Study-Unit Description

Study-Unit Description


CODE PPL5109

 
TITLE Patterns of Leadership in Government

 
UM LEVEL 05 - Postgraduate Modular Diploma or Degree Course

 
MQF LEVEL 7

 
ECTS CREDITS 5

 
DEPARTMENT Policy, Politics and Governance

 
DESCRIPTION This study-unit lays the foundation for the study of leadership within the MA in Public Policy Leadership; it also prepares students for the more formative study-units within the 'leadership stream'. It seeks to give students a profound understanding of the patterns of leadership co-existing within the public realm - in politics, public administration, local government, multi-lateral and supra-national institutions, as well as in those components of civil society that seek actively to influence policy.

The study-unit synthesises these patterns by drawing on insights offered by three distinct disciplines. From the standpoint of political science, it examines leaders as members of 'governing elites', ie, political cadres, bureaucrats and business leaders. From the standpoint of management science, it examines leaders as decision-makers and change agents. From the standpoint of sociology, the study-unit analyses the composition of leadership groups; the mechanisms for recruiting, forming and advancing individuals for leadership roles; the dominant or favoured leadership styles; the parts played by culture, socialisation and professional formation in shaping leadership roles and styles in a given society.

The study-unit draws on autobiography, memoirs and scholarly studies to illustrate the patterns of leadership within Malta, in the political, business, administrative and ecclesiastical spheres.

Study-unit Aims:

- Lead students to a profound, scholarly and realistic understanding of the patterns of leadership in government and, more broadly, in public affairs;
- To prepare students for more specialised study units in the 'leadership stream' (PPL5008 and PPL5104), which also have a more formative pedagogy;
- To encourage more systematic, more rigorous and more inter-disciplinary study of leadership in Maltese public life.

Learning Outcomes:

1. Knowledge & Understanding:

By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to:
- Explain the principal patterns of leadership in government and public affairs, with a particular emphasis on Malta;
- 'Deconstruct' an individual leader or a category of leaders (political, administrative, business or ecclesiastical), examining and explaining the leader's role, career path, values, decision-making and style from a range of disciplinary perspectives;
- Identify and explain the connection between leadership and phenomena such as institutional performance, clientelism, corruption, attitudes towards power and public office, negotiating outcomes and accountability.

2. Skills:

By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to:
- Draw up a fully-researched, analytical profile of a named leader in government or public life;
- Undertake a 'leadership audit' of a named governing institution or public sector organisation, with a view to identifying strengths and weaknesses, as well as recommending changes to recruitment, promotion and reward systems.

Main Text/s:

- Grint, K. 2000. The Arts of Leadership. Oxford University Press.
- Terry, L D. 1995. Leadership of public bureaucracies: the administrator as conservator. London: Sage.

Supplementary Text/s:

- Barberis, P. 1996. The Elite of the Elite. Aldershot: Dartmouth.
- Barberis, P. 1997. The Civil Service in an Era of Change. Aldershot: Dartmouth.
- Brown, A. 2014. The Myth of the Strong Leader: Political Leadership in the Modern Age. London: Bodley Head.
- De Marco, G. 2007. The Politics of Persuasion: An Autobiography. Malta: Allied Publications.
- Dobel, J. P. 2006. 'Managerial leadership and the ethical importance of legacy' in Saint-Martin, D & F Thompson (eds). Research in Public Policy Analysis and Management. Emerald Group Publishing.
- Fenech Adami, E. 2014. My Journey. Malta: Allied Publications.
- Massa, D. PSI: Kingmaker. Malta: the author.
- Mizzi, E. 1995. Malta in the Making: An Eye-witness Account. Malta: the author.
- O'Toole, B J. 1989. Private Gain and Public Service: The Association of First Division Civil Servants. London: Routledge.
- O'Toole, B J. & M Hunt (eds). 1998. Reform, Ethics and Leadership in Public Service. Longdon: Sage.
- Warrington, E. 1997. Administering Lilliput: The Higher Civil Services in Malta, Barbados and Fiji, 1943-1994. University of Oxford: Doctoral Dissertation.

 
STUDY-UNIT TYPE Lecture and Seminar

 
METHOD OF ASSESSMENT
Assessment Component/s Assessment Due Sept. Asst Session Weighting
Case Study (Take Home) SEM2 Yes 40%
Examination (2 Hours) SEM2 Yes 60%

 
LECTURER/S George Vital Zammit

 

 
The University makes every effort to ensure that the published Courses Plans, Programmes of Study and Study-Unit information are complete and up-to-date at the time of publication. The University reserves the right to make changes in case errors are detected after publication.
The availability of optional units may be subject to timetabling constraints.
Units not attracting a sufficient number of registrations may be withdrawn without notice.
It should be noted that all the information in the description above applies to study-units available during the academic year 2024/5. It may be subject to change in subsequent years.

https://www.um.edu.mt/course/studyunit