This course introduces learners to the principles and practices of Thought Leadership. It draws on theories and frameworks from psychology, management, and philosophy to explore the role that leaders play in leading discussions, raising awareness and changing behaviours on issues that impact the growth and progress of our society. Sessions will provide opportunities to develop skills and practices for effectively leading innovation, adaptation and change, for managing through uncertainty and building communities of practice. In developing an evidence-based approach to thought leadership, you will learn essential meta-cognitive abilities, skills to inspire and engage others, gain insight into how to turn ideas into reality and how to transfer these skills to others, integrating them into organisational culture. This course is designed for people wishing to take a courageous approach to work and leadership, who aspire to act as catalysts for new ideas, alternate practices and organisational learning and change.
Learning Outcomes
Upon successful completion, students will have the knowledge and skills to:
- Classify historical and contemporary approaches to leadership and expertise and distinguish the consequences of these approaches on how people work. (EBM: Ask and Understand)
- Use appropriate theories and frameworks to address specific leadership, interpersonal and organisational challenges. (EBM: Acquire and Apply)
- Critique the factors and events contributing to success in leadership, adaptation and innovation based on strong research literacy. (EBM: Appraise and Evaluate)
- Summarize relevant empirical evidence regarding the contextual and organisational factors influencing the way people think and act at work. (EBM: Aggregate and Analyse)
- Integrate evidence from diverse disciplines to find new ways of thinking and leading. (EBM: Aggregate and Create)
- Generate a plan for leading thought with regard to solutions to the social and environmental challenges faced by today’s leaders. (EBM: Apply and Create)
- Reflect on feedback provided during tasks and exercises to improve meta-cognitive and leadership skills. (EBM: Assess and Evaluate)
Field Trips
Not Relevant
Additional Course Costs
N/A
Examination Material or equipment
There are no examinations for this course
Required Resources
N/A
Recommended Resources
Please check course wattle site for details about my recommended resources. All recommended resources are available for free on the Internet.
Staff Feedback
Students will be given feedback in the following forms in this course:- Written comments
- Verbal comments
- Feedback to the whole class, to groups, to individuals, focus groups
Student Feedback
ANU is committed to the demonstration of educational excellence and regularly seeks feedback from students. Students are encouraged to offer feedback directly to their Course Convener or through their College and Course representatives (if applicable). The feedback given in these surveys is anonymous and provides the Colleges, University Education Committee and Academic Board with opportunities to recognise excellent teaching, and opportunities for improvement. The Surveys and Evaluation website provides more information on student surveys at ANU and reports on the feedback provided on ANU courses.Class Schedule
Week/Session | Summary of Activities | Assessment |
---|---|---|
1 | Seminar/Workshop - Weeks 1-3: Welcome and Orientation | During weeks 1-3 we will be exploring the foundations of thought leadership in organisations; what is it? who has it? where does it come from? and how do I get it? We will also learn about and experince culture building, norm setting, perspective taking, storytelling and inspiration. Readings to be posted on Wattle. This work relates to LO1 and LO5. Personal Reflection on Leadership and Thought Leadership due Week 2. |
2 | Seminar/Workshop - Weeks 4-6: Design Thinking | During this part of the course we will be learning Design Thinking and experimenting with ways to use this approach to developing the ideas that set you apart as a thought leader. We will explore models and theories, collaborative ways of working, and effective ways of sharing ideas, all within the design thinking framework. Reading to be posted on Wattle. This work relates to LO2 and LO4. Experiential Reflections on Thought Leadership due Week 6 |
3 | Seminar/Workshop - Weeks 7-9: Being a Thought Leader | This topic covers the cognitive skills and abilities of thought leadership and the underlying identity work necessary for developing, scaling and sharing new ideas effectively. This part of the course will focus on providing students with multiple opportunities to develop their personal capacity for thought leadership. Readings to be posted on Wattle. This work relates to LO3, LO6 and LO7. |
4 | Seminar/Workshop - Weeks 10-12: Thought Leadership and Transformation | This topic covers the need for new ideas to be sustainable, both in environmental terms and as a business strategy. We will also explore the role of thought leaders in transforming both business and society, we will dive deep into the areas of integrity and ethics, and develop roadmaps for our own personal impact journey. Readings to be posted on Wattle. This work relates to LO1 and LO7. Personal Reflection and Thought Leadership Development Plan due Week 10 Group Project – Thought Leadership Design Project Due Week 12 |
Tutorial Registration
Not relevant
Assessment Summary
Assessment task | Value | Due Date | Return of assessment | Learning Outcomes |
---|---|---|---|---|
Personal Reflection on Leadership and Thought Leadership | 10 % | 02/08/2019 | 09/08/2019 | 1,2 |
Experiential Reflections on Thought Leadership | 20 % | 27/08/2019 | 16/09/2019 | 3,4 |
Personal Reflection and Thought Leadership Development Plan | 10 % | 11/10/2019 | 18/10/2019 | 6 |
