Leadership and Team Dynamics Notes
Subject Overview
The fifth HRM group elective, covering leadership theory, traits and ethics, leadership styles and development, strategic and ethical leadership, and team composition, performance and conflict resolution. A 4-credit elective theory paper.
Subject at a glance
4
Units
29
Topics
4
Credits
4
Infographics
Unit-wise Syllabus
4 units — open any unit for detailed topic-wise notes, diagrams and important exam questions
- Meaning
- skills and roles of a leader
- analysis of leadership theory
- personality traits and leadership
- leadership attitudes and ethics
- leadership behaviour and motivation
- contingency leadership
Trait
Leaders have certain traits
Confidence, integrity
Behavioural
What leaders do
Task vs people orientation
Contingency
Best style depends on the situation
Fiedler, Hersey-Blanchard
Transformational
Inspire beyond self-interest
Vision, intellectual stimulation
Study guide
This unit covers leadership meaning, skills and roles, leadership theories, traits, attitudes, ethics, behaviour, motivation and contingency leadership. Assess your own leadership style.
- Charismatic and transformational leadership
- team and organizational leadership
- strategic leadership
- leadership for high-performance culture
- development through self-awareness
- education
- experience and mentoring
- succession and evaluation of leadership development
Self-awareness
Feedback, psychometrics
Education
Programmes, reading
Experience
Stretch assignments
Mentoring and coaching
Succession planning
Study guide
You study charismatic, transformational, team, organisational and strategic leadership, leading high-performance cultures and development through self-awareness, education, experience and mentoring. Identify a mentor.
- The leader as social architect — creating vision and strategic direction
- shaping culture and values
- designing a learning organisation
- leading change
- spiritual foundations of personal effectiveness
Vision
Where we are going
Culture and values
What we stand for
Learning organisation
Continuous improvement
Leading change
Mobilising people
Study guide
You study the leader as social architect: vision, culture, values, learning organisations, leading change and spiritual foundations of effectiveness. Draft a vision statement for a team.
- Team composition
- formation and development
- team performance and motivation
- team conflict and leadership
- team decision making
- FIRO-B interpersonal orientation
- Johari window
- negotiation skills
- conflict resolution and collaboration
Inclusion
Need to belong
Control
Need to influence or be influenced
Affection
Need for closeness
Expressed vs wanted
What we show vs what we want
Study guide
You study team composition, formation, performance, conflict, decisions, FIRO-B, the Johari window, negotiation and collaboration. Reflect on a team you have been part of using these tools.
Why Leadership and Team Dynamics Matters
Leadership and teamwork skills are central to promotion and are tested through group discussions, case interviews and assessment centres.
How to Prepare for Leadership and Team Dynamics
- Lead a small project and reflect on it.
- Learn leadership theories with examples.
- Practise negotiation and conflict resolution.
Leadership and Team Dynamics: Frequently Asked Questions
What is transformational leadership?
Transformational leaders inspire followers with a vision and personal attention, raising their motivation and performance.