DIGITAL LEADERSHIP AND TEAMWORKS
Syllabus
EN
IT
Learning Objectives
LEARNING OUTCOMES
The module aims to theoretically frame the issues of working in modern contexts, specifically in its evolved forms such as hybrid, flexible, and virtual environments, and to practically develop relational and group management skills, specifically designed for digital settings.
The module is divided into two parts: the first concerns leadership dynamics and teamwork and the second one specifically analyzes the particular aspects of leading and working in digital and virtual teams. Although these theoretical aspects are necessary to increase students’ awareness and knowledge, the goal of a comprehensive personal development is paramount. The module aims to stimulate and develop students’ ability to understand the social context they are or will be embedded in the workplace and how this context interacts with their ways of acting and behaving. Through this "decoding" ability, students’ reaction and leadership skills will be stimulated.
For these reasons, the course will strongly rely on practical exercises and simulations, using an experiential learning approach. As premised, the module is divided into 2 sections:
• Section I: Team Management
I.a Group composition and individual differences
I.b Social and team dynamics
I.c Group management and leadership strategies
• Section II: Team Management in the Digital Context
• II.a Differences between groups in physical and virtual contexts
• II.b Collaborating in virtual teams
• II.c Leading virtual teams
KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING:
1. Acquire and demonstrate mastery of general concepts related to working in teams, including those applied to digital contexts. Specifically:
1.1. Models and theories regarding individual differences and their consequences on the team
1.2. Social dynamics within a team and their management with leadership strategies
1.3. Understanding the differences between working in teams in physical or digital contexts
1.4. Understanding leadership models and crucial aspects for managing a virtual team
APPLYING KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING:
2. Develop skills to analyze behaviors of team members, considering them as part of a group and to manage them, particularly in digital contexts. These skills are necessary for an accurate assessment of one's individual behavior and to decode that of others in co-located or virtual teams.
MAKING JUDGEMENTS:
3. Demonstrate the ability to develop strategies and solutions to organizational problems related to teamwork and its leadership, particularly in digital contexts.
4. Relational, interpersonal and negotiation skills that through an interactive experience will help students to contribute in a more effective way to the development of their workplace and future teams
COMMUNICATION SKILLS:
5. Ability of writing through reflective report and creation of effective and clear presentation materials.
6. Presentation skills and pitching ability in reason of the many exercises.
7. Ability to adjust the communication modes and strategies in relation to the context and possible receivers.
LEARNING SKILLS:
8.Show proof of a capacity of reflection and continuous learning to promote, also in professional and organizational future contexts, a social improvement of the overall organizational climate.
The module aims to theoretically frame the issues of working in modern contexts, specifically in its evolved forms such as hybrid, flexible, and virtual environments, and to practically develop relational and group management skills, specifically designed for digital settings.
The module is divided into two parts: the first concerns leadership dynamics and teamwork and the second one specifically analyzes the particular aspects of leading and working in digital and virtual teams. Although these theoretical aspects are necessary to increase students’ awareness and knowledge, the goal of a comprehensive personal development is paramount. The module aims to stimulate and develop students’ ability to understand the social context they are or will be embedded in the workplace and how this context interacts with their ways of acting and behaving. Through this "decoding" ability, students’ reaction and leadership skills will be stimulated.
For these reasons, the course will strongly rely on practical exercises and simulations, using an experiential learning approach. As premised, the module is divided into 2 sections:
• Section I: Team Management
I.a Group composition and individual differences
I.b Social and team dynamics
I.c Group management and leadership strategies
• Section II: Team Management in the Digital Context
• II.a Differences between groups in physical and virtual contexts
• II.b Collaborating in virtual teams
• II.c Leading virtual teams
KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING:
1. Acquire and demonstrate mastery of general concepts related to working in teams, including those applied to digital contexts. Specifically:
1.1. Models and theories regarding individual differences and their consequences on the team
1.2. Social dynamics within a team and their management with leadership strategies
1.3. Understanding the differences between working in teams in physical or digital contexts
1.4. Understanding leadership models and crucial aspects for managing a virtual team
APPLYING KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING:
2. Develop skills to analyze behaviors of team members, considering them as part of a group and to manage them, particularly in digital contexts. These skills are necessary for an accurate assessment of one's individual behavior and to decode that of others in co-located or virtual teams.
MAKING JUDGEMENTS:
3. Demonstrate the ability to develop strategies and solutions to organizational problems related to teamwork and its leadership, particularly in digital contexts.
