Leadership has been studied for centuries, although its examination in modern times has largely focused on the work of senior executives in private sector, profit-making organisations.
In this free course, you will learn more about leadership in the context of public service provision, by public sector organisations, community and voluntary groups, and political bodies.
You will explore the distinctive features of leadership in public service, including its increasing focus on the generation of public value and the negotiation of different forms of public interest. You will learn some of the key skills of public leadership such as political astuteness, working in collaboration and conflict handling.
Throughout, you will look at different types of public leadership, exploring the different roles of elected politicians, public servants and community activists (or detract from) the public good. You will consider different levels and contributions of leadership - from frontline police officers or social workers through to prime ministers.
Finally, you will have the opportunity to examine, through a series of interviews with key stakeholders, how awareness of these key facets of public leadership is helping to change the face of policing in Britain today.
Course learning outcomes
After studying this course, you should be able to:
- understand the importance of leadership in public services and the role of leaders in the creation of public value
- reflect on experiences of leadership in the public sphere for personal development
- assess the style, effectiveness and political astuteness of public service professionals and activists exercising leadership
- recognise how to improve personal effectiveness in leading teams, change and innovation
- propose collaborative solutions to complex problems and conflict solutions in the public sphere.
First Published: 31/10/2016
Updated: 20/06/2019
-----Old style comments (this format for comments is no longer supported but is still displayed for reference)------
William Ifejimalu - 16 July 2019 10:23pm
This course is very engaging and educative. It made me understand the different leadership approaches and public values. Conflicts and ways to handle them effectively. It is a very interesting course and would recommend everyone to enroll as you stand to learn a lot before the end of the program. I am happy!
William Ifejimalu - 16 July 2019 10:24pm
This course is very engaging and educative. It made me understand the different leadership approaches and public values. Conflicts and ways to handle them effectively. It is a very interesting course and would recommend everyone to enroll as you stand to learn a lot before the end of the program. I am happy!
William Ifejimalu - 16 July 2019 10:26pm
This course is very engaging and educative. It made me understand the different leadership approaches and public values. Conflicts and ways to handle them effectively. It is a very interesting course and would recommend everyone to enroll as you stand to learn a lot before the end of the program. I am happy!
OpenLearn Moderator - 19 July 2019 10:31am
Hi William,
Thank you very much for your kind message!
OL Moderator.