This module offers an introduction to issues around leading and managing people in faith-based organisations and faith communities, on leadership development, and in engaging with people outside of the organisation itself. Course content will focus on issues such as strategies for influencing others, communications, ethics and interpersonal relationships, elements of human resources management, developing social impact and engagement, social innovation, community mobilisation, intergenerational leadership, community organising, mentoring and leadership development, implicit bias and theological anthropology. Theological reflection on the issues concerned will address the realities of leading people of faith in diverse contemporary societies and cultures and religious motivations for social and civil engagement, committing to an interreligious context whilst acknowledging central faith-specific priorities.
Learning Outcomes
By the end of the module students should be able to:
Identify and evaluate contemporary best practice in human resource management and interpret its significance for faith communities;
Reflect upon issues of human personhood and interpersonal and intercommunity relations theologically within or for a particular religious tradition and explore the implications of this awareness for professional practice;
Apply their learning to specific practical contexts and challenges in the workplace and wider community;
Demonstrate their understanding and application of practical and professional leadership skills in areas such as community organising, social innovation, intergenerational leadership and mentoring and leadership development.
At the discretion of the module convenor, students taking this module as a degree apprenticeship candidate can be invited instead to submit an alternative form of assessment, which can be EITHER:
a) A strategic business proposal of up to 4,000 words (to be delivered to a detailed specification to be provided); OR b) A portfolio of evidence of professional development (comprising up to 18 discrete pieces of evidence, to be delivered to a detailed specification to be provided).
Each of these alternative assessment models a) and b) may only be applied once each across the MPA programme and to modules determined by the programme leader (ordinarily to the fifth and sixth modules to be delivered on the programme respectively).
Reassessment: Resubmission of any and all failed components (selecting a different essay title/topic where there is a choice of titles/topics).