Thought Leadership in Business

Course

URL study guide

https://studiegids.vu.nl/en/courses/2024-2025/E_BA_TLB

Course Objective

Thought leadership stands distinctly apart from traditional leadership, focusing on championing innovative ideas rather than merely managing teams or tasks. This interdisciplinary elective, part of the Master in Business Administration program, delves into the vital constructs, theories, and debates around creating, sharing, and implementing transformative ideas in the business world. Students engage directly with real-world cases to explore how popular management concepts (like Lean, Agile, Design Thinking, CSR or 'Gamification' ) emerge and take hold. Academic and Research Skills: Students in this course will: (1) Acquire a deep understanding of the generative mechanisms behind influential management ideas and their practical applications. (2) Develop robust skills in empirical research to trace the development and influence of these ideas within the business community. (3) Learn to critically analyze how these ideas are implemented in organizations and assess their impact on both management and organizational practices. Knowledge of Theory + Methods and Solving Complex Problems: The course builds a solid, science-based foundation for critically evaluating the effectiveness and limitations of innovative ideas in solving complex managerial challenges. The skills and knowledge gained here are crucial for those aiming to establish themselves as thought leaders and for tackling practical difficulties in organizational settings. Professional Social Skills: Enhance your professional skillset through practical activities like gathering interview data, analyzing trends, and presenting findings on the evolution of management ideas. This course also emphasizes constructive collaboration and feedback, providing you with the tools to help peers refine their academic and professional work. During tutorials, students present their work in small groups, fostering a close-knit community where they can receive individual feedback and guidance, further enhancing the learning experience. Horizon Beyond Professional Area: Linking with specializations such as Management Consulting, Strategic HRM, Leadership & Change Management, Strategy & Organization, this course broadens your perspective beyond conventional boundaries. It offers insights into how management ideas are conceptualized and promoted across various disciplines and how these ideas are perceived and utilized by professionals in different fields. Self-Reflective Professional: This course challenges the more traditional, functionalistic approaches still prevalent in many business curricula. It fosters a critical understanding of the origins and societal acceptance of management ideas, enhancing your ability to critique underlying values and beliefs, recognize viable alternatives, and understand the broader implications of these ideas on society and professional life. Through rigorous analysis and reflection, you will be well-equipped to shape and assess your perspectives on the diffusion of management ideas within both theoretical and practical domains. By participating in this course, you will not only gain academic insight but also practical tools to influence and lead in your future careers.

Course Content

Thought leadership is rooted in the transformative power of innovative ideas that reshape our approach to management. In the dynamic world of business, new management concepts continuously emerge, offering fresh solutions to complex challenges. Notable examples include Lean Management, Competence Management, Agile Methodologies and the Balanced Scorecard, alongside modern concepts like Sustainability Practices, Diversity and Inclusion Strategies, Design Thinking, and Gamification. These ideas are so pervasive in business education that they have or are likely to become foundational to the management lexicon and essential in shaping the professional landscape. This course is designed to delve into these influential ideas, providing a unique opportunity to understand not just the origins and development of key management concepts but also their lasting impact on business practices. You'll explore how certain ideas come to dominate the business scene and examine their effects on organizational strategies and operations. By joining this course, you will develop a critical eye for assessing these ideas and gain insights that could set you apart in the business world, making you better equipped to lead and innovate in your future career. This is an elective that is of interest for students of all five specialization programmes (IM, LCM, MC, SHRM, and S&O).

Teaching Methods

Lectures, seminars

Method of Assessment

Assignments (no exam)
Academic year1/09/2431/08/25
Course level6.00 EC

Language of Tuition

  • English

Study type

  • Master