Course Title: Leading, Following and Group Dynamics
Part A: Course Overview
Course Title: Leading, Following and Group Dynamics
Credit Points: 12
Course Code |
Campus |
Career |
School |
Learning Mode |
Teaching Period(s) |
BUSM2241 |
City Campus |
Postgraduate |
150H Health Sciences |
Face-to-Face |
Sem 2 2007,
Sem 1 2008, Sem 2 2008, Sem 1 2009 |
BUSM2241 |
City Campus |
Postgraduate |
630H Management |
Face-to-Face |
Sem 1 2010 |
Course Coordinator: Dr. Wendy Harding
Course Coordinator Phone: +61 3 9925 1492
Course Coordinator Email:wendy.harding@rmit.edu.au
Course Coordinator Location: 108.16.18
Pre-requisite Courses and Assumed Knowledge and Capabilities
None
Course Description
The subject is work place focused, student centred, experiential, and includes: a theoretical foundation for understanding interpersonal, group and intergroup dynamics; critical discussion of selected theories/models of group dynamics; experiential exploration of student’s capacities for leading and following within the ’here and now’ context; reflective discussion and written analysis of the relationship between concept and experience in managing group dynamics.
Objectives/Learning Outcomes/Capability Development
Course Capabilities:
- Knowledge application of social science and systems psychodynamic concepts and theories as applied to groups with special reference to leadership.
- Critical analyses of the cognitive, emotive and motivational stances taken by self and others in role in group settings.
- Ability to communicate verbally and in writing about complex human group dynamics.
- High level interpersonal communication.
- Ability to work with tacit and unconscious communication in groups.
- Ability to work as a team member taking up appropriate role for task.
- Working with ideas of responsibility and taking up leadership and responsibility in teams and groups.
- Ability to work with methods for researching and analysing group dynamics.
- Ability to work professionally in the field through the application of learning from the course to work within organisations.
- Knowledge or awareness of concepts and theories of basic social science and systems psychodynamics as applied to groups.
- Methods of critical analysis including analysis of conceptual, emotional and motivational stances of self and others in role in group settings.
- Development of verbal and written communication skills.
- High level interpersonal skills.
- Skill and capacity in relation to tacit and unconscious communication.
- Development of team-work skills through experiential learning.
- Leadership skills as developed in experiential groups.
- Methods of analysing and interpreting group data with reference to ethical implications of these methods.
- Application of learning to organisational settings.
Learning Objectives:
- Understanding and critical analysis of a range of conceptual approaches to leadership/followership and group dynamics, including unconscious dynamics.
- Enhanced verbal and written skills.
- Working with high level interpersonal skills, including active listening, emplathy and direct feedback.
- Capacity to identify and analyse work group dynamics in relation to leaders.
- Increased awareness of group processes that may inhibit or enable leadership in small and large groups.
- Ability to evaluate leadership dynamics within a broader organisational context.
- Enhanced skills for managing in groups and heightened awareness of their own capacities for leadership in work settings.
- Understanding and application of research methods with respect to group dynamics.
Overview of Learning Activities
Seminars:
For development of knowledge, critical analysis, verbal and group research skills and application of course material to thinking about groups.
Experiential Work in Groups:
For development of team, leadership and communication skills. For the exercise of leadership and responsibility in a group setting.
Research Task:
For the development of observational and analytic skills.
Overview of Learning Resources
Articles online at RMIT, Blackboard.
Overview of Assessment
Individual Assessment:
Case study of work group dynamics.
Group Assessment:
Research report on a group observation by pairs of students. Class presentation of outcomes from the research.