HANOI UNIVERSITY
FACULTY OF MANAGEMENT AND TOURISM
Course Outline
61MGT3LEO
LEADERSHIP IN ORGANIZATIONS
Fall 2023
HANOI 08-2023
Leadership in Organizations – Course Outline 2
Course details
Course name Leadership in Organizations
Units of credit 5
Study length 15 weeks
Prerequisite/Co-requisite 61MGT2ITM – Introduction to Management
Suggested study
Approximately 10 hours per week
commitment
Year Fall 2023
Lecture and Course
Thu Hoang, Ph.D.
Coordinator
Thu Hoang, Ph.D.
Tutors
Phuong Duong, M.Sc.
Rm. 205, Building C; Tel: (04) 5533 560
Contact details Email: thuhg@hanu.edu.vn
Email: phuongdh@hanu.edu.vn
The Course outline contains important information. Please ensure that you read it carefully. It is
also strongly recommended that you keep this copy of your Course outline for future reference.
Course aim/rationale
According to the IMF (2023), although Vietnam experienced a strong post-pandemic recovery with a
GDP increase of 8 percent in 2022, recent turmoil created by sharply increase global interest rate,
troubled domestic banking system, financial stress in real estate industry with frozen corporate bond
market, and sharp deterioration in export markets have slowed down the fledging recovery
significantly. With other chronic challenges for businesses such as ailing infrastructure, a high
percentage of untrained labor, low labor productivity, bureaucracy, transparency (or lack thereof),
and a worsening natural environment, the survival and future growth of Vietnamese firms are highly
problematic.
Effective leadership is critical for the success of organizations, especially during this era of
heightened uncertainty, technological revolution, and intensified global competition. Research and
real-life examples have shown that businesses with strong leadership at every level of the
organization are more likely to survive and prosper in the new world.
This course focuses on developing your knowledge and skill set for leadership in this difficult time
and beyond. The content of the course is based on both cutting-edge research evidence and
exemplary business cases. The course materials will cover key leadership theories and provide
opportunities to apply these theories to real-life leadership issues through critical thinking.
Additionally, you will gain insight into your leadership traits, skills, behaviors, and styles and that of
others in the workplace. This knowledge and application will lay a critical piece of the foundation for
your future growth and development as leaders, managers, and decision-makers in Vietnam and
across borders.
The material for this course will be presented through text, lectures, case studies, and class
exercises. Students are not expected to master this material before class, but failure to familiarize
Leadership in Organizations – Course Outline 3
yourself with the material will put them at a definite disadvantage. The tentative schedule of
reading assignments is included in this course outline.
Course materials
You must purchase or have access to the following text.
• Northouse 2021, Leadership: Theory and Practice, 8th ed, SAGE Publications, Inc.
o Student resources at https://edge.sagepub.com/northouse9e
• Landy, FJ & Conte, JM 2019, Work in the 21st Century: An Introduction to Industrial and
Organizational Psychology, 6th ed, Hoboken, NJ: Wiley-Blackwell (Chapter 12 – The concept
of leadership).
• Other assigned readings will be provided before the class.
Please note that the book, book chapter, and many of the articles are written for or were conducted
using samples in North America and Europe. Due to substantial differences between the US,
European countries, and Vietnam in terms of the socioeconomic conditions, government
administration, legal environment, demographic characteristics, national cultures, and the business
practices used by local and multinational corporations, students are encouraged and ultimately
rewarded for reflecting on and making connections between US and Vietnam regarding the course’s
topics, exercise, and homework.
Course structure
The structure of this course for on-campus students comprises one 2 class hour lecture and one 2
class hour tutorial per week. However, I may conduct this course in a blended mode, combining both
online and in-classroom activities when needed.
Grading and Assignment
Your course grade is comprised of the following 5 elements:
1. Active Class Participation (10%) 10 points
2. Midterm Examination – Individual (30%) 30 points
3. Organizational Leadership Analysis (OLA) – Group (40%) 40 points
4. Personal Leadership Reflection – Individual (20%) 20 points
Total 100 points
All the assignments (i.e., midterm, organizational leadership analysis, and personal leadership
reflection) will be evaluated based on the following five criteria
Theory: Your knowledge of key theories and concepts in the course.
