7B007E - Leadership and Organisational Transformation 01 Sep 2026 - 31 Jul 2032 | Version 0

Associated Module Information

Module Code: 7B007E
Module Title: Leadership and Organisational Transformation
Faculty: Faculty of Business and Creative Industries
Faculty Group: Global Governance
Faculty Sub Group: Global Governance
Module Leader: Kevin Ellis-Brush, Zulfia Abawe
Module Team: Davina Evans, Adeyemi Aromolaran
First Intended Intake: SEP 2026 Final Year of Intake:
Date Closed:
Credit Value: 30 Credit Level: 7
Language: English
Percentage of Module Taught in Welsh: 0
Equivalent Module:
HECOS codes: 100078 - business and management 100080 - international business 100089 - management studies
HECOS Code Weighting: 20 20 60

Document Version Information

Version 0
Valid From 01 Sep 2026
Valid To 31 Jul 2032

Module Aims

  • To develop a critical understanding of leadership and organisational transformation in disrupted business environments. 

  • To enable students to design and apply strategies for leading people ethically through change and complexity. 

  • To cultivate reflective and resilient leadership practices aligned with digital transformation and organisational adaptability. 

Content Summary

This module prepares students to lead organisations through periods of uncertainty, disruption, and transformation. It integrates leadership theory, people management, and organisational design with a critical awareness of how the Fourth Industrial Revolution — characterised by AI, automation, data, and new work paradigms — is reshaping the workplace. Students examine themes of ethical leadership, inclusive decision-making, and cultural agility in the context of digital disruption and AI-enabled workplaces. Emphasis is placed on leading people through change, building resilient teams, and managing talent in volatile and complex environments. A core focus is the role of leaders in enabling organisational adaptability while balancing ethical responsibility, human-centred practices, and technological opportunities. Delivered through challenge-based learning, students partner with industry to address a live transformation problem, developing both strategic insight and reflective practice. The module builds leadership capabilities needed to guide organisations in creating value while navigating disruption responsibly.  

Learning and Teaching Methods

Activity Type Hours
Lectures 9
Seminar 12
Practical Classes and Workshops 15
Groupwork 20
Guided Study 60
Problem/Challenge based learning 120
Formative Assessment 4
Summative Assessment 60
Total Hours Selected 300

Learning Outcomes

# Learning Outcome
LO1 Critically evaluate and synthesise leadership, organisational design, and change management theories in digitally disrupted and global contexts; design and apply ethically grounded, human-centred, and technology-enabled strategies for organisational transformation.
LO2 Reflect critically on personal leadership capabilities, ethical awareness, and professional resilience in guiding transformation within diverse and digitally evolving organisational contexts.

Module Requisites

N/A

Assessment Criteria

Assessment Category Assessment Type Description Duration Word Count Weight (%) Best of? Pass Mark
Asynchronous Assessment Portfolio Portfolio comprising two integrated components: (1) a Group Consultancy Output addressing a live leadership or organisational transformation challenge, and (2) an Individual Reflective Essay analysing personal leadership learning, ethical practice, and digital fluency developed through the project. 10 4000 100 No 40

Assessment Matrix

Assessment Type Learning Outcomes
LO1 LO2
Portfolio ✔ ✔

Reading List

Week 1: Topic: Foundations — Disruption, 4IR & Leadership Theory 

Essential Reading 

Schwab, K. (2016) The Fourth Industrial Revolution. London: Penguin. 

Wyatt, S. (2020) Management and Leadership in the Fourth Industrial Revolution. London: Kogan Page. 

Supplementary Reading 

AESC (2019) ‘Leadership during the Fourth Industrial Revolution’, AESC Insights. 

Hult International Business School (2019) ‘What Executives Need to Know about the Fourth Industrial Revolution’ 

 

Week 2: Topic: Innovation & Disruptive Technologies 

Essential Reading 

Christensen, C.M. (2016) The Innovator’s Dilemma: When New Technologies Cause Great Firms to Fail. Boston: Harvard Business Review Press.  

Northouse, P.G. (2021) Leadership: Theory and Practice. 9th edn. London: Sage. 

Supplementary Reading Storey, M., Russo, D., Novielli, N., Kobayashi, H. and Wang, X. (2024) ‘A disruptive research playbook for studying disruptive innovations’, arXiv preprint. 

Heimans, J. and Timms, H. (2018) New Power: How Anyone Can Persuade, Mobilize, and Succeed in Our Chaotic, Connected Age. London: Pan Macmillan. 

 

Week 3: Topic: Ethical Leadership, AI & Societal Impact Essential Reading 

Kandasamy, S. (2024) Ethical Leadership in the Age of AI: Challenges, Opportunities and Frameworks. Singapore: Springer. 

Schwab, K. (2016) The Fourth Industrial Revolution. London: Penguin. 

Supplementary Reading 

Oxford Leadership (2019) ‘Leadership for the Fourth Industrial Revolution’, Oxford Leadership.  

Chartered Management Institute (2020) ‘What Asia Can Teach the West about Leadership in the 4th Industrial Revolution’. CMI Insights.  

 

Week 4: Topic: Strategy, Change & Dynamic Capabilities 

Essential Reading 

Cameron, E. and Green, M. (2020) Making Sense of Change Management. 6th edn. London: Kogan Page. 

Christensen, C.M. (2016) The Innovator’s Dilemma: When New Technologies Cause Great Firms to Fail. Boston: Harvard Business Review Press. 

Supplementary Reading 

Dyer, J., Gregersen, H. and Christensen, C.M. (2019) The Innovator’s DNA: Mastering the Five Skills of Disruptive Innovators. Boston: Harvard Business Review Press. 

Ferlie, E., Pettigrew, A. and McKee, L. (1996) Shaping Strategic Change: The Case of the NHS in the 1980s. London: Routledge. 

 

Week 5: Topic: Leadership, Culture & Organisational Design 

Essential Reading 

Western, S. (2019)?Leadership: A Critical Text. 3rd ed. London: SAGE Publications. 

Supplementary Reading 

Heimans, J. and Timms, H. (2018) New Power: How Anyone Can Persuade, Mobilize, and Succeed in Our Chaotic, Connected Age. London: Pan Macmillan. 

AESC (2019) ‘Leadership during the Fourth Industrial Revolution’, AESC Insights.  

 

Week 6: Topic: Reflective Leadership & Future Skills 

Essential Reading 

Northouse, P.G. (2021) Leadership: Theory and Practice. 9th ed. Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE Publications. 

Supplementary Reading 

Chiarelli, C. (2024) The Use of Reflection as an Effective Leadership Practice, E-DIS (University of Florida). 

Barnes, K., et al. (2024) Effective leadership practice among senior leaders working with remote (WFH) empowered workforces and hybrid workplace normalisation.