4. Relational, interpersonal and negotiation skills that through an interactive experience will help students to contribute in a more effective way to the development of their workplace and future teams
COMMUNICATION SKILLS:
5. Ability of writing through reflective report and creation of effective and clear presentation materials.
6. Presentation skills and pitching ability in reason of the many exercises.
7. Ability to adjust the communication modes and strategies in relation to the context and possible receivers.
LEARNING SKILLS:
8.Show proof of a capacity of reflection and continuous learning to promote, also in professional and organizational future contexts, a social improvement of the overall organizational climate.
Prerequisites
None
Program
(in chronological sequence)
Section I – Team Management
a) Group Composition and individual Differences: (1 week)
i) Personality,
ii) Organizational and behavioral roles,
iii) Cultural differences.
b) Social and team dynamics: (2 week)
i) Team functioning,
ii) Conflict management,
iii) Communication (interpersonal).
c) Group management and leadership strategies: (3 week)
i) Leadership strategies,
ii) Emotional intelligence,
iii) Management of power.
2) Section II – Team Management in the Digital Context
a) Differences between Physical and Virtual Teams: (4 week)
i) Fundamental characteristics of the virtual work environment,
ii) Self-management.
b) Collaborating in Virtual Teams: (4-5 week)
i) Virtuality and interpersonal relationships,
ii) Personal accountability,
iii) Digital mediated communication.
c) Leading Virtual Teams: (6 week)
i) Guiding the team in digital contexts,
ii) Selecting the right communication tools,
iii) Overcoming personal and contextual barriers in digital collaboration.
Section I – Team Management
a) Group Composition and individual Differences: (1 week)
i) Personality,
ii) Organizational and behavioral roles,
iii) Cultural differences.
b) Social and team dynamics: (2 week)
i) Team functioning,
ii) Conflict management,
iii) Communication (interpersonal).
c) Group management and leadership strategies: (3 week)
i) Leadership strategies,
ii) Emotional intelligence,
iii) Management of power.
2) Section II – Team Management in the Digital Context
a) Differences between Physical and Virtual Teams: (4 week)
i) Fundamental characteristics of the virtual work environment,
ii) Self-management.
b) Collaborating in Virtual Teams: (4-5 week)
i) Virtuality and interpersonal relationships,
ii) Personal accountability,
iii) Digital mediated communication.
c) Leading Virtual Teams: (6 week)
i) Guiding the team in digital contexts,
ii) Selecting the right communication tools,
iii) Overcoming personal and contextual barriers in digital collaboration.
Books
Textbook:
1. Eikenberry, K., & Turmel, W. (2018). The Long-Distance Leader: Rules for Remarkable Remote Leadership. Berrett-Koehler Publishers.
Readings:
2. The Virtual Manager Collection. U.S., Harvard Business Review Press, 2016.
3. Zander, L., Mockaitis, A. I., & Butler, C. L. (2012). Leading global teams. Journal of World Business, 47(4), 592-603.
1. Eikenberry, K., & Turmel, W. (2018). The Long-Distance Leader: Rules for Remarkable Remote Leadership. Berrett-Koehler Publishers.
Readings:
2. The Virtual Manager Collection. U.S., Harvard Business Review Press, 2016.
3. Zander, L., Mockaitis, A. I., & Butler, C. L. (2012). Leading global teams. Journal of World Business, 47(4), 592-603.
Bibliography
Slides and other material will be available under the course web site.
The slides do not represent a support for an effective and successful preparation to the
exam of the course. They represent only a help to facilitate the transfer of the knowledge
to students during the lectures.
The slides do not represent a support for an effective and successful preparation to the
exam of the course. They represent only a help to facilitate the transfer of the knowledge
to students during the lectures.
Exam Rules
The purpose of the entire course is to provide students with the opportunity to apply and understand what has been presented during the course itself. Additionally, students will be required to engage in personal work with deep reflections on the experiences undergone during various experiential sessions, utilizing critical thinking and independent judgment.
For this reason, the exam is conducted in three ways:
1. In-class Assessments (Group or Individual Exercises) These exercises are optional but are designed to help build a portfolio of concrete experiences and reflections on working in a group and managing it as a leader, which can be used for the final exam. Each of these exercises can earn up to one additional point on the final grade, provided that the work is positively evaluated—simply completing the work is not enough to obtain the bonus points. Moreover, students who participate in ALL the exercises (in-class assessments) may be exempt from the oral exam. The assessments are optional, can be done individually or in groups, and allow participants to demonstrate mastery of theories, the ability to apply them to contexts experienced by groups or individually, and finally, the ability to produce in-depth judgments and reflections, as well as stimulate interpersonal skills and social context awareness. These exercises will also help students develop their communication skills, both in public speaking and in creating clear and comprehensive written materials.
