Dealing with Power and Dynamics: Discover Your Leadership Style and Influence Stakeholders

This course will soon be retired. Last day to enroll is 03/10/2023.

In our interconnected and complex world, leaders are faced with both internal and external stakeholders. Problems have to be solved within complex networks of stakeholders, each with their own dynamics, interests, perspectives and power. As leaders, engineers have clear advantages: they are analytical, technically skilled, project-based, good with numbers and well-used to problem-solving. However, engineers cannot rely on this skillset alone when exercising leadership in today's world.

In this course, you will learn how to develop and apply an influencing mindset, which will allow you to lead your team effectively and to successfully manage stakeholders. The course gives you the tools to operate within a network of stakeholders:

• distinguish power and interests in networks of stakeholders
• build trust
• recognize roles and norms in groups
• deal with conflict and cooperation
• motivate group members
• identify your own leadership style

Upon completion of this course, you will be introduced to an influencing mindset and toolkit, in order to use a set of cohesive strategies for dealing with stakeholders - both cooperative and non-cooperative stakeholders.

Get started with influencing stakeholders
course structure, familiarize yourself with the virtual learning environment, complete your profile, meet your fellow learners and the e-moderator

Week 1: Welcome in a complex world
Discovering your leadership style
Identify yourself as a mayor of a city which needs to find an effective way to influence the stakeholders of a port expansion project.
Learn about the multi-issue approach
Designing a multi-issue game
Leadership pitch

Week 2: Strategies in networks
The process approach
Disadvantages process approach
Smart command and control strategies
Developing and presenting your project

Week 3. Trust in networks
The importance of trusting people and be trusted yourself if you want to be an effective leader
The rules of the game, meaning the do’s and don’ts, of operating in and leading a network.
Cultural dimensions
Leadership in practice: Managers about the Influencing Mindset

Week 4. From Networks to Organizations
Information Asymmetry and Professionalism
Two Leadership Approaches: Substance and Process
Professionalism, Information Asymmetry and Leadership
The Self-engineering Capacity of Organizations
Variety and Overlap
Two more Leadership Approaches: Top Down versus Bottom Up
Leading Organizations

Week 5. Engineers as Team Leaders
The soft skills which are required to lead a team.
Provide insights in team dynamics in different phases:

• The Forming Stage
• The Storming Stage
• The Norming Stage
• The Performing Stage

Different dynamics require a different approach from the team leader
Strategic Plan
Leadership in practice

Bonus Week – Strategic Leadership