This seminar examines cutting edge trends in organizational change, the current global business climate, forces driving change, and issues related to positioning organizations for the future. The topics selected will connect change with culture, existing organizational strategies, and the process of change in future directions. Major case study examples of organizational change are included in the learning process.

This course addresses the alignment of organizational culture with organizational structure and strategy. The role of leaders in creating, maintaining, and changing culture is emphasized. The course includes contemporary applications of theory and practice in the role leaders have in guiding organizational culture toward successful outcomes.

This course explores ethical theories and professional standards guiding organizational leadership in complex, multidisciplinary contexts. Students examine moral dilemmas, assess the influence of social and systemic dynamics on ethical decision-making, and develop ethically grounded leadership strategies that promote accountability, equity, and sustainability.

This course develops students’ knowledge and understanding of contemporary leadership and management theory and practice. Students gain an understanding of the differences between leadership and management as well as implications of and reasons for these differences. Students analyze core leadership and management practices and evaluate and communicate their relevance to effective organizational performance in a complex, diverse, and rapidly changing globalized business environment. This class will encourage students to develop and reflect on their own leadership and management competencies and experiences. Students will also start to establish a foundation of doctoral level research and presentation.

The course will provide an overview of the key events and accomplishments that have played an important role in the historical evolution of the psychology of leadership and the systems that form the basis of the discipline. A review of the history of organizational psychology introduces several important distinctions that define the discipline and theoretical models and perspectives that trace the evolution of theory and practice. The learning activities emphasize the dichotomy between the science and applications of organizational psychology and leadership. The course approaches the psychology of leadership from three different perspectives 1) objectives for research and practice in the field, 2) basic methodological orientation of practitioners and 3) the systems and research-based foundations that form the basis of organizational psychology and the psychology of leadership.

This course focuses on the foundational competencies for doctoral learning and research.  Students self-assess current skills and develop a learning plan aimed at aligning professional advancement with doctoral degree expectations.  Academic writing, research rigor, ethics, professional communication and incorporating feedback are emphasized. This course requires live workshop sessions with faculty and peers.