2. Project work (valutazione di progetto) (Individual) The production of an individual paper that analyzes, through personal reflection, the experience lived during the course. The discussion and personal reflection must stem from all exercises, as well as events and dynamics that occurred outside of them during “normal” and informal interactions among group members or during individual study. All this can be used as examples to support the discussions. Students are therefore required to express a comprehensive reflection, also thanks to the portfolio of previous group or individual exercises. The paper must be at least 5,000 words (this limit can only be exceeded). Submission should be made on the TEAMS platform, where an activity will be created for each exam session.
The paper and its reflections will be articulated according to the course contents, with the following points:
o Part 1 – Team Management: Team composition, social interaction dynamics, and group management strategies.
o Part 2 – Digital Team Management: Self-management, collaboration in a virtual team, and digital leadership strategies.
To facilitate the creation of the report, a detailed grid in tabular form with specific questions for each section of the report will be available on the faculty website.
For each point, the experience lived with the group must be described and interpreted, using both theories and concepts presented during the course and concrete examples from the specific group experience or everyday work life. It is necessary to indicate “how” and “why” the theory mentioned is relevant and can be applied to the experience lived by the group and the individual candidate. The integration of theoretical concepts can be done either to confirm good practices adopted by the group that represent an application of the theory or to correct practices adopted by the group that have proven non-functional but could be improved by better applying certain theories. This structure applies to all students, but if in-class assessments were not taken or were taken individually, the same reflections can refer only to everyday or work experiences. The reflections should thus be adapted to ideal or hypothetical situations following the guidelines provided for each exercise.
This assessment aims to evaluate both the knowledge acquired and the ability to apply these theories to personal and, if applicable, group experiences. Particularly in the last part, the ability to express independent judgments and reflect on what happened is also tested. Finally, written communication skills are another component of the evaluation.
3. Oral Exam (Individual) The candidate will be asked two types of questions: the first type of questions is focused on the project work, requiring reflection on the personal elaboration of theoretical content from the course and its application to the case at hand. The second type consists of more traditional questions that assess the theoretical elements presented during the course. The project work should be ready to be presented during the exam. However, if all in-class assessments have been submitted, the second type of questions, i.e. the theoretical questions, will not be asked.
In this exam as well, the acquisition of knowledge, its application in practice, and the autonomy of judgment in formulating personal reflections on the events will be tested. Oral presentation and orderly exposition skills will also be tested.
The project work the oral exam will be evaluated according to the following criteria:
• Not suitable: Significant deficiencies in knowledge and understanding of the topics and their application to the lived social and experiential context; frequent generalizations and limited critical and judgmental ability in reflections on the experience; the topics are presented inconsistently and with inappropriate/non-technical language.
• 18-20: Knowledge and understanding of the topics somewhat lacking, and their application to the lived social and experiential context limited; possible generalizations and limited critical and judgmental ability in reflections on the experience; the topics are presented inconsistently and with somewhat inappropriate/technical language.
• 21-23: Satisfactory but memorized knowledge and understanding of the topics; sufficient application of theoretical topics to the lived social and experiential context; possible generalizations but some critical and judgmental ability in reflections on the experience; the topics are presented consistently with appropriate/technical language.
• 24-26: Good knowledge and understanding of the topics; correct application of theoretical topics to the lived social and experiential context; minimal generalizations and good critical and judgmental ability in reflections on the experience; the topics are presented rigorously but not always with appropriate/technical language.
• 27-29: Complete knowledge and understanding of the topics; extensive and rigorous application of theoretical topics to the lived social and experiential context; good critical and judgmental ability in reflections on the experience; the topics are presented rigorously and with appropriate/technical language.
• 30-30L: Excellent level of knowledge and in-depth understanding of the topics, as well as a marked analytical ability and application to the lived social and experiential context; excellent critical and judgmental ability with the creation of deep reflections on the experience; arguments expressed originally and with appropriate technical language.
