Leadership and Organizational Change (LEOC)

LEOC 413. Appreciative Inquiry & the Positive Organizational Scholarship of Change Leadership. 2.5 Units.

This course explores and develops the art of reading and understanding social systems in ways that help us imagine, design and develop organization excellence. First it seeks to show how many of our conventional ideas about organizations are based on discourse and metaphors that lead us to see and understand organizations in partial and often limiting ways. Growing research from the domains of Positive Psychology and Positive Organization Scholarship and the theory and practice of Appreciative Inquiry will be explored to show how we can create new and more positive, strength-based ways of designing and developing social systems. Includes presentations, guest lectures and panel discussions on current topics of interest for the Master of Science in Leadership and Organizational Change (MLOC) candidates. Led by a faculty member of the Department of Organization Behavior, these dialogues and seminars will be presented in several of the six main residencies of the MLOC program. Reflective essays and integrative papers will enable participants to explore their practice of OD, leadership capacity, application of learnings from the program and deeply held values related to current issues and opportunities in the domain of human systems change and development. Prereq: Enrolled in the Master of Science in Leadership and Organizational Change (MLOC) program.

LEOC 414A. Managing Organizational Change and Real-World Challenges. 1 Unit.

This is a hands-on course designed to provide students with the direct experience of tackling specific challenges assigned by the instructor in one of four thematic areas of mastery: 1) Leadership (emotionally intelligent leadership, or coaching with compassion) 2) Inclusive Leadership (diversity, equity, and inclusion) 3) OD & Systemic Change (appreciative inquiry, BAWB, positive impact interventions) 4) Team Effectiveness (managing & facilitating teams effectively or building and managing high performance teams). This is part one of a two-part course. Prereq: Enrolled in the Master of Science in Leadership and Organizational Change (MLOC) program.

LEOC 414B. Managing Organizational Change and Real-World Challenges. 1.5 Unit.

This is a hands-on course designed to provide students with the direct experience of tackling specific challenges assigned by the instructor in one of four thematic areas of mastery: 1) Leadership (emotionally intelligent leadership, or coaching with compassion) 2) Inclusive Leadership (diversity, equity, and inclusion) 3) OD & Systemic Change (appreciative inquiry, BAWB, positive impact interventions) 4) Team Effectiveness (managing & facilitating teams effectively or building and managing high performance teams) This is part two of a two-part course. Prereq: LEOC 414A.

LEOC 416. Coaching for Leadership Effectiveness and Development. 2.5 Units.

Leadership with emotional intelligence will be examined by studying a number of topics and applying them to two major case studies: 1) a CEO; and 2) yourself. In this context, coaching the development of leadership will be a major topic throughout the course. This course will explore questions such as: Who are effective leaders? Are they different from effective managers? How do they think and act? What makes us want to follow them? How are leaders developed? What and how can people (you) help/coach others develop their competencies to become more effective leaders? Prereq: Enrolled in the Master of Science in Leadership and Organizational Change (MLOC) program.

LEOC 418. Flourishing Enterprise. 2.5 Units.

Global issues such as climate change and food security, as well as heightened expectations for personal health and well-being in the workplace, are introducing greater levels of complexity into business strategy and operations, with far-reaching implications for customer satisfaction and employee engagement. Effective handling of these issues can lead to new sources of revenue generation and cost efficiency, as well as reputational value, while failure to do so can lead to financial and competitive risk. Prereq: Enrolled in the Master of Science in Leadership and Organizational Change (MLOC) program.

LEOC 431. Team Development for Transforming Organizations. 2.5 Units.

The objectives of this course are to: Develop the capacity to see and assess team development. Recognize and understand the characteristics of effective teams and groups. Practice observing, intervening, and using team skills. Facilitate integration of your unique perspective, skills, and talents in working with teams. Further prepare you to be an effective team leader, team facilitator, consultant to team leaders and team members. This is part one of a two-part course. Prereq: Enrolled in the Master of Science in Leadership and Organizational Change (MLOC) program.

LEOC 431B. Team Development for Transforming Organizations. 1 Unit.

The objectives of this course are to: Develop the capacity to see and assess team development. Recognize and understand the characteristics of effective teams and groups. Practice observing, intervening, and using team skills. Facilitate integration of your unique perspective, skills, and talents in working with teams. Further prepare you to be an effective team leader, team facilitator, consultant to team leaders and team members. This is part two of a two-part course. Prereq: LEOC 431A.

LEOC 432. Interpersonal Skills Building for Transforming Organizations. 2.5 Units.

Interpersonal and team dynamics. It will help you build more open and effective relationships among peers and clients by improving your ability to cooperate with and lead others to work effectively in today's increasingly team-oriented organizations. The emphasis of this course is on learning about oneself in the context of others and using these insights to facilitate learning in the groups you lead. Prereq: Enrolled in the Master of Science in Leadership and Organizational Change (MLOC) program.

LEOC 435. Practicum in Appreciative Inquiry and Positive OD. 2.5 Units.

This course develops participants' consultative skills. Competence in role entry and development, data collection, intervention and evaluation is gained through class exercises and field projects. The focus is on developing a problem-centered approach to intervening in organizations that minimizes reliance on programmed techniques and maximize collaborative innovation and learning between client and consultant. Prereq: Enrolled in the Master of Science in Leadership and Organizational Change (MLOC) program.

LEOC 439. Individual Mastery Projects. 2.5 Units.

