MMM140-Leading in the Digital Organization

Module Provider: Leadership, Organisations and Behaviour
Number of credits: 20 [10 ECTS credits]
Level:7
Terms in which taught: Autumn term module
Pre-requisites:
Non-modular pre-requisites:
Co-requisites:
Modules excluded:
Current from: 2023/4

Module Convenor: Mr Fabio Goncalves De Oliveira
Email: f.deoliveira@henley.ac.uk

Type of module:

The aim of this module is to explore the role of leadership and frontiers in leadership practice in a pervasive digital environment. The module builds awareness of key digital technologies and discusses their impact on managerial practices, processes and strategies. 

Summary module description:

As digital technology moves from being disruptive to becoming pervasive, the breadth and depth of digital change transforms entire systems of production, management, and governance. 

This poses a dual challenge to leaders who must not only be able to understand how digital technologies continuously reshape their competitive environment and devise strategies to keep their organisation ahead; but also need to be able to continuously rethink organizational processes and their own role within them: What is the role of leadership in an emerging work environment where advances in automation and machine-learning mean that core functions such as organising information flows, delegating and prioritizing work and even high-level decision-making can now be assumed by systems? How does the ubiquity of connected data affect organizational power structures, leadership legitimacy, ethics and governance? How can leaders build a company culture that embraces continuous individual and organizational development? 

Drawing on leading-edge case studies, theory and industry guest speakers, this module critically explores the role and opportunities for leadership in the context of the emerging Digital Organization paradigm. 

Aims:

The aim of this module is to explore the role of leadership and frontiers in leadership practice in a pervasive digital environment. The module builds awareness of key digital technologies and discusses their impact on managerial practices, processes and strategies.

Assessable learning outcomes:

At the completion of this module, students will gain a sound knowledge of digital leadership and building and enabling digital organisations. Specifically, students will be able to: 

 

• Understand the evolving digital landscape including key technologies underpinning the Fourth Industrial Revolution such as automation, machine-learning, Big Data, Internet of Things, Cloud Environmental Intelligence, Augmented and Virtual Reality, blockchain etc. 


• Understand and critically discuss the changing role of leadership in a pervasive digital environment 


• Understand the role of software systems as active actors in shaping organizational information and communication flows, enabling new networks and adhocracies, distributed work patterns, decision-making and governance. 


• Understand key concepts of data and predictive data science, and its application in informing and legitimizing leadership decisions. 


• Critically discuss the benefits and ethical implications of using data in key leadership functions such as for example setting performance goals, selecting candidates in recruitment, building high-performing teams, etc 


• Analyse organizational and managerial processes with regards to their potential for automation, and critically appraise the impact on the nature of work, leadership, company culture and society. 


• Understand and discuss how techniques used by entrepreneurs can be used in organisational settings to rapidly iterate business models and test new processes and products. 


• Understand and discuss practices of leading change with respect to embedding digital mindset/culture throughout an organisation and implications for talent development and employee engagement. 


• Understand and critically appraise own behaviour with regards to managing digital productivity, managerial work practice and continuing professional development

Additional outcomes:

• Entrepreneurial skills including networking, team building, creativity and presentation skills 


• Baseline knowledge on accessing resources to make your ideas a reality 


• Inspiration and confidence to consider creating your own venture as a future career option 

Outline content:

1. The Fourth Industrial Revolution: Automation, machine learning and digital everywhere 


2. Leading the digital organization: communication, configuration, control and governance 


3. Understanding data, and data-driven decision making for digital leaders 


4. Leadership as practice in algorithm design: designing automated processes 


5. Digital leadership and ethics: key issues and challenges 


6. Leading digitally – the changing role and identity of the leader in the digital organization 


7. Leadership lessons from digital startups: rapid business model innovation and experimentation 


8. Building the digital organization: Facilitating digital competences and culture 


9. Managing yourself: Optimizing own digital productivity 

Brief description of teaching and learning methods:

This module is interactive. Sessions are comprised of a combination of formal lectures, case studies, guest speakers and student-led learning sessions. 

A laptop is required for some of the sessions. 

Contact hours:

	Autumn	Spring	Summer
Lectures	20
Tutorials	5
Guided independent study:
Wider reading (independent)	30
Wider reading (directed)	15
Preparation for presentations	35
Completion of formative assessment tasks	40
Group study tasks	40
Reflection	15
Total hours by term	200	0	0
Total hours for module	200

Summative Assessment Methods:

Method	Percentage
Written assignment including essay	70
Oral assessment and presentation	30

Summative assessment- Examinations:

Summative assessment- Coursework and in-class tests:

Individual portfolio (70%) - Week 21

Team presentation (30%) - Weeks 15 - contains an element of peer marking.

Formative assessment methods:

Penalties for late submission:

The below information applies to students on taught programmes except those on Postgraduate Flexible programmes. Penalties for late submission, and the associated procedures, which apply to Postgraduate Flexible programmes are specified in the policy “Penalties for late submission for Postgraduate Flexible programmes”, which can be found here: https://www.reading.ac.uk/cqsd/-/media/project/functions/cqsd/documents/cqsd-old-site-documents/penaltiesforlatesubmissionpgflexible.pdf
The Support Centres will apply the following penalties for work submitted late:

• where the piece of work is submitted after the original deadline (or any formally agreed extension to the deadline): 10% of the total marks available for that piece of work will be deducted from the mark for each working day (or part thereof) following the deadline up to a total of five working days;
• where the piece of work is submitted more than five working days after the original deadline (or any formally agreed extension to the deadline): a mark of zero will be recorded.

The University policy statement on penalties for late submission can be found at: https://www.reading.ac.uk/cqsd/-/media/project/functions/cqsd/documents/cqsd-old-site-documents/penaltiesforlatesubmission.pdf
You are strongly advised to ensure that coursework is submitted by the relevant deadline. You should note that it is advisable to submit work in an unfinished state rather than to fail to submit any work.

Assessment requirements for a pass:

50%

Reassessment arrangements:

Reassessment by coursework.

Additional Costs (specified where applicable):

Cost	Amount
1. Software (tbc)	£35

Last updated: 11 August 2023