Development as a leader (5 cr)

Evaluation scale

Pass/Fail

Content scheduling

Altogether 14 online sessions on Tuesdays from 17.00 to 18.30 during 2025-2026.
7 online sessions in the autumn 2025 semester on 9.9, 23.9, 7.10, 21.10, 4.11, 11.11, and 25.11
7 online sessions in the spring 2026 semester on 3.2, 19.2, 3.3, 17.3, 31.3, 14.4, and 28.4
Zoom link - https://jamk.zoom.us/j/5046363676

Objective

Purpose of the course
Leadership is a key skill in various organisations in working life. Development as a leader course helps students in understanding leadership, enhancing their self-awareness, identifying their personal strengths and areas for development, as well as analysing, reflecting, and developing themselves as leaders. Through self-awareness and reflection, understanding of one’s own leadership is increased, and enabling the planning of a leadership career and potentially even improving one’s career prospects.

It is important to be able to adapt the leadership style to the organisation’s goals. Leadership has various effects on different functions of the organisation, such as communication, conflict management, and decision-making. Understanding the principles of ethical and responsible leadership is important so that a leader can take ethical responsibility for their organisation and employees. This creates a framework for growing responsible, fair, sustainable, and ethical leaders.

The course aims to develop the following competencies:

Learning to learn
You can evaluate and plan your leadership career in a versatile and goal-oriented way.

Ethics
You can promote the realisation of ethical principles in work communities and organisations with your leadership.

The learning objectives of the course are:
You will increase your self-awareness, which will enable you to analyse and evaluate your leadership from the perspectives of self-management, leadership, and management in general. You can apply key leadership theories and concepts to strengthen your own leadership identity.

You can promote the implementation of ethical principles in your work community and/or organisation by reflecting on your ethical leadership and acting as a role model in your organisation. You can plan your leadership career through self-reflection.

Developing as a leader is a process that requires time and self- and peer reflection to grow. Considering this development, the course lasts for a semester/year.

Content

In this course, you will learn about self-awareness, self-leadership, leader identity, agency in leadership, leadership theories and concepts, ethical leadership, and career development for leaders. You will apply the competence gained to develop and enhance your leadership.

Materials

Coursebook:
Northouse, P. G. (2021). Leadership: Theory and practice. Sage publications.

Additional materials:
Banks, G. C., Fischer, T., Gooty, J., & Stock, G. (2021). Ethical leadership: Mapping the terrain for concept cleanup and a future research agenda. The Leadership Quarterly, 32(2021), 101471.

Bolden, R. (2011). Distributed leadership in organizations: A review of theory and research. International Journal of Management Reviews, 13, 251-269.

Eteläpelto, A. (2017). Emerging conceptualisations on professional agency and learning. In: M. Goller & S. Paloniemi (Eds.) Agency at work: An agentic perspective on professional learning and development (pp. 183-201). Springer.

Eteläpelto, A., Vähäsantanen, K., Hökkä, P., & Paloniemi, S. (2013). What is agency? Conceptualizing professional agency at work. Educational Research Review, 10(2013), 45-65.

Goller, M., & Harteis, C. (2017). Human agency at work: Towards a clarification and operationalisation of the concept. In: M. Goller & S. Paloniemi (Eds.) Agency at work: An agentic perspective on professional learning and development (pp. 85-103). Springer.

Harvard Business School Online (n.d.). How to become a more effective leader. https://info.email.online.hbs.edu/leadership-ebook?_gl=1*8o66d*_gcl_au*MTg3NjQ1ODc2OC4xNjk5MTE5NDIy&_ga=2.263844940.1157622686.1699437102-1314249758.1699119422

Hökkä, P. K., Vähäsantanen, K., Paloniemi, S., & Eteläpelto, A. (2017). The reciprocal relations between emotions and agency in the workplace. In: M. Goller & S. Paloniemi (Eds.) Agency at work: An agentic perspective on professional learning and development (pp. 161-181). Springer.

Landry, L. (2019). Why emotional intelligence is important in leadership. https://online.hbs.edu/blog/post/emotional-intelligence-in-leadership

Teaching methods

You will have weekly online contact sessions with lectures, workshops, and group discussions. In addition, you will study independently for your group and individual assignments.

Employer connections

There is no internship.

Exam schedules

There is no exam.

Completion alternatives

You have the right to apply for recognition of your studies if you have prior learning (e.g. university studies completed elsewhere) that can be accredited towards the degree you are currently completing.

The recognition of prior learning is possible in three primary ways: accreditation (replacement or inclusion), recognition of informal learning and studification. More precise info: JAMK Degree Regulations, section 17.

Student workload

Lectures 21 hours
Preparing for the lectures 21 hours
Group projects 54 hours
Individual assignments 39 hours

Assessment criteria, approved/failed

You are able to evaluate and analyse yourself and your leadership based on leadership theories and course assignments. You are able to analyse the implementation of ethical principles in your work community and/or organisation by reflecting on your ethical leadership. You are able to plan your leadership career in a goal-oriented and versatile way.

Qualifications

No prior knowledge required.

Further information

Your assessment will be based on group projects, an individual assignment, and your active participation in class.