An Introduction to Public Leadership

Leadership has been studied for centuries, although its examination in modern times has largely focused on the work of senior executives in private sector, profit-making organizations. In this free online course, you will learn more about leadership in the context of public service provision, by public sector organizations, community and voluntary groups, and political bodies. Find out what makes leadership in public service distinctive You will explore the distinctive features of leadership in public service, including its increasing focus on the generation of public value and the negotiation of different forms of public interest. You will learn some of the key skills of public leadership such as political astuteness, working in collaboration and conflict handling. Throughout, you will look at different types of public leadership, exploring the different roles of elected politicians, public servants and community activists, and how each can contribute (or detract from) the public good. You will consider different levels and contributions of leadership – from frontline police officers or social workers through to prime ministers. Finally, you will have the opportunity to examine, through a series of interviews with key stakeholders, how awareness of these key facets of public leadership is helping to change the face of policing in Britain today. Learn with experts in public leadership from The Open University The course will be led by the Department of Public Leadership and Social Enterprise at The Open University’s Faculty of Business and Law, which has an international reputation for its research and teaching expertise in public leadership. The course has been developed in collaboration with The Open University Policing Consortium, a growing collaboration between 15 policing organizations and The Open University.