Welcome to BUS504: Management Leadership

Specific information about this course and its requirements can be found below. For more general information about taking Saylor Academy courses, including information about Community and Academic Codes of Conduct, please read the Student Handbook.

Course Description

Learn effective leadership techniques, with topics including leadership theory, change management, decision making, and the distinction between leadership and management.

Course Introduction

All managers are leaders. All leaders are managers. Which of these statements is true? Both. The words are often confused because people often think that both leaders and managers are in charge of a specific task or group of people. While there are many differences between the two on a task-by-task basis, generally, what they do is largely the same. For example, both may handle data, including its acquisition, analysis, and dissemination. Or consider that they both may have no formal power yet take a lot of responsibility for getting things done. Many of history's greatest leaders only had power earned from their peers instead of power granted by another individual or group. Think of America's founding fathers, like Thomas Jefferson, who went against the British government to draft the Declaration of Independence. The situation created the team, and the recognized leaders emerged. All of these similarities will be explored in this course.

This course includes the following units:

Unit 1: Introduction. Unit 2: Leadership Theory. Unit 3: Change Management and Decision-Making. Unit 4: Leading without Formal Authority. Unit 5: Organizational Culture Unit 6: Managing Groups and Teams

Course Learning Outcomes

Upon successful completion of this course, you will be able to:

[1] distinguish the concept of leadership from the concept of management; [2] compare and contrast the major theories of leadership; [3] examine how the decision-making process and change management are related; [4] assess the skills necessary to exert power and influence in a non-authoritative leadership role; [5] develop an effective culture given an organization's goals; [5] evaluate the qualities necessary to effectively manage or lead in a team/group environment

Throughout this course, you will also see learning outcomes in each unit. You can use those learning outcomes to help organize your studies and gauge your progress.

Course Materials

The primary learning materials for this course are readings, lectures, and videos.

All course materials are free to access and can be found in each unit of the course. Pay close attention to the notes that accompany these course materials, as they will tell you what to focus on in each resource and will help you understand how the learning materials fit into the course as a whole. You can also see a list of all the learning materials in this course by clicking on Resources in the navigation bar.

Evaluation and Minimum Passing Score

Only the final examination is considered when awarding you a grade for this course. To pass this course, you will need to earn 70% or higher on the final exam. The exam will be password-protected and requires a proctor.

Your score on the exam will be calculated as soon as you complete it. There is a 14 days waiting period between each attempt. You may only attempt the final exam a maximum of 3 times. Be sure to study in between each attempt! If you do not pass the exam after 3 attempts, you will not complete this course.

There is also a practice exam that you may take as many times as you want to help you prepare for the final exam. The course also contains end-of-unit assessments in this course. The end-of-unit assessments are designed to help you study and do not factor into your final course grade. You can take these as many times as you want to until you understand the concepts and material covered. You can see all of these assessments by clicking on Quizzes in the course's navigation bar.

Tips for Success

BUS504: Management Leadership is a self-paced course, meaning you can decide when to start and complete the course. We estimate the "average" student will take 71 hours to complete. We recommend studying at a comfortable pace and scheduling your study time in advance.

Learning new material can be challenging, so here are a few study strategies to help you succeed:

  • Take notes on terms, practices, and theories. This helps you understand each concept in context and provides a refresher for later study.
  • Test yourself on what you remember and how well you understand the concepts. Reflecting on what you've learned improves long-term memory retention.

Technical Requirements

This course is delivered entirely online. You will need access to a computer or web-capable mobile device and consistent internet access to view or download resources and complete auto-graded assessments and the final exam.

To access the full course, including assessments and the final exam, log into your Saylor Academy account and enroll in the course. If you don’t have an account, you can create one for free here. Note that tracking progress and taking assessments require login.

For additional guidance, check out Saylor Academy's FAQ.

Optional Saylor Academy Mobile App

You can access all course features directly from your mobile browser, but if you have limited internet connectivity, the Saylor Academy mobile app provides an option to download course content for offline use. The app is available for iOS and Android devices.

Download on Google Play Download on the App Store

Fees

This course is entirely free to enroll in and access. All course materials, including textbooks, videos, webpages, and activities, are available at no charge. This course also contains a free final exam and course completion certificate.

Last modified: Tuesday, 15 April 2025, 4:38 PM