Malmö University Masters Degrees in Management Studies

This multidisciplinary master’s degree programme provides in-depth knowledge on sustainable development and sustainability leadership. The programme provides students with an understanding of organisation and leadership theory in the context of sustainability. It also provides students with an understanding of research methods for sustainable decision-making. The education lays a solid foundation for those seeking to lead or manage sustainable initiatives in the workplace, community and the world.

What is Leadership for Sustainability about?

The master’s degree programme is grounded in four core premises:

1. Sustainability requires new forms of organising, especially when it comes to project-based organisations involving diverse stakeholders.

2. Organising and leading sustainability requires new and diverse leading and organising skills, understanding and knowledge for managers and leaders of sustainable projects.

3. Organising and leading sustainability requires a new way of thinking sustainability within and between organisations. Current research on social entrepreneurship and social innovation can reveal new methods and strategies with regards to this.

4. Methodological and methodical knowledge and understanding are needed to enable leaders to make sustainable decisions.

Based on these four premises, the programme bridges together the fields of organisation theory, leadership, project management, social innovation and social entrepreneurship so that together new ways of organising and leading sustainability can be created. This will enable students to rethink commonly held perceptions of leadership and organisational development.

What makes Leadership for Sustainability unique?

In this programme students are taught to reflect upon organisational and leadership challenges linked to organisational development and sustainability. This programme provides students with knowledge and critical understanding of current research in the fields of leadership and organisation, project management, social entrepreneurship and social innovation in the context of sustainability and sustainable development.

This master's programme is also focused on action and doing via diverse projects and even via the thesis work. This is a way to develop students’ professional, conceptual and human skills so that as for example future sustainable leaders and social entrepreneurs, they will drive sustainable changes and have the capacity to make informed decisions about organisational and leadership issues in the management of sustainable organisations and projects.

Finally, embedded in this program is the idea that sustainability can be reached if individuals rethink commonly held perceptions of leadership and organisational development.

Teaching methods

TeachingLectures, seminars, and workshop enable interaction in small and large class. Group work is used to generate discussions about sustainability, especially while doing case studies. Study visits and guest lectures connect learning with practice. Individual papers, individual studies and the thesis work enable to focus and gain specific and in-depth knowledge to master the subject at hand.

What career will I be prepared for?

This programme lays a solid foundation for those seeking to work as key players in project management and organisational development environments, and where the broader issues of societal development are important. The skills acquired will be relevant for managers in local, national and international governmental bodies, the private and non-profit sector and in consultancy work.

The entrepreneurial content of the course is designed to stimulate and encourage students to initiate projects, businesses or organisations with the purpose of working towards sustainable development.

Learning outcomes

Knowledge and understanding 

• demonstrate insight into current research in the fields of leadership and organisation, project management, social entrepreneurship and social innovation in the context of sustainability and sustainable development.
• acquire a critical understanding of the fields: leadership and organisation, project management, social entrepreneurship and social innovation in the context of sustainability and sustainable development.
• demonstrate an understanding of the challenges involved in organising and leading sustainable development as well as organisational development and project management.
• acquire and develop a set of perspectives and tools for approaching the challenges of organisational development and particularly different approaches to project management and demonstrate an understanding of how these tools relate to creating and sustaining a coalition of stakeholders.
• demonstrate knowledge of a number of different models and techniques for broad stakeholder involvement.
• discuss basic values underpinning social entrepreneurship and sustainability.
• acquire a critical understanding of philosophical, methodological and ethical approaches in research focused on leadership and organisation.

Skills and competences 

• find, evaluate and synthesize current research in the fields of leadership and organisation, project management, social entrepreneurship and social innovation in the context of sustainability and sustainable development.
• identify and assess ethical issues in balancing the interests of different stakeholders with an end toward creating sustainable development.
• critically reflect on the roles of leaders and social entrepreneurs as change agents as well as on the roles of followers in the context of sustainable development and thus reflect on their future role in sustainable development.
• develop organisations and leadership processes following scientific methodological and methodical standards in leadership and organisation studies.
• make informed decisions on choices of organisational and leadership models and strategies in the management of sustainable projects.

Judgement and approach 

• demonstrate capacity to critically use his/her understanding of the current research in the fields of organisation and leadership, project management, social entrepreneurship and social innovation in the context of sustainability and sustainable development to identify a problem, analyse it and solve it via the generation of new alternatives/knowledge.
• develop a multi-frame set of mind to address sustainable development in the context of organisation and leadership.
• assess challenges in a sustainable project or organisational development and be able to reflect on the leadership role in areas suited to his/her competences.
• argue for an approach to organisational development based on a developed understanding of its implications for sustainable development.
• critically and reflexively relate to contemporary research in the fields of leadership and organisation, project management, social entrepreneurship and social innovation in the context of sustainability and sustainable development.

Course list:

• Leadership for Sustainability, Master's Programme (One-Year), 60 credits - Autumn 2018 (Malmö day-time 100%)

Degree

Master's Degree (60 credits).

Degree of Master of Arts (60 credits) with a Major in Leadership and Organisation.