Data: Your ability to research and use descriptive data to support your argument.
Analysis: Your ability to integrate theory and data to create a coherent argument.
Organization: Your ability to provide a clear and well-organized presentation of information.
Application: Your ability to apply conceptual material to the assignment requirements
through critical thinking
Each of the assignments is described in more detail below:
1. Active (Online) Class Participation (10%)
Leadership in Organizations – Course Outline 4
It is important for students to attend all classes and to be punctual, unexcused absence of more than
20% of the classes will result in receiving a ‘zero’ for Class Participation. However, it is more
important for students to participate in class discussions, both online and in the classroom.
Remember, you will learn by doing, not by passively listening or observing. To do this you must be
there, you must be prepared, and you must be involved.
Participation Quality. To facilitate active participation by everyone, you must have a shared vision of
what constitutes a contribution. Contributions can be and are:
• Preparation for case study discussion
• Making observations that integrate concepts and discussions.
• Citing relevant personal examples.
• Asking key questions that lead to revealing discussions.
• Engaging in devil’s advocacy: Disagreeing with the instructor when the difference of opinion
serves as both a counterpoint and a way of exploring all sides of a concept, issue, or practice.
• Working with others to come to a common understanding of the topics
• Pulling your weight on group projects and participating enthusiastically in group activities:
Being an active group member.
Marks for classroom contribution will be allocated in the following manner:
Students in this category provide leadership in and
out of the classroom and in the online classroom
(when it is applicable) and work toward enhancing
Exceeds Expectations 9 – 10
the interpersonal dynamics of the class. Rather
than dominating the setting, they act as
facilitators, bringing others into the discussion.
For showing an active interest in class activities
and participating in classroom (including Teams
classroom) discussions; regularly making insightful
Meets Expectations 7 – 8
comments which help others to understand the
course material; being a positive group member,
etc.
For occasionally contributing to the classroom
Does not Meet Expectations 5 – 6
experience.
For failing on all the previously identified ways of
Fail - under 5
contributing.
2. Midterm Examination (30%)
The midterm will include multiple choice and/or short-answer questions. There will be NO make-up
exams except for serious, documentable reasons. Please bring a pencil and an eraser to the
midterm. The midterm component may be administered twice over the semester.
Leadership in Organizations – Course Outline 5
3. Organizational Leadership Analysis – Analysis of an Actual Organization (40%)
This assignment will require you, in a team of 5 students, to analyze an actual organization as a
leadership consultant might do. Your task will be to collect information regarding the organization’s
leadership situation, analyze the situation from a leadership perspective, and make
recommendations about what could be done to address the leadership issues and improve the
organization.
The key parts of the presentation should be:
A. Introduction to the organization: Provide key information regarding the organization (e.g.,
industry, ownership, size, product & services) and other relevant information such as
organizational strategy, structure, and culture. Do not identify the organization by name but be
sure to provide enough information about the organization to help the audience understand the
contextual variables of your analysis. Also, explain how you collected the data for this project (e.g.,
observation, interviews, archived data).
B. Diagnosis and Prescription – Here’s where you need to APPLY THE COURSE MATERIAL. Do NOT
just use your opinions. This is where you demonstrate to me that you can apply the material
from the course to a real-life case.
a. Diagnosis: A clear description of the leadership situation. The description might
include information regarding leadership problems and issues, organization policies
and culture, individual perception of the situation, and other situational factors. You
should also explain how and why these issues are significant for the organization. In
your discussion, you will have to use at least two different leadership theories,
preferably at two different levels of analysis (i.e., individual, group, or organization).
Explain how the theories’ models and concepts are relevant to the issues. Discuss the
issues considering those theories.
b. Prescription: What should be done to solve these problems? Design a new system for
dealing with these leadership issues. Again, this part gives you a chance to show you
can apply the course material to a specific case. Again, be sure to use the terms that
are used in the course.
C. Action – How would you implement this? Who in the organization should oversee these
changes? What problems would you or the organization face in trying to implement it? How
should the organization deal with these problems?
You will submit a report (check the guide for the format) and slides for your presentation at the end
of week 11. You will present your analysis in weeks 12 and 13. The presentation should be 15
minutes. It will be followed by a short question-and-answer session. Transparencies, videos, slides,
pictures, and any form of creativity are encouraged (but do not go overboard). All members of the
team are required to participate in the presentation.
