
- Northouse, P. G. (2025). Leadership: Theory and Practice (10th ed.). SAGE.
- Levi, D., & Askay, D. A. (2025). Group Dynamics for Teams (7th ed.). SAGE.
- Fisher, R., Ury, W. L., & Patton, B. (2011). Getting to Yes: Negotiating Agreement Without Giving In (3rd ed.). Penguin Books.
- House, R. J., Hanges, P. J., Javidan, M., Dorfman, P. W., & Gupta, V. (Eds.). (2004). Culture, Leadership, and Organizations: The GLOBE Study of 62 Societies. SAGE.
- Thornton, G. C., III, & Rupp, D. E. (2006). Assessment Centers in Human Resource Management: Strategies for Prediction, Diagnosis, and Development. Psychology Press.
- Tucker, D., Cirella, S., & Kelly, P. (2024). Organizational Change Management: Inclusion, Collaboration and Digital Change in Practice. SAGE.
- Bratton, J., & Steele, L. (Eds.). (2024). Artificial Intelligence and Work: Transforming Work, Organizations, and Society in an Age of Insecurity. SAGE.
- Venkatesh, V., Morris, M. G., Davis, G. B., & Davis, F. D. (2003). User acceptance of information technology: Toward a unified view. MIS Quarterly, 27(3), 425–478.
- Whittington, R., Regnér, P., Angwin, D., Johnson, G., & Scholes, K. (2023). Exploring Strategy: Text and Cases (13th ed.). Pearson.