Leading Organisations

This subject has the following teaching availabilities in 2012:

240 hours.

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For the purposes of considering request for Reasonable Adjustments under the Disability Standards for Education (Cwth 2005), and Students Experiencing Academic Disadvantage Policy, academic requirements for this subject are articulated in the Subject Description, Subject Objectives, Generic Skills and Assessment Requirements of this entry. The University is dedicated to provide support to those with special requirements. Further details on the disability support scheme can be found at the Disability Liaison Unit website: http://www.services.unimelb.edu.au/disability/

In this subject, you will use look at the organisation as the level/unit of analysis. We will continue our exploration of positive psychology in subject 3 by considering the application of positive psychology to schools which is the field of inquiry known as ‘Positive Education’. You will work in teams to present on a Positive Education topic in class. The Developmental Learning Framework will be used to analyse your school as an ‘organisation’ via the 5 learning domains. Ethical leadership will be a key theme in this subject. You will explore the discourse around ‘positive organisational scholarship’ and will investigate theories of virtuous organisations. The ‘Leader as Researcher’ theme will continue on from subject two and continued consideration will be given to in school change projects and students will write a full literature review.

• Critically evaluate empirical research within the disciplines of school leadership and organisational behaviour.
• Synthesize and apply major theories and models of cultural leadership.
• Synthesize and apply major theories and models of strategic leadership.
• Link together key concepts in educational philosophy with positive psychology.
• Demonstrate ability to collaborate online and provide valuable contributions to your peers.
• Demonstrate the ability to write in a scholarly fashion in review of literature related to your in-school action research project.
• Understand and work with the action-research nexus in your own and other professional settings.
• Develop your interpersonal skills and class presentation skills.

There are 2 categories of assessment totalling 8000 words
• In class team presentation on Positive Education (equivalent to 2000 words 30%) Due week 6
• In School Change project: Review of ethics, as well as content and methodology literature (6000 words 70%) Due week 10

Shawn Achor (2010) The happiness advantage: the seven principles that fuel success and performance at work, New York, Random House .

Patrick Duignan (2007) Educational Leadership: Key Challenges and Ethical Tensions

This subject is not available as a breadth subject.

On completion of this subject, students will:
• Work self-directedly and collaboratively with peers by participating in the online forum discussions
• Read with discernment and write appropriately and substantially as a professional/scholarly action researcher in preparation of an ethics application for their projects.