5B046E - Leadership and Organisational Practice (Online) 01 Sep 2026 - 31 Aug 2032 | Version 1

Associated Module Information

Module Code: 5B046E
Module Title: Leadership and Organisational Practice (Online)
Faculty: Faculty of Life Sciences and Education
Faculty Group: Sport
Faculty Sub Group: Sports Coaching
Module Leader: Chris Emsley
Module Team: Adam Sherratt, Robyn Pinder
First Intended Intake: SEP 2026 Final Year of Intake:
Date Closed:
Credit Value: 30 Credit Level: 5
Language: English
Percentage of Module Taught in Welsh: 0
Equivalent Module:
HECOS codes: 100097 - sports management
HECOS Code Weighting: 100

Document Version Information

Version 1
Valid From 01 Sep 2026
Valid To 31 Aug 2032

Module Aims

  • Develop applied leadership skills to support ethical, inclusive and effective organisational practice in sport. 

  • Strengthen students’ ability to critically analyse leadership behaviours, sport governance and organisational culture. 

  • Build research capability and professional identity through applied investigation and career exploration. 

Content Summary

This module gives you the opportunity to take your leadership skills to the next level by applying what you learned at Level 4 to real organisational settings in sport. You’ll dive deeper into leadership behaviours, explore how sport organisations are structured and governed, and critically analyse the factors that influence individual and team performance. You’ll explore what it means to lead diverse teams, manage relationships, and make ethical decisions in challenging environments. You’ll also start to plan your own small-scale research project that’s grounded in real-world sport leadership practice—developing skills in data collection, ethics, and impact along the way.

Alongside this, we’ll help you explore different career pathways and understand the key roles within the sport workforce, so you can begin shaping your own professional identity. Delivered through flexible online content and challenge-based activities, the module is designed to help you apply your learning to realistic case studies and leadership scenarios. Your assessment will involve running your own leadership performance appraisal - putting your leadership into practice and reflecting on what works. By the end of the module, you’ll feel more confident in your ability to lead ethically and effectively in sport organisations. 

Learning and Teaching Methods

Activity Type Hours
Problem/Challenge Based Learning 56
Guided Study 104
Placement 50
Formative assessment 30
Summative assessment 60
Total Hours Selected 300

Learning Outcomes

# Learning Outcome
LO1 Apply and reflect on appropriate leadership behaviours and communication strategies in sport-based scenarios, demonstrating ethical and inclusive leadership practice.
LO2 Conduct a self-led leadership performance appraisal, drawing on sector-relevant theory, stakeholder feedback, and applied research to evaluate leadership impact and identify areas for personal development.

Module Requisites

N/A

Assessment Criteria

Assessment Category Assessment Type Description Duration Word Count Weight (%) Best of? Pass Mark
Asynchronous Assessment Student Choice Student choice 20 3000 100 No 40

Assessment Matrix

Assessment Type Learning Outcomes
LO1 LO2
Student Choice

Reading List

Week 1 (3 items) 

Topic: Introduction to module Leading individuals & influencing others 

Contemporary leadership in sport organizations, by David Scott, 2014 

 | Essential 

Credibility: how leaders gain and lose it, why people demand it, by James M. Kouzes; Barry Z. Posner, 2011 

 | Recommended 

Leadership in sport, by Ian O'Boyle, 2015 

 | Essential 

  

Week 2 (5 items) 

Topic: Recruitment – Talent Acquisition in Sports Organisations?/ Performance Management – Optimising Staff Performance & Development 

Coaching for emotional intelligence: the secret to developing the star potential in your employees, by Bob Wall, c2007 

 | Recommended 

The employee-organization relationship: applications for the 21st century, by Lynn M. Shore; Jacqueline A-M. Coyle-Shapiro; Lois E. Tetrick, 2012 

 | Recommended 

Human resource management in sport and recreation, by Chelladurai, P.; Kim, Amy, 2023 

 | Essential 

Managing people in sport organizations: a strategic human resource management perspective, by Tracy Taylor; Alison Doherty; Shannon Kerwin, 2025 

 | Recommended 

Performance management : towards organizational excellence, by Venkateswara Rao, T.; Venkateswara Rao, T., 2016 

 | Background 

  

Week 3 (4 items) 

Topic: Workforce Roles & Responsibilities? / Developing Effective Relationships?/ Fostering and Sustaining Relationships in Diverse Teams 

Human resource management: a critical approach, by John Bratton; Jeffrey Gold; Andrew Bratton; Laura Steele, 2022 

 | Background 

Inclusive Leadership : Transforming Diverse Lives, Workplaces, and Societies., by Ferdman, Bernardo M.; Prime, Jeanine.; Riggio, Ronald E., 2020 

 | Recommended 

Leading a National Sports Team – It Needs Passion - in Effective Executive, by Jones, Stephanie, 2025-06-14 

 | Recommended 

Managing voluntary sport organisations, by Leigh Robinson; Richard Palmer, 2011 

 | Background 

  

Week 4 (3 items) 

Topic: Sport Governance & Regulation (e.g. NGBs, Active Partnerships)?/ Leading Within Sport Organisations (e.g. NGBs, charities, schools) 

Innovation in national governing bodies of sport: investigating dynamic capabilities that drive growth - in European sport management quarterly, by Harris, Spencer J.; Metzger, Matthew L.; Duening, Thomas N., 2021-01-01 

 | Recommended 

Leadership in Sport Governance, by O'Boyle, Ian; McLeod, Joshua; Takos, Nick, 2025 

 | Essential 

Torkildsen's sport and leisure management, by George Torkildsen, 2023 

 | Background 

  

Week 5 (2 items) 

Topic: Leading and Managing Teams?/ Leadership Approaches in Practice?/ Assessment Workshops 

Essentials of Sport Leadership : Theory and Application, by Megheirkouni, Majd; Norrington, Peter, 2025 

 | Essential 

Leadership: theory and practice, by Peter G. Northouse, 2026 

 | Recommended 

  

Week 6 (3 items) 

Topic: Developing Leadership Culture in Organisations 

Leading change, by John P. Kotter, 2012 

 | Recommended 

Leading organizations through transition : communication and cultural change, by Deetz, Stanley.; Tracy, Sarah J.; Simpson, Jennifer Lyn., 2000, c2000 

 | Background 

Organizational culture and leadership, by Edgar H. Schein, 2017