Learn the Foundations of Leadership Studies. Engage current thinking about leadership, including basic definitions; ethical, persuasive, and creative leadership; agile leadership; and leadership and artificial itelligence.

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Christopher Dreisbach

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Leadership: An Introduction SpecializationJohns Hopkins University

What you will learn

The history of leadership theory
Types of leadership
The difference between ethical and unethical leadership
The nature of persuasive leadership.
How to assess leadership.
The nature of creative leadership
How to assess creative leadership

Skills you will gain

About this Specialization

This specialization is intended for learners new to leadership studies who are capable of navigating upper-level general education courses. The specialization includes three courses--The Ethical Leader, The Persuasive Leader, and The Creative Leader--which collectively include the history of the idea of leadership, leadership and artificial itelligence, and agile leadership. Students who successfully complete this course will be able to Define leadership in general Identify the elements of ethical, persuasive, and creative leadership. Define agile leadership Explain the challenges and opportunities that artificial itelligence offers leadership Apply what is learned to practical issues that leadership faces in a variety of organizations

Applied Learning Project

There are 13 modules distributed across three courses. Each module ends with an exam that incorporates specific examples of recognized leaders or failed leaders--in the cotext of ethics, persuasion, or creativity. Learners refer to these exemplars in answering a series of objective questions that connects the theoretical to the practical.

Shareable Certificate

Earn a Certificate upon completion

100% online courses

Start instantly and learn at your own schedule.

Coursera Labs

Includes hands on learning projects.

Learn more about Coursera Labs

Flexible Schedule

Set and maintain flexible deadlines.

Beginner Level

Approximately 4 months to complete

Suggested pace of 10 hours/week

English

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Shareable Certificate

Earn a Certificate upon completion

100% online courses

Start instantly and learn at your own schedule.

Coursera Labs

Includes hands on learning projects.

Learn more about Coursera Labs

Flexible Schedule

Set and maintain flexible deadlines.

Beginner Level

Approximately 4 months to complete

Suggested pace of 10 hours/week

English

Could your company benefit from training employees on in-demand skills?

Try Coursera for Business

See how employees at top companies are mastering in-demand skills

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How the Specialization Works

Take Courses

A Coursera Specialization is a series of courses that helps you master a skill. To begin, enroll in the Specialization directly, or review its courses and choose the one you'd like to start with. When you subscribe to a course that is part of a Specialization, you’re automatically subscribed to the full Specialization. It’s okay to complete just one course — you can pause your learning or end your subscription at any time. Visit your learner dashboard to track your course enrollments and your progress.

Hands-on Project

Every Specialization includes a hands-on project. You'll need to successfully finish the project(s) to complete the Specialization and earn your certificate. If the Specialization includes a separate course for the hands-on project, you'll need to finish each of the other courses before you can start it.

Earn a Certificate

When you finish every course and complete the hands-on project, you'll earn a Certificate that you can share with prospective employers and your professional network.

There are 3 Courses in this Specialization

Course1

Course 1

The Ethical Leader

This aims primarily at post-baccalaureate students interested in leadership theory and ethical leadership.

The first part of this course introduces students to the classical literature in philosophical ethics, including consequentialist, regularian, deontological, and virtue theory approaches. This includes exploration of the ethical responsibilities leaders have toward themselves, corporations, the government, and the public. In the second part of the course, students apply decision- making frameworks, drawing from theories of leadership, and gain experience in decision-making surrounding ethical issues. Finally, students will consider the moral challenges that artificial intelligence poses to ethical leaders. This is one course in the Coursera specialization, Leadership: An Introduction. It examines the latest trends in leadership theory invoking several disciplines, including business, sociology, philosophy, history, and psychology. To complete this course successfully students should be able to analyze college-level readings and audio/visual presentations into understandable parts, including premises and conclusions; synthesize the results of the analysis into coherent and accurate summaries; and evaluate the results for accuracy and practical applicability. Upon successful completion of the course, students will be able to • Identify ethical principles for leadership practices • Compare theories of leadership in terms of their ethical strengths and weaknesses • Apply ethical principles for leadership practices • Compare and contrast industry standards and techniques of ethical leadership practices

Course2

Course 2

The Persuasive Leader

This aims primarily at post-baccalaureate students interested in leadership theory.