The report should use one-inch margins and should be (a) 2000 words of text (b) typed, (c) double-
spaced, and (d) paginated (i.e., put in page numbers!) Grammar and spelling will enter the grade you
receive.
*** If you have unresolved issues with another group member (s) regarding the presentation, be
sure to bring them to my attention immediately and before the due date.
I will score your team’s performance based on your ability to communicate your analysis effectively
to the audience, how well you integrate the course material into your presentation, and your
Leadership in Organizations – Course Outline 6
professionalism. Your peers will also give you presentation feedback, during the Q&A session, which
will not count toward your grade.
Presentation guidelines/grading:
• The team has a clear understanding of the material presented.
• The presentation follows a guided sequence.
• Speech is captivating/worth the time and attention.
• Presenters stand, walk or move about with appropriate hand gestures or facial expressions
(as opposed to sitting down or standing still with head down and reading from a prepared
speech).
• The team provides creative, plausible alternatives for leadership to consider
• The team speaks loudly and clearly and sounds confident.
• The team integrates course material well into the presentation.
• The team professionally addresses audience questions.
General presentation tips:
• Do not over-dazzle your audience with excessive use of animation, sound clips, or gaudy
colors which are inappropriate for your topic.
• Do not read from notes for any extended length of time (It is acceptable to glance at your
notes infrequently).
• Do not torture your audience by putting a lengthy document in tiny print overhead and
reading it out to them.
• DO practice and rehearse your speech at home or where you can be at ease and
comfortable, in front of a mirror, with your family, friends, or colleagues.
• DO add humor whenever appropriate and possible. Keep the audience interested
throughout your entire presentation. Remember that an interesting speech makes time fly,
but a boring speech is always too long to endure even if the presentation time is the same.
• DO establish rapports with your audience.
• DO speak to the person farthest away from you to ensure your voice is loud enough to
project to the back of the room. Vary the tone of your voice and dramatize if necessary.
• DO speak with conviction as if you really believe in what you are saying.
• If you make an error, correct it, and continue. No need to make excuses or apologize
profusely.
• Know what your strong and weak points are. Emphasize your strong points during your
presentation.
• Maintain sincere eye contact with your audience. Use the 3-second method, e.g. look
straight into the eyes of a person in the audience for 3 seconds at a time. Have direct eye
contact with several people in the audience, and now and then glance at the whole audience
while speaking. Use your eye contact to make everyone in your audience feel involved.
• If what you have prepared is not getting across to your audience, change your strategy mid-
stream if you are well prepared to do so. Remember that communication is the key to a
successful presentation. If you are short of time, know what can be safely left out. If you
have extra time, know what could be effectively added. Always be prepared for the
unexpected.
• Pause. Allow yourself and your audience a little time to reflect and think. Don't race through
Leadership in Organizations – Course Outline 7
your presentation and leave your audience, as well as yourself, feeling out of breath.
• Have handouts ready if appropriate and give them out at the right time.
4. Personal Leadership Reflection (20%)
By the end of this course, you will have learned about the foundation and essential tools of
leadership. You will have learned how leadership theory guides practice, how certain experiences
and events shape the behaviors of leaders in organizations, and how our personal philosophy of
leadership guides our values, motivation, and actions. This course is designed to help you ‘explore’
and ‘define’ leadership from many different perspectives.
Your reflection on your personal leadership is the capstone of your ‘explore’ and ‘define’ experience.
Each person has their own platform, which is what they stand for and believe in based on their
personal characteristics and experiences. In this reflection, you are asked to state, analyze, and
discuss your leadership platform including what you believe in, your values, what you are passionate
about, and how your leadership skills have changed and/or remained the same during this course.
Please use the following ‘define’ and ‘explore’ questionnaires to guide your reflection.
Define: What is your personal leadership philosophy and/or definition? What are the values, beliefs,
and assumptions that guide your leadership judgment and behaviors? Has it changed over the past
semester? If yes, how? What specific leadership theories (e.g., Trait, Behavioral, Contingency, and
Transformational) do you identify the most with? And why?
