Organizational Behaviour and Leadership

Exam­ines the­o­ries of indi­vid­ual behav­iour and lead­er­ship with­in local gov­ern­ment orga­ni­za­tions. In par­tic­u­lar, the focus will be on man­age­ment in the pub­lic sec­tor, the­o­ries of lead­er­ship, council/​staff roles and rela­tion­ships, the struc­tures and cul­ture of local gov­ern­ment orga­ni­za­tions, notions of moti­va­tion in the pub­lic sec­tor, the empow­er­ment of staff, and orga­ni­za­tion­al change.

Course at a glance
  • Aimed at individuals interested in moving into higher level responsibilities in the local government field; our student body includes municipal government employees in planning, corporate services, economic development, operations, finance, and more.
  • Fully online asynchronous course, accessible through eClass, the University of Alberta’s eLearning management tool.
  • Participate in online discussions with peers from all over Canada and expand your professional network.
What you will learn

By the end of this course, you should be able to:

  • Apply the theoretical foundations of Organization Behaviour to case studies and real-life situations in your work or voluntary organizations in a way that improves employee engagement, team and organizational performance.
  • Use learned theory, and other course materials, to assess and improve the focus, supervision, and leadership of groups, teams, and individuals in organizations.
  • Determine the tools and systems of organizational behaviour which best apply to specific situations and desired outcomes.
  • Consider, assess, and apply organizational behaviour while attaining and sustaining the desired outcomes and objectives of the organization, team, group, or individuals.
  • Identify and address ineffective practices and techniques in the management of change and conflict.
  • Consider the relationships between leadership, managerial, and supervisory approaches, and how specific changes or activities may be improved by organizational behaviour.
This course has no prerequisites

Students from all educational backgrounds welcome. You can register for this course without applying and enrolling in a program.

Take note:

  • A textbook is required for this course.
  • Additional learning materials are provided through eClass.
  • This is one of five core courses required for the NACLAA Level I certificate.
Currently counts towards:

Applicants intending to enrol in a program are encouraged to apply as soon as possible to lock in their course requirements since they are prone to change.

*If you are already enroled in this program, please refer to your specific program requirements as outlined at the time of your admission: Bear Tracks > Academic Advisement.

When will
this course be offered?

New course schedules are released each June and November.

Course not yet scheduled

This course is not currently scheduled, but may be offered in an upcoming term.

New course schedules are announced each June and November.


Sign up for updates

Interested in future offerings of this course? We can let you know when this course becomes available.