Become a better leader, guided by a situational theory of leadership
8 weeks, excluding
orientation
7–10 hours per week,
entirely online
Weekly modules,
flexible learning
1
A personalized theory of leadership decision-aid that you can use throughout your career to improve and guide your leadership approaches.
2
The practical skills required to adapt your behavior to achieve the goals of an organization.
3
The ability to apply personality theory to different leadership scenarios, and the management abilities required to navigate organizational challenges and promote team purpose.
4
A digital certificate of successful completion from the UC Davis Graduate School of Management, one of the top business schools in the U.S. and globally, further validating your leadership skills and knowledge.
Globally, corporate leadership training is set to grow by $18.59 billion by 2026. It’s a clear indicator that strong business leaders remain in high demand — with organizations around the world seeking those with a future-ready skill set. In fact, leadership development has been shown to boost financial performance, attract and retain talent, improve company culture, as well as customer retention. Even more importantly, it can help ensure organizations are more adaptable to change — an integral aspect of business success. As such, having in-demand leadership skills can offer prospective employees, and those looking to advance in their careers, a significant competitive advantage.
Over the duration of this online course, you’ll work your way through the following modules:
Module 1 A Situational Theory of Leadership: An Organizing Framework
Explore a situational theory of leadership and meet the fictional team that you will be engaging with throughout the course.
Module 2 Leadership and Personality
Explore personality traits and figure out how to choose the right leader for the right situation.
Module 3 Leadership and Communication
Use your personal values to communicate your trustworthiness as a leader to your team.
Module 4 Understanding Leadership as a Relationship With Followers
Create and lead teams more effectively by taking each individual's personality and strengths into account.
Module 5 Leading Teams
Learn how to design team purpose, effectively fill team roles, and promote team psychological safety.
Module 6 Leading in Times of Crisis
Compare different crisis situations and determine how best to lead a team through such situations.
Module 7 Leading Change
Explore how to lead effective and transformational change in an organization.
Module 8 Creating a Situational Theory of Leadership Decision-Aid
Learn how to apply your theoretical understanding and insights to create a situational theory of leadership decision-aid.
Please note that module titles and their contents are subject to change during course development.
Kimberly Elsbach
Professor Emeritus
Professor of Management, UC Davis
Kimberly Elsbach is a celebrated professor of Management at the University of California, Davis Graduate School of Management. An internationally recognized expert in organizational behavior, Elsbach’s research focuses on the perception and management of individual and organizational images, identities, and reputations. She was named the first recipient of the prestigious Stephan G. Newberry Endowed Chair in Leadership at UC Davis in 2010. She received her Ph.D. in Industrial Engineering from Stanford University.
“The topic was new to me and I found it very interesting and applicable to my professional needs. The workplace has changed over the past couple of decades and leadership must also adapt to the organizational and societal cultures and norms. I believe this course provided good learnings on how to lead in this environment.”
This UC Davis online program is delivered in collaboration with online education provider, GetSmarter. Join a growing community of global professionals who have already benefited from the opportunity to:
Gain verifiable and relevant competencies and earn invaluable recognition from an international selection of universities and institutions, online and in your own time.
Enjoy a personalized, people-mediated online learning experience created to make you feel supported at every step.
Experience a flexible but structured approach to online education as you plan your learning around your life to meet weekly milestones.