Explore: Where are you “right now” in terms of your own personal leadership? What service
activities are you passionate about? If you were given an opportunity to change something that you
deeply care about in your school, your organization, or your community, what would that be and
how would you go about changing it? What is your plan for developing your leadership abilities?
The reflection due date is specified in this syllabus. The reflection should use one-inch margins and
should be (a) 750 words of text (b) typed, (c) double-spaced, and (d) paginated (i.e., put in page
numbers!) Grammar and spelling will enter the grade you receive. Appendices, tables, and/or figures
do not count toward the 3-page limit. Reflections are due via MS Teams in the second last week of the
semester. NO LATE ASSIGNMENTS WILL BE ACCEPTED
Students with Disability
If you have a disability and need academic accommodation, please notify me immediately to arrange
needed support.
Academic Honesty
The Faculty of Management and Tourism strictly prohibits all forms of academic cheating, fraud, and
dishonesty. These acts include but are not limited to, plagiarism, buying and selling of course
assignments and research papers, performing academic assignments (including tests and
examinations) for other persons, and other practices commonly understood to be academically
dishonest. Acts of academic dishonesty may result in a failing grade on the exam or assignment for
which the dishonesty occurred or failing the course.
PROPOSED WEEKLY SCHEDULE
*** Students are advised to take all the Self-Assessment exercises in the assigned chapters.
Leadership in Organizations – Course Outline 8
*** Please note that REI Business week will be integrated in the schedule later
Week 1
Introduction: Expectations and syllabus review.
Lecture: Introduction to leadership, leadership vs. management.
Reading: Chapter 1 Northouse (2021); Kotter (1990); Conte & Landy (2019, pp. 463-
474).
Week 2
Lecture: The trait approach to leadership.
Case study: Choosing a New Director of Research.
Recruiting for the Bank.
Reading: Chapter 2, Northouse (2021); Hogan & Hogan (2001); Judge et al. (2002);
Conte & Landy (2019, pp. 475-482); Zaccazo (2007).
Week 3
Lecture: The skill approach to leadership.
Case study: A Strained Research Team.
Andy’s Recipe.
Reading: Chapter 3, Northouse (2021); Conte & Landy (2019, pp. 475-482); Mumford,
Campion, and Morgeson (2007).
Week 4
Lecture: The behavioral approach to leadership.
Case study: A Drill Sergeant at First .
We Are Family.
Reading: Chapter 4, Northouse (2021); Judge, Piccolo, & Ilies (2004); Conte & Landy
(2019, pp. 475-482).
Week 5
Lecture: The situational (contingency) approach to leadership.
Case study: Marathon Runners at Different Levels.
Getting the Message Across.
Reading: Chapter 5, Northouse (2021); Conte & Landy (2019, pp. 475-482); Vroom &
Jago (2007).
Week 6
Review of Chapters 1 – 5 and Midterm Examination
Week 7
Lecture: Leader-member exchange (LMX) theory.
Case study: His Team Gets the Best Assignment.
Working Hard at Being Fair.
Reading: Chapter 7, Northouse (2021); Dulebohn et al. (2012); Conte & Landy (2019,
pp. 483-491).
Week 8
Lecture: Transformational leadership.
Leadership in Organizations – Course Outline 9
Case study: The Vision Failed.
An Exploration in Leadership.
Reading: Chapter 8, Northouse (2021); Conte & Landy (2019, pp. 483-491); Wang et
al. (2011)
Week 9
Lecture: Leadership Ethics
Case study: Choosing a Research Assistant.
Reexamining a Proposal.
Reading: Chapter 15, Northouse (2021); Conte & Landy (2019, pp. 492-505).
Week 10
Lecture: Team leadership
Case study: Team Crisis Within the Gates.
Starts with a Bang, Ends with a Whimper.
Reading: Chapter 16, Northouse (2021); Conte & Landy (2019, pp. 492-505);
Kozlowski et al (2009).
Week 11
Lecture: Gender and Leadership
Case study: The “Glass Ceiling”.
Pregnancy as a Barrier to Job Status.
Reading: Chapter 16, Northouse (2021); Conte & Landy (20139, pp. 492-505).
Week 12
Presentation of Organizational Leadership Analysis
Week 13
Presentation of Organizational Leadership Analysis
Week 14
Industry Engagement: REI Business Week
Week 15
Final Examination