The course has four modules. Module 1 introduces students to agile leadership as (a) a logical sequel to adaptive and team leadership, and (b) the foundation of contemporary persuasive leadership. Topics include a working definition of agile leadership, the need for agile leadership, and characteristics of the agile leader. Module 2 answers the question, What is persuasive leadership? Topics include persuasive vs. coercive leadership, conversation as essential to persuasive leadership, types of persuasion, elements of persuasion, and principles of persuasion. Module 3 answers the question, Why persuasive leadership? Topics include setting the question, benefits to the organization, benefits, to the team, and benefits to the leader. Module 4 answers the question, Persuasive leadership: How? Topics include preparing the leader, preparing the team, engaging the team in a plan, executing the plan, and assessing and improving. To complete this course successfully students should be able to analyze college-level readings and audio/visual presentations into understandable parts, including premises and conclusions; synthesize the results of the analysis into coherent and accurate summaries; and evaluate the results for accuracy and practical applicability. This is one course in the Coursera specialization, Leadership: An Introduction. It examines current trends in leadership theory invoking several disciplines, including business, sociology, philosophy, history, and psychology. Upon successful completion of the course, students will be able to • Define persuasive leadership • Explain how adaptive leadership, team leadership, and agile leadership underlie persuasive leadership • Assess the value of persuasive leadership to contemporary organizational leadership • Apply techniques of persuasive leadership to organizational challenges

Course3

Course 3

The Creative Leader

This aims primarily at post-baccalaureate students interested in leadership theory.

The course has four modules. Module 1 covers definitions and foundations of creative leadership. Topics include, What is creative leadership? Why creative leadership? And foundations of creative leadership. Module 2 addresses the facilitative functions of the creative leader. Topics include employee creativity on an individual level; employee creativity and team complexity; and employee creativity and team diversity. Module 3 addresses the directive functions of the creative leader. Topics include directive creative leaders in politics; directive creative leaders in haute cuisine; and directive creative leaders in the arts. Module 4 addresses the integrative functions of the creative leader. Topics include integrative creative leadership and final creative products; and integrative leadership and others’ individual creative products This is one course in the Coursera specialization, Leadership: An Introduction. It examines current trends in leadership theory invoking several disciplines, including business, sociology, philosophy, history, and psychology. To complete this course successfully students should be able to analyze college-level readings and audio/visual presentations into understandable parts, including premises and conclusions; synthesize the results of the analysis into coherent and accurate summaries; and evaluate the results for accuracy and practical applicability. Upon successful completion of the course, students will be able to • Define creative leadership • Explain the facilitative functions of a creative leader • Explain the directive functions of a creative leader • Explain the integrative functions of a creative leader • Assess the value of creative leadership to contemporary organizational leadership • Apply techniques of creative leadership to organizational challenges

Instructor

Christopher Dreisbach

Associate Director

Organizational Leadership

1,020 Learners

3 Courses

Offered by

Johns Hopkins University

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the refund policy?
If you subscribed, you get a 7-day free trial during which you can cancel at no penalty. After that, we don’t give refunds, but you can cancel your subscription at any time. See our full refund policy.
Can I just enroll in a single course?
Yes! To get started, click the course card that interests you and enroll. You can enroll and complete the course to earn a shareable certificate, or you can audit it to view the course materials for free. When you subscribe to a course that is part of a Specialization, you’re automatically subscribed to the full Specialization. Visit your learner dashboard to track your progress.
Is financial aid available?
Yes. In select learning programs, you can apply for financial aid or a scholarship if you can’t afford the enrollment fee. If fin aid or scholarship is available for your learning program selection, you’ll find a link to apply on the description page.
Can I take the course for free?
When you enroll in the course, you get access to all of the courses in the Specialization, and you earn a certificate when you complete the work. If you only want to read and view the course content, you can audit the course for free. If you cannot afford the fee, you can apply for financial aid.
Is this course really 100% online? Do I need to attend any classes in person?
This course is completely online, so there’s no need to show up to a classroom in person. You can access your lectures, readings and assignments anytime and anywhere via the web or your mobile device.
Will I earn university credit for completing the Specialization?
This Specialization doesn't carry university credit, but some universities may choose to accept Specialization Certificates for credit. Check with your institution to learn more.
Do I need to take the courses in a specific order?
It is recommended that you take the courses in this order: The Ethical Leader, The Persuasive Leader, The Creative Leader

More questions? Visit the Learner Help Center.

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Leadership: An Introduction Specialization

What you will learn

Skills you will gain

About this Specialization

Applied Learning Project