The objectives of this course are to: 1) demonstrate the ability to frame and design a clear cut action research project applied to a given organizational development challenge or improvement opportunity; 2) show the ability to engage and mobilize others in a collaborative effort toward a collective outcome; 3) employ a defined change process and use theory from the field of OD (e.g., AI, EI, Sustainability, Organization Design, Strategic Thinking, etc.) to inform practice; 4) evince the ability to sustain momentum during the course of a project, while navigating the complexities that one normally encounters in an effort to complete the action research cycle; 5) provide evidence that theorganization development change project has had a positive benefit or impact; and 6) reveal sufficient self-reflection and mindfulness in ways that further your own and others personal or professional development. These six objectives will fundamentally be the same competencies that I will look for in grading Part 1 and Part 2 of your assignment. Toward these ends, you are expected to plan and execute a significant organization development, and/or change project with an ongoing client or employer. Emphasis is placed on the craft of developing projects that are consistent with one's current skills, career plans, and developmental needs that can be combined with the needs, opportunities, readiness, and resources of the client organization. Prereq: Enrolled in the Master of Science in Leadership and Organizational Change (MLOC) program.

LEOC 440. Inclusive Leadership. 2.5 Units.

The purpose of this course is to help you understand the current theories and effective practices of inclusive leadership, and through this understanding, to help you enhance your own leadership practices and capabilities. We will examine the methods, challenges, trade-offs, and frontiers of inclusive leadership through application of leadership concepts to case studies. Student teams will identify and conduct an at-a-distance project studying a global executive. The course will facilitate the development of personal efficacy for working with and supervising diverse others-those from different nations/cultures, races/ethnicities, genders, age groups, religions and lifestyles who may have different values, perspectives, approaches and abilities. As you gain self-awareness of the impact of your own identity, you will clarify your own approaches and styles and become more authentic as a leader and change agent. You will also develop practical knowledge about enabling team cultures of engagement and inclusion. Prereq: Enrolled in the Master of Science in Leadership and Organizational Change (MLOC) program.

LEOC 470. Leading Change from a Complexity Perspective. 2.5 Units.

In this course, we will continuously attempt to answer two questions: (1) What is the process of sustained, desirable change? and (2) What is the role of a leader? Concepts from complexity theory will be used, including understanding the multilevel nature of SDC at the individual, dyad, team, organization, community, country, and global levels. Intentional Change Theory (ICT) will be used as the organizing concept for the changes studied. In this context, coaching the development of leadership will be a major topic throughout the course. Prereq: Enrolled in the Master of Science in Leadership and Organizational Change (MLOC) program.

LEOC 479. Strategic Thinking for Organizational Transformation. 2.5 Units.

This course explores strategy as an active, organization-wide process of alignment, collaboration, and meaningful conversation rather than a static plan. Students will examine frameworks for strategic positioning, inquiry-based approaches, and system-wide engagement while applying concepts through two field projects. Prereq: Enrolled in the Master of Science in Leadership and Organizational Change (MLOC) program.

LEOC 480A. Dynamics of Creativity and Innovation in Organizations. 1.5 Unit.

This course focuses on the creative process and innovation journey at all levels--individual, group, organization, and leadership. In this class we will explore creativity from several angles with a particular focus on the conditions that facilitate creativity and innovation. Creativity and innovation have been studied extensively. Several bodies of literature explore the conditions needed to enhance them. One widely cited approach to the study of creativity and innovation is the componential theory put forth by Theresa Amabile claiming that three major components are required for individual or team creativity: expertise, creative-thinking skill, and intrinsic motivation. Another is the interactionist perspective of Woodman and others claiming that creativity is a complex interaction between individuals and work situation, including antecedent conditions such as cognitive style (divergence), personality (high self-esteem), motivation, social influence (rewards), group characteristics, organizational culture. Finally at the organizational level ambidexterity theory that comes from March, Tushman, O'Reilly and others claims that organizations must be good at meeting conflicting demands of exploiting routines and experimenting with new processes and products. We will cover each of these approaches. This course will focus particularly on the conditions that enhance and facilitate creativity in group and organizational settings with a focused eye on improvisation. Every innovation begins with an improvisation and every improvisation is potentially identity-transformative at several levels. By emphasizing improvisation we can see how processes of creativity and innovation intersect with several organizational dynamics including organizational learning and knowledge work. Prereq: Enrolled in the Master of Science in Leadership and Organizational Change (MLOC) program.

LEOC 480B. Dynamics of Creativity and Innovation in Organizations. 1 Unit.

This course focuses on the creative process and innovation journey at all levels--individual, group, organization, and leadership. In this class we will explore creativity from several angles with a particular focus on the conditions that facilitate creativity and innovation. Creativity and innovation have been studied extensively. Several bodies of literature explore the conditions needed to enhance them. One widely cited approach to the study of creativity and innovation is the componential theory put forth by Theresa Amabile claiming that three major components are required for individual or team creativity: expertise, creative-thinking skill, and intrinsic motivation. Another is the interactionist perspective of Woodman and others claiming that creativity is a complex interaction between individuals and work situation, including antecedent conditions such as cognitive style (divergence), personality (high self-esteem), motivation, social influence (rewards), group characteristics, organizational culture. Finally at the organizational level ambidexterity theory that comes from March, Tushman, O'Reilly and others claims that organizations must be good at meeting conflicting demands of exploiting routines and experimenting with new processes and products. We will cover each of these approaches. This course will focus particularly on the conditions that enhance and facilitate creativity in group and organizational settings with a focused eye on improvisation. Every innovation begins with an improvisation and every improvisation is potentially identity-transformative at several levels. By emphasizing improvisation we can see how processes of creativity and innovation intersect with several organizational dynamics including organizational learning and knowledge work. Prereq: Enrolled in the Master of Science in Leadership and Organizational Change (MLOC) program.