Group Project – Thought Leadership Design Project | 50 % | 20/10/2019 | 28/11/2019 | 4,5 |
Participation | 10 % | 22/07/2019 | 25/10/2019 | 7 |
* If the Due Date and Return of Assessment date are blank, see the Assessment Tab for specific Assessment Task details
Policies
ANU has educational policies, procedures and guidelines, which are designed to ensure that staff and students are aware of the University’s academic standards, and implement them. Students are expected to have read the Academic Misconduct Rule before the commencement of their course. Other key policies and guidelines include:- Student Assessment (Coursework) Policy and Procedure
- Special Assessment Consideration Policy and General Information
- Student Surveys and Evaluations
- Deferred Examinations
- Student Complaint Resolution Policy and Procedure
Assessment Requirements
The ANU is using Turnitin to enhance student citation and referencing techniques, and to assess assignment submissions as a component of the University's approach to managing Academic Integrity. For additional information regarding Turnitin please visit the ANU Online website Students may choose not to submit assessment items through Turnitin. In this instance you will be required to submit, alongside the assessment item itself, hard copies of all references included in the assessment item.Moderation of Assessment
Marks that are allocated during Semester are to be considered provisional until formalised by the College examiners meeting at the end of each Semester. If appropriate, some moderation of marks might be applied prior to final results being released.Participation
Participation is expected for all classes and assessments
Examination(s)
There is no examinations for this course
Assessment Task 1
Learning Outcomes: 1,2
Personal Reflection on Leadership and Thought Leadership
Each student will write a paper of no more than three pages (references excluded) summarizing the following:
- Pulling from multiple sources and using Tier 2 critical thinking skills from Bloom’s Taxonomy, evaluate and analyze multiple definitions and frameworks of both leadership and thought leadership, and create your own definition and framework of the elements of thought leadership.
- What challenges do you believe thought leaders face within the organizations they serve?
- Reflect upon yourself as a thought leader. What characteristics of thought leadership to you exhibit? What characteristics of thought leadership would you like to develop? Why?
- Describe what you hope to learn from this course and why.
The paper should reflect ideas shared in lectures and in reading materials during the first two weeks of the course, as well as additional sources as appropriate.
Additional marking criteria will be posted on Wattle
Assessment Task 2
Learning Outcomes: 3,4
Experiential Reflections on Thought Leadership
Each student will write a paper of no more than five pages (references excluded) summarizing the following:
- Undertake a case study of a specific thought leader and produce a 1500 word report outlining the findings of your research. Include evidence for the evolution of this leader’s ideas, their style of influence, any platforms they have used for sharing or scaling their ideas, and the impact this leader has had on their organization or broader society.
- NOTE: your thought leader of choice must be approved by the lecturer by end of Week 3.
The paper should reflect theories and concepts from the lectures and reading materials from the first two weeks of the course, as well as additional researched, evidence-based sources.
Additional marking criteria will be posted on Wattle.
Assessment Task 3
Learning Outcomes: 6
Personal Reflection and Thought Leadership Development Plan
Each student will write a paper of no more than two pages (references excluded) summarizing the following:
· What have you learned about thought leadership during this course? Have you achieved your personal learning objectives? In what ways?
· What learnings from this course have been most valuable? Least valuable?
· Create and share a personal thought leadership development plan. How will you put the learnings from this course to use in current and future roles?
Additional marking criteria will be posted on Wattle.
Assessment Task 4
Learning Outcomes: 4,5
Group Project – Thought Leadership Design Project
Students are required to undertake a group design project in groups to be assigned by the instructor to support the generation and sharing of a new idea. This project will include idea generation, data collection, data interpretation, prototyping, provision of feedback; resulting in a report of this process (40%) and a video recorded final presentation (10%) including submission of evidence of your final artifact. Additional information on this assessment will be provided during Week 4.
The report should be a maximum of 12 pages.The presentation should be limited to 10 minutes with an additional 5 minutes for Q&A.
Additional marking criteria will be posted on Wattle.
Assessment Task 5
Learning Outcomes: 7
Participation
Class participation is a critical component of the learning process. Students are expected to contribute to class discussions and class exercises, and to provide structured feedback to their peers. Participation will be assessed in all classes, with the average mark awarded (worth 10% of final result).
Specifically, students will be asked to demonstrate the ability to use appropriate theories and frameworks to address specific leadership, interpersonal and organisational challenges (LO2); summarize relevant empirical evidence regarding the contextual and organisational factors influencing the way people think and act at work (LO4); and reflect on feedback provided during tasks and exercises to improve meta-cognitive and leadership skills (LO7).
Additional marking criteria will be posted on Wattle.
