93375 - Leadership and Entrepreneurship

Learning outcomes

At the end of the course, the student will know the most effective ways to manage people in the company and in other organizations characterized by complexity and uncertainty. He also has the tools to understand his own leadership style and to identify some strategies to improve it from an entrepreneurial point of view

Course contents

1. Introduction to leadership and the importance of leaders in organizational life.

2. Personality models and their use in defining leadership.

3. Trait theories: leadership and personality.

4. Behavioral theories of leadership.

5. Contingency theories.

6. Managing relationships with followers: Leader–Member Exchange (LMX) Theory.

7. Transformational vs. transactional leadership.

8. Leadership within work teams: Belbin’s team role theory.

9. Leadership in virtual teams.

10. Work–life balance and leadership.

11. Leaders and gender equality.

12. Ethical leadership.

13. Organizational change and communication for leadership development.

14. Conclusions and wrap-up: What have we learned?

Readings/Bibliography

Some chapters from Leadership: Theory and Practice by Peter G. Northouse (2016), SAGE, will be used as the core teaching material for the course. Slides and other teaching materials will be presented and shared in Italian.

Additional teaching materials—including cases, videos, and podcasts—will be presented in class and made available on the Virtuale platform after they have been used in the classroom.

In Equilibrio. Un buon work-life balance è possibile, Marcello Russo (2024), Il Mulino.

Teaching methods

Classes will generally be organized with a first part consisting of a lecture-based presentation of the course content, followed by a more workshop-oriented session in which self-assessment tests, case studies, videos, and other materials will be used as a basis for discussion. The lecture component will also be designed to encourage interaction between the instructor and the students. Guest speakers from organizations and companies will also be invited to share their experiences.

This course represents a journey aimed at exploring what it means to be a leader and at introducing some of the tools that can form the personal “toolbox” of an effective leader. Each participant’s individual experience will contribute to enriching the course.

Please always bring a device that allows access to the Virtuale platform (laptop, tablet, or smartphone)

Assessment methods

Final assessment will be composed as follows:

1. Written exam consisting of theoretical questions (both open-ended and multiple choice) and the solution of short cases. During the exam, the use of any paper material (notes, outlines, books) or electronic devices is not permitted.

2. Class participation, including contributions to discussions and engagement with the various self-assessment tools that will be proposed: up to +3 points.

Alternatively, for students who are unable to attend the classes, it is possible to complete an individual assignment exploring an empirical case. The assignment should present a real empirical case of leadership in a self-reflective form (see slides from Lecture 1). Specifically, students should:

• Describe an event in which the theme of leadership (their own or that of others) plays a key role. This section should account for approximately 75% of the text.

• Reflect on which conceptualization of leadership best explains the case and why (approximately 25% of the text).

• Submit the assignment by email to the instructor by the date of the exam.

• Analyze a real empirical case using at least one of the leadership theories discussed during the course.

• The assignment must be between 2,000 and 4,000 words. Shorter or longer submissions will be penalized.

• The evaluation of this assignment will be valid for one calendar year (until the next edition of the course) if the student fails the exam or does not accept the grade.

• The assignment can contribute up to +3 points.

In all cases, a passing grade on the written exam is required in order to pass the course.

Overall grading criteria

Fail: significant gaps and/or inaccuracies in knowledge and understanding of the topics; limited analytical and synthetic abilities; frequent generalizations and limited critical judgment; arguments presented incoherently and with inappropriate language.

18–20: barely sufficient knowledge and understanding of the topics, with possible generalizations and imperfections; sufficient analytical and synthetic abilities and autonomy of judgment; arguments often presented somewhat incoherently and with imprecise or non-technical language.

21–23: routine knowledge and understanding of the topics; correct analytical and synthetic abilities with reasonably coherent argumentation and appropriate technical language.

24–26: fairly good knowledge and understanding of the topics; good analytical and synthetic abilities, with arguments expressed rigorously but with language that is not always fully appropriate or technical.

27–29: complete knowledge and understanding of the topics; strong analytical and synthetic abilities; good autonomy of judgment; arguments presented rigorously and with appropriate technical language.

30–30L: excellent and in-depth knowledge and understanding of the topics; excellent analytical, synthetic, and critical abilities; arguments expressed originally and with appropriate technical language.

Teaching tools

https://virtuale.unibo.it/user/index.php?id=75602

Office hours

See the website of Luca Pareschi