Strategic Management and Leadership

About

This module examines the integrated relationship between leadership, strategy, and management from both philosophical and practical perspectives. Its purpose is to show how vision is shaped through leadership, transformed into strategy, and executed through effective management. Vision sets purpose, leadership provides direction and adaptability, and management organises people and resources to achieve results. The module highlights how these disciplines depend on one another and how alignment among them drives long-term organisational success.

Students explore the philosophical foundations of each field and apply established frameworks, methods, and real-world cases to understand how leadership influences strategic direction, how strategy guides managerial action, and how all three interact in complex organisational environments. Individual and group activities strengthen strategic thinking, leadership capability, and applied management skills.

Week one: Leadership
Leadership types: autocratic, democratic, strategic, transformational, team, cross-cultural, facilitative, laissez-faire, transactional, coaching, charismatic, visionary
Leadership theories: trait, behavioural, contingency, power and influence
Determinant factors: organisational vision, size, interaction levels, autonomy, culture
Leadership in non-hierarchical structures: flat, flattened, flatarchy, holacracy, democratic, network, teal, matrix, lattice
Cognitive science in leadership: emotional intelligence, neuro-management, holistic thinking, intellectual capital

Week two: Strategy & Strategic Management
Strategy frameworks: corporate, competitive, market-driven, disruptive innovation, knowledge-creation, red/blue ocean, goal-based planning, OKRs
Strategy mapping tools: strategy maps, business model canvas, VRIO, SWOT, gap planning, PESTLE, balanced scorecard
Integrated approaches: continuous strategy, knowledge-based strategy, lean and agile strategy, shared-value strategy
Digital transformation strategy: AI, digital twins, expert/fuzzy systems, VR/AR, metaverse technologies, serious games, gamification, blockchain
Change-management models: Theory X/Y, Lewin’s forces, Kotter’s model, ADKAR

Week three: Applied Philosophy & Case Studies
Applied philosophy: Wisdom Cube, Company Democracy Model, Green/Pink Ocean Strategy, Co-Evolute Methodology, Delphic Maxims
Philosophical influences: Socrates, Plato, Aristotle, Machiavelli, Voltaire, Descartes, Bacon, Adam Smith, Confucius
Leadership case studies: Steve Jobs, Bill Gates, Karl Lagerfeld, Walt Disney, Henry Ford, Estée Lauder, Thomas Watson
Corporate case studies: Daimler–Chrysler, Apple, Nintendo, Nokia, EasyJet, Tesla, Virgin, IBM, The New York Times, Tencent, Alibaba

Course leader

Dr. Evangelos Markopoulos

Course aim

This module aims to:

- Introduce and critically explore key leadership styles and theories, examining their relevance and application in contemporary and non-hierarchical organizational structures.
- Analyse the strategic role of leadership in shaping vision, culture and performance across diverse organizational contexts.
Examine and apply core strategic management frameworks such as SWOT, VRIO, BMC, PESTLE and Balanced Scorecard to real-world business scenarios.
- Evaluate traditional and emerging strategy models, including corporate, market-driven, knowledge-based and disruptive innovation strategies.
- Explore integrated and adaptive approaches to strategic management, such as agile, lean, knowledge-based and continuous strategy models.
- Understand and assess digital transformation strategies, with a focus on Artificial Intelligence, Digital Twins, the Metaverse, Blockchain and gamification technologies.
- Investigate the role of cognitive science in leadership, including emotional intelligence, neuro-leadership, intellectual capital and holistic thinking.
- Introduce and critically reflect on applied philosophical frameworks, including the Wisdom Cube, Delphic Maxims and contributions from classical and modern philosophers to leadership and strategy.
- Analyse and compare leadership and corporate case studies, drawing lessons from figures such as Steve Jobs, Walt Disney, Estée Lauder and companies such as Apple, Tesla, Virgin and Tencent.
- Evaluate the dynamics and models of organizational change, including Kotter’s model, Lewin’s forces and the ADKAR framework and their impact on strategic transformation.
- Develop strategic thinking, leadership confidence and ethical awareness, preparing you for roles that require complex decision-making and vision-oriented leadership.
- Encourage critical reflection and collaborative learning, enabling you to apply theory to practice through case-based discussions, group work and individual analysis.

Fee info