Academic Integrity
Academic integrity is a core part of our culture as a community of scholars. At its heart, academic integrity is about behaving ethically. This means that all members of the community commit to honest and responsible scholarly practice and to upholding these values with respect and fairness. The Australian National University commits to embedding the values of academic integrity in our teaching and learning. We ensure that all members of our community understand how to engage in academic work in ways that are consistent with, and actively support academic integrity. The ANU expects staff and students to uphold high standards of academic integrity and act ethically and honestly, to ensure the quality and value of the qualification that you will graduate with. The University has policies and procedures in place to promote academic integrity and manage academic misconduct. Visit the following Academic honesty & plagiarism website for more information about academic integrity and what the ANU considers academic misconduct. The ANU offers a number of services to assist students with their assignments, examinations, and other learning activities. The Academic Skills and Learning Centre offers a number of workshops and seminars that you may find useful for your studies.Online Submission
The ANU uses Turnitin to enhance student citation and referencing techniques, and to assess assignment submissions as a component of the University's approach to managing Academic Integrity. While the use of Turnitin is not mandatory, the ANU highly recommends Turnitin is used by both teaching staff and students. For additional information regarding Turnitin please visit the ANU Online website.Hardcopy Submission
For some forms of assessment (hand written assignments, art works, laboratory notes, etc.) hard copy submission is appropriate when approved by the Associate Dean (Education). Hard copy submissions must utilise the Assignment Cover Sheet. Please keep a copy of tasks completed for your records.Late Submission
Late submission of assessment tasks without an extension are penalised at the rate of 5% of the possible marks available per working day or part thereof. Late submission of assessment tasks is not accepted after 10 working days after the due date, or on or after the date specified in the course outline for the return of the assessment item.
All requests for extensions to assessment in RSM courses must be submitted to the RSM School Office with a completed application form and supporting documentation. The RSM Extension Application Form and further information on this process can be found at https://www.rsm.anu.edu.au/education/education-programs/notices-for-students/extension-application-procedure/
Referencing Requirements
Accepted academic practice for referencing sources that you use in presentations can be found via the links on the Wattle site, under the file named “ANU and College Policies, Program Information, Student Support Services and Assessment”. Alternatively, you can seek help through the Students Learning Development website.Returning Assignments
Please see relevant assessment task details above
Extensions and Penalties
Extensions and late submission of assessment pieces are covered by the Student Assessment (Coursework) Policy and Procedure The Course Convener may grant extensions for assessment pieces that are not examinations or take-home examinations. If you need an extension, you must request an extension in writing on or before the due date. If you have documented and appropriate medical evidence that demonstrates you were not able to request an extension on or before the due date, you may be able to request it after the due date.Resubmission of Assignments
Unless specified otherwise in the assignment requirements, resubmissions are permitted up until the due date and time, but not allowed afterwards
Privacy Notice
The ANU has made a number of third party, online, databases available for students to use. Use of each online database is conditional on student end users first agreeing to the database licensor’s terms of service and/or privacy policy. Students should read these carefully. In some cases student end users will be required to register an account with the database licensor and submit personal information, including their: first name; last name; ANU email address; and other information. In cases where student end users are asked to submit ‘content’ to a database, such as an assignment or short answers, the database licensor may only use the student’s ‘content’ in accordance with the terms of service — including any (copyright) licence the student grants to the database licensor. Any personal information or content a student submits may be stored by the licensor, potentially offshore, and will be used to process the database service in accordance with the licensors terms of service and/or privacy policy. If any student chooses not to agree to the database licensor’s terms of service or privacy policy, the student will not be able to access and use the database. In these circumstances students should contact their lecturer to enquire about alternative arrangements that are available.Distribution of grades policy
Academic Quality Assurance Committee monitors the performance of students, including attrition, further study and employment rates and grade distribution, and College reports on quality assurance processes for assessment activities, including alignment with national and international disciplinary and interdisciplinary standards, as well as qualification type learning outcomes. Since first semester 1994, ANU uses a grading scale for all courses. This grading scale is used by all academic areas of the University.Support for students
The University offers students support through several different services. You may contact the services listed below directly or seek advice from your Course Convener, Student Administrators, or your College and Course representatives (if applicable).- ANU Health, safety & wellbeing for medical services, counselling, mental health and spiritual support
- ANU Diversity and inclusion for students with a disability or ongoing or chronic illness
- ANU Dean of Students for confidential, impartial advice and help to resolve problems between students and the academic or administrative areas of the University
- ANU Academic Skills and Learning Centre supports you make your own decisions about how you learn and manage your workload.
- ANU Counselling Centre promotes, supports and enhances mental health and wellbeing within the University student community.
- ANUSA supports and represents undergraduate and ANU College students
- PARSA supports and represents postgraduate and research students
Convener
![]() |
|
|||
Research InterestsLeadership, Change, Agility, Strategy |
Gretchen Gagel
![]() |
|
Instructor
![]() |
|
|||
Research Interests |
Gretchen Gagel
![]() |
|