Do you dream of being the savvy business leader who can manage teams with enviable success? The Robert H. Smith School of Business at the University of Maryland offers an Online MBA program with a highly focused and engaging curriculum that can build your business acumen and accelerate your career. The curriculum breaks down into foundational and selective courses, as well as experiential learning components like residencies and global study options.
Leadership and Teamwork is one of the courses available to online MBA students, and covers some of the most important concepts that all business professionals should know. Read on for a detailed overview of this valuable course.
The overview
Designed to extend theoretical knowledge and applied skills, Leadership and Teamwork draws on student and faculty experiences to examine how modern business professionals succeed in leadership roles. The course covers relevant skill sets while also discussing the key issues related to managing human capital in organizations. Students will learn how to identify such critical issues as well as examine them from both strategic and tactical perspectives. The ability to handle these challenges is vital for all managerial and leadership positions and can be the difference between meeting and exceeding versus missing the mark on company-wide goals.
The course utilizes assessment tools, exercises, films, cases and various assignments to cover the topics. Leadership and Teamwork is a Foundation I course, which means students take it during their first year in the program.
The learning outcomes
Students should finish the class with the ability to discuss various perspectives on defining leadership, complete with an understanding of the key characteristics of effective and authentic leaders. The course also aims to help students understand the various bases of power, tactics of influence and management theories.
A deeper understanding of organizational teams will give students the ability to diagnose employee motivational issues, identify weaknesses and overcome team dysfunction. This knowledge can inform better decision-making and effective leadership styles. Another course objective is for students to summarize and explain how diversity and organizational culture can influence how individuals and teams function in the workplace.
The professional applications
With a more nuanced understanding of how leadership and teamwork play such vital roles in the workplace, students can apply the skills and concepts covered in the course to enhance their performance in current and future positions. The learning outcomes are relevant for all business functions and career paths, making it a useful course for all Smith students no matter which area of business they find most interesting.
As a whole, the Smith Online MBA curriculum is designed to help students develop the business leadership abilities that can launch and enrich career success. This foundational course is one of the academic experiences that contribute to achieving the program’s overarching goal.
There is evidence to support the powerful effect of such learning experiences. In a High-Resolution Leadership study conducted by Development Dimensions International, researchers examined the performance of over 15,000 leaders across 300 companies in 18 countries. They defined eight key leadership goals: financial acumen, business savvy, compelling communications, driving execution, driving for results, entrepreneurship, influence and inspiring excellence. According to the researchers, leaders with these skills are more likely to achieve superior business outcomes, including positive financial performance.
The results found that MBA graduates consistently outperformed those who had an undergraduate-level education in classic business skills, such as financial acumen, business savvy and strategic decision-making. Courses like Leadership and Teamwork provide Smith MBA students with these proven skills, helping graduates fill management positions with confidence and success.
MBA graduates are also often more likely to receive offers for management and leadership opportunities than those with just an undergraduate degree. As such, earning an MBA can lead to earlier promotions at your current company, increase the number of job offers you receive from other organizations or prepare you to lead your own business venture. This career success further equates to better earnings and more fulfilling professional experiences.
The Smith difference
Leadership and Teamwork is just one of the many foundational courses that make the Smith Online MBA program an engaging and fulfilling academic experience. Both the foundational and focused selective courses work together to build a curriculum that refines business acumen, broadens perspectives and enhances relevant skills.
These courses are led by top-rated professors who are distinguished leaders in academia, research and business, ready to challenge, support and guide Maryland Smith students with expert advice and insight. Students respond positively to the Smith experience, with 90 percent of graduates in agreement that the Online MBA program expanded their knowledge of the industry.
Additionally, the Smith Online MBA program mirrors the rigor and quality of the internationally recognized on-campus programs but offers the flexibility and convenience of distance learning. You won’t have to sacrifice your existing commitments and can apply newly gained skills and knowledge at work the next day.
With state-of-the-art digital learning tools, you’ll easily connect and collaborate with your professors and fellow students, honing the interpersonal and communication skills that all great business leaders possess. This highly engaging experience can not only improve academic success but also help you grow professionally and develop the confidence to lead with authority.
If you’re interested in understanding more about what you can gain from pursuing an MBA degree at Maryland Smith, reach out to an advisor to learn more about the Smith Online MBA program.
Recommended Readings:
How to take your management skills to the next level
What is the Online MBA from the University of Maryland?
Sources:
How MBA programs make great leaders by Fortune
High-resolution leadership by DDI
Why get an MBA? Pursue management leadership by Princeton Review