UnitLevel 5Postgraduate

ENS5530 Leading change for sustainable development

Faculty of Science

ENS5530 Leading change for sustainable development is a level 5, 6-credit-point, postgraduate unit from the Faculty of Science, offered in 2027 in Semester 2 at Clayton. It has no prerequisites.

Credit points
6
Offered in 2027
Semester 2
Clayton
Assessment
No exam
4 tasks

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Requisites

Before ENS5530

No prerequisites or corequisites besides the enrolment rules below.

After ENS5530

No unit lists ENS5530 as a prerequisite in the 2027 handbook.

Enrolment rules

PREREQUISITE: This is a specialist core unit for the Leadership for Sustainable Development specialisation and an elective unit within the other specialisations. There are no prerequisite units, but non-cognate students must complete Part B studies prior to undertaking Part C specialist studies.

Overview

Promoting sustainable development involves people working together to initiate and drive change. To do this, individuals and groups need leadership capacity. In this unit you will learn how to manage your own development as a leader, explore your values and purpose as an emerging sustainability leader, and reflect on which leadership roles are likely to suit you best. Starting with the concept of ‘self-leadership’, you will develop key skill sets that sustainability leaders need, and learn about approaches/strategies that are commonly used in this context. You will also have the opportunity to explore real case studies and learn from experienced sustainability leaders.
We define ‘leadership’ as a process of influence that delivers a shared vision (direction), the alignment of resources towards that vision, and personal commitment to collective success. From this perspective, leadership is not a position. It is a group-based process of influence that involves capacities that people and groups can learn. The unit differs from traditional MBA-style leadership education and training in that it focuses on the theoretical frameworks/models, leadership roles, case studies, tools and skill sets from the vast leadership literature that are most relevant to sustainable development practitioners.
A key part of the unit is to build your own individual leadership development plan, drawing on concepts, principles and methods of sustainability leadership and leadership development that we explore over 12 weeks. This plan will describe the kind of sustainability leader you want to be, the aspects of leadership you are seeking to develop, and specific actions you intend to take to grow your leadership capacity, such as practising new approaches to sustainability leadership, seeking feedback, receiving support from mentors, and reflecting.

Offerings in 2027

Teaching periodCampusMode
Second semesterClaytonOn campus, block

Assessment

  • Quizzes (10 weekly multiple choice quizzes; in Weeks 1-5 and 7-11)Quiz / Test
    10%
  • Assignment 1 - Case study analysisWritten
    35%
  • Assignment 2 - Leadership plan developmentWritten
    40%
  • Participation at the two, two-day face-to-face intensivesDemonstration
    15%

Assessment details may change. Please refer to the assessment information in Moodle closer to the start of the teaching period.

Learning outcomes

When you finish this unit, you should be able to:

  1. 1

    Assess contexts in which sustainable development practitioners typically operate and examine the leadership implications.

  2. 2

    Identify the characteristics of typical leadership roles in promoting sustainable development and analyse how leaders collaborate to achieve common goals.

  3. 3

    Identify and assess the types of knowledge, skills and networks typically needed to perform in common leadership roles in sustainable development.

  4. 4

    Examine the principles and methods of leaders and leadership development.

  5. 5

    Critically analyse and evaluate case studies of leadership using relevant leadership theories, models and frameworks.

  6. 6

    Create an individual leadership development plan.

Workload and teaching

  • Workshops30 hours
  • Teaching approachActive learning
  • Teaching approachOnline learning
  • Teaching approachRole play
  • Teaching approachPeer assisted learning
  • Teaching approachCase-based teaching

Contact hours equivalent to minimum two hours per week.

Additional requirements for at least 10 hours of independent work.

This unit places an emphasis on applying theory to practice. After learning about leadership theory, models, frameworks, and guidelines that are relevant to the context of leadership to advance sustainable development online, you will be given the opportunity to practice the application of these concepts during the two-day face-to-face intensives. These intensives primarily consist of individual, small group, and large group activities.

This unit incorporates some online learning activities in Weeks 1-5 and 7-11. These activities include some pre-recorded lectures/videos, readings, and multiple-choice quizzes (i.e. the compulsory elements). In addition, you have the opportunity to interact with teaching staff and other students through informal (voluntary) online discussion forums in Moodle, and weekly Zoom meetings (i.e. the voluntary elements).

This unit includes two, two-day face-to-face intensives that include some role-play activities to give you practice in applying leadership-related concepts, frameworks, guidelines and tools (e.g. practising aspects of team leadership or critical communication skills for leadership).

This unit will encourage you to work with 2-3 other students in small self-directed 'study groups' during the semester. The intention of these groups is to provide peer to peer support, and encourage peer-to-peer learning (e.g. discussion of concepts covered in weekly videos/lectures). These groups will be formed at the first intensive in Week 1.

This unit incorporates case studies of sustainability leadership and sustainability leaders as one mechanism for learning about leadership in the context of promoting sustainable development. In particular, in Week 10, three case studies are explored in detail, with some additional case studies of sustainability leadership and sustainability leaders being provided to students who are keen to do some self-directed learning. Some additional cases are also explored as part of the preparation work for the face-to-face intensives, and guest speakers at the two-day intensives also usually provide short case studies to illustrate aspects of sustainability leadership.

Learning resources

Recommended resources

Northouse, P. (2018). Leadership: Theory and practice. 8th edition. Sage: Thousand Oaks, California.

Gordon, J., & Berry, J. (2006). Environmental leadership equals essential leadership: Redefining who leads and how. Yale University: New Haven, Connecticut.

Contacts

Chief Examiners
Professor Annette Bos
Dr Filia Garivaldis
Unit Coordinators
Dr Filia Garivaldis
Ms Liz Bacchetti

Common questions

What are the prerequisites for ENS5530?

ENS5530 has no prerequisites, but enrolment rules apply.

When is ENS5530 offered?

In 2027, ENS5530 runs in Semester 2 at Clayton.

Does ENS5530 have an exam?

No. ENS5530 has 4 assessment tasks and no exam.

More details

Credit points
6
Level
5
Study level
Postgraduate
Faculty
Faculty of Science
Type
Coursework
EFTSL
0.125
Student contribution
SCA Band 4
Study abroad
Available