| CODE | PPL5104 | |||||||||
| TITLE | Leadership in Public Organizations | |||||||||
| UM LEVEL | 05 - Postgraduate Modular Diploma or Degree Course | |||||||||
| EQF/MQF LEVEL | 7 | |||||||||
| ECTS CREDITS | 5 | |||||||||
| DEPARTMENT | Policy, Politics and Governance | |||||||||
| DESCRIPTION | This study-unit provides a critical and practice-oriented exploration of leadership in public organisations, focusing on the interplay between theory, institutional context, and the behavioural dynamics that shape leadership performance. It examines how leaders in the public sector handle complex environments characterised by competing demands for efficiency, accountability, inclusivity, and public value. Public organisations differ fundamentally from private ones in their accountability to citizens, political oversight, and value-driven missions. Within this context, leadership becomes both a catalyst and a constraint for organisational performance and change. Students will investigate how leadership styles and behaviours influence public service delivery, strategic decision-making, innovation, and ethical governance. Drawing on recent theoretical developments, the unit explores models of transformational, adaptive, collaborative, and distributed leadership, assessing their relevance in contemporary public sector reform. The study-unit also discusses the challenges such as leading organisational change, managing stakeholder expectations, building trust and legitimacy, and encouraging an ethical culture within public institutions. Case studies and real-world examples from national and international settings will be discussed, encouraging students to integrate empirical observation with conceptual analysis. The study-unit adopts a reflective and analytical approach, helping future leaders develop the strategic, behavioural, and relational competencies required to manage complex public organisations and drive sustainable change. Study-Unit Aims: - Introduce students to theoretical perspectives and debates on leadership in public organisations; - Examine leadership as a behavioural, political, and institutional phenomenon; - Develop students’ capacity to apply leadership theories to real-world public sector challenges; - Analyse how leadership influences organisational change, performance, and accountability; - Encourage reflexive practice and ethical awareness in leadership roles within public service contexts. Learning Outcomes: 1. Knowledge & Understanding: By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to: - Critically evaluate major leadership theories and their applicability to public organisations; - Explain how leadership shapes policy implementation, performance, and organisational culture; - Assess the relationship between leadership, governance, and public value creation; - Analyse complex leadership environments and diagnose organisational challenges; - Integrate behavioural, institutional, and contextual factors into leadership frameworks. 2. Skills: By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to: - Apply strategic and adaptive leadership approaches in public management contexts; - Employ evidence-based methods to assess and improve leadership performance; - Manage political and ethical dilemmas in decision-making and change management; - Communicate effectively as reflective leaders, capable of inspiring and mobilising teams toward shared goals. |
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| STUDY-UNIT TYPE | Lecture and Seminar | |||||||||
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The University makes every effort to ensure that the published Courses Plans, Programmes of Study and Study-Unit information are complete and up-to-date at the time of publication. The University reserves the right to make changes in case errors are detected after publication.
The availability of optional units may be subject to timetabling constraints. Units not attracting a sufficient number of registrations may be withdrawn without notice. It should be noted that all the information in the description above applies to study-units available during the academic year 2026/7. It may be subject to change in subsequent years. |
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