For this reason, the exam is conducted in three ways:
1. In-class Assessments (Group or Individual Exercises) These exercises are optional but are designed to help build a portfolio of concrete experiences and reflections on working in a group and managing it as a leader, which can be used for the final exam. Each of these exercises can earn up to one additional point on the final grade, provided that the work is positively evaluated—simply completing the work is not enough to obtain the bonus points. Moreover, students who participate in ALL the exercises (in-class assessments) may be exempt from the oral exam. The assessments are optional, can be done individually or in groups, and allow participants to demonstrate mastery of theories, the ability to apply them to contexts experienced by groups or individually, and finally, the ability to produce in-depth judgments and reflections, as well as stimulate interpersonal skills and social context awareness. These exercises will also help students develop their communication skills, both in public speaking and in creating clear and comprehensive written materials.
2. Project work (valutazione di progetto) (Individual) The production of an individual paper that analyzes, through personal reflection, the experience lived during the course. The discussion and personal reflection must stem from all exercises, as well as events and dynamics that occurred outside of them during “normal” and informal interactions among group members or during individual study. All this can be used as examples to support the discussions. Students are therefore required to express a comprehensive reflection, also thanks to the portfolio of previous group or individual exercises. The paper must be at least 5,000 words (this limit can only be exceeded). Submission should be made on the TEAMS platform, where an activity will be created for each exam session.
The paper and its reflections will be articulated according to the course contents, with the following points:
o Part 1 – Team Management: Team composition, social interaction dynamics, and group management strategies.
o Part 2 – Digital Team Management: Self-management, collaboration in a virtual team, and digital leadership strategies.
To facilitate the creation of the report, a detailed grid in tabular form with specific questions for each section of the report will be available on the faculty website.
For each point, the experience lived with the group must be described and interpreted, using both theories and concepts presented during the course and concrete examples from the specific group experience or everyday work life. It is necessary to indicate “how” and “why” the theory mentioned is relevant and can be applied to the experience lived by the group and the individual candidate. The integration of theoretical concepts can be done either to confirm good practices adopted by the group that represent an application of the theory or to correct practices adopted by the group that have proven non-functional but could be improved by better applying certain theories. This structure applies to all students, but if in-class assessments were not taken or were taken individually, the same reflections can refer only to everyday or work experiences. The reflections should thus be adapted to ideal or hypothetical situations following the guidelines provided for each exercise.
This assessment aims to evaluate both the knowledge acquired and the ability to apply these theories to personal and, if applicable, group experiences. Particularly in the last part, the ability to express independent judgments and reflect on what happened is also tested. Finally, written communication skills are another component of the evaluation.
3. Oral Exam (Individual) The candidate will be asked two types of questions: the first type of questions is focused on the project work, requiring reflection on the personal elaboration of theoretical content from the course and its application to the case at hand. The second type consists of more traditional questions that assess the theoretical elements presented during the course. The project work should be ready to be presented during the exam. However, if all in-class assessments have been submitted, the second type of questions, i.e. the theoretical questions, will not be asked.
In this exam as well, the acquisition of knowledge, its application in practice, and the autonomy of judgment in formulating personal reflections on the events will be tested. Oral presentation and orderly exposition skills will also be tested.
The project work the oral exam will be evaluated according to the following criteria:
• Not suitable: Significant deficiencies in knowledge and understanding of the topics and their application to the lived social and experiential context; frequent generalizations and limited critical and judgmental ability in reflections on the experience; the topics are presented inconsistently and with inappropriate/non-technical language.
• 18-20: Knowledge and understanding of the topics somewhat lacking, and their application to the lived social and experiential context limited; possible generalizations and limited critical and judgmental ability in reflections on the experience; the topics are presented inconsistently and with somewhat inappropriate/technical language.
• 21-23: Satisfactory but memorized knowledge and understanding of the topics; sufficient application of theoretical topics to the lived social and experiential context; possible generalizations but some critical and judgmental ability in reflections on the experience; the topics are presented consistently with appropriate/technical language.
• 24-26: Good knowledge and understanding of the topics; correct application of theoretical topics to the lived social and experiential context; minimal generalizations and good critical and judgmental ability in reflections on the experience; the topics are presented rigorously but not always with appropriate/technical language.
• 27-29: Complete knowledge and understanding of the topics; extensive and rigorous application of theoretical topics to the lived social and experiential context; good critical and judgmental ability in reflections on the experience; the topics are presented rigorously and with appropriate/technical language.
• 30-30L: Excellent level of knowledge and in-depth understanding of the topics, as well as a marked analytical ability and application to the lived social and experiential context; excellent critical and judgmental ability with the creation of deep reflections on the experience; arguments expressed originally and with appropriate technical language.