MMM166 - Developing and Advancing Effective Leadership Essay Assignment Brief 2026 | Henely

Module Code and Title

MMM166 - Developing and Advancing Effective Leadership

Academic Year

2025/2026

Module Convenor

Dr Olena Khlystova & Dr Can Ererdi

Type of Assessment

Essay

Weighting of Assessment

100%

Individual or Group Assessment

☒ Individual                   ☐ Group

Module Convenor Office Hours/Opportunities for advice and feedback

· Lectures/seminars will cover concepts, models, frameworks etc. relevant to this assessment, and allow opportunities for advice and feedback.

• Lectures will cover Module Review and Assessment Q&A.

Submission deadline

1st of June, 2026

Submission point

☐ Blackboard    ☒ Turnitin     ☐ Other:  Enter text here

Item(s) to be submitted

Essay

File type

☒ PDF      ☐ Word       ☐ PPT      ☐ Excel       ☐ Video     

☐ Other:  Enter text here

Formatting guidelines

Line spacing: 1.5

File format: PDF recommended

Font: Arial, Calibri or Times New Roman – size 12

Structure (e.g. required sub-sections)

1. Part 1 (essay approx. 2,500 words)

• Explain why you consider this incident or situation as a contemporary leadership challenge.

• Critically assess how the behaviours of the people involved

in this leadership incident impacted leadership effectiveness (positively or negatively).

• From this analysis, derive key leadership lessons that you

would recommend for people new to a leadership role to

learn from.

2. Part 2 (critical reflection approx. 1,000 words): Critically reflect on your personal development as a leader throughout this module and how the module enhanced your understanding of leadership and leadership skills.  

Size of assessment (word limit or length) and penalty applied

3,500 words (+/- 10%)

Referencing style

☒ Harvard                   ☐ Other:  Enter text here                     

Task
(attach an assignment brief if required)

The individual assignment will need to respond to the following

questions:

1. Part 1 (essay approx. 2,500 words):  Critically analyze a real-life leadership challenge or situation that you have observed in a contemporary organizational context (e.g., within a company you have researched, a team dynamic you have studied, or an industry-wide leadership scenario you are familiar with).

• Explain why you consider this incident or situation as

a contemporary leadership challenge.

• Critically assess how the behaviours of the people involved

in this leadership incident impacted leadership

effectiveness (positively or negatively).

• From this analysis, derive key leadership lessons that you

would recommend for people new to a leadership role to

learn from.

2. Part 2 (critical reflection approx. 1,000 words): Critically reflect on your personal

development as a leader throughout this module and how the module enhanced your understanding of leadership and leadership skills.  This part should include specific learning points from the module from lecture materials, seminars, readings, in-class participation.

To answer these questions, you will

1) Need to use the principles of critical reflection;

2) Need to refer to leadership concepts and frameworks (e.g., from lectures, seminars, theoretical content, real life examples, etc.) and demonstrate an integration between theory and your experience.

3) Analyse your leadership journey, skills and areas for improvement;

4) Design a continuing professional development plan on how you will develop and advance your leadership skills ( clear and realistic goals, plans with timescales).

3.  Bibliography and references – All sources used in the preparation of an essay must be listed in a bibliography. Use the Harvard referencing style consistently throughout your report. Examples of suitable references include: the module recommended reading list, articles and resources suggested during the lectures and seminars, peer-reviewed academic journals, reputable websites (e.g., professional associations, government websites), reputable newspapers and magazines such as Guardian, the Economist, Harvard Business Review. [excluded from wordcount]

 This is an academic assessment. Therefore, you must inform and write your essay referring to the literature and reputable sources as appropriate. In your assignment, you must demonstrate an engagement with module materials (lecture materials, theories, concepts taught in the module, reading list/independent reading, in-class participation, further research and learning The assignment must be submitted as one pdf file.

Guidelines/details of how to prepare your submission

For Part 1 (essay approx. 2,500 words):

You must use academic references and discuss

leadership perspectives to critically analyse your contemporary leadership challenge. The module will cover concepts and tools that you can apply to your chosen leadership challenge. You will need to use the material from the module and any additional reading, applying concepts, models, frameworks, ideas, etc. to guide your analysis and recommendations.

For Part 2 (reflection 1,000 words): This section covers your critical reflection on your personal experience, learning and development as a leader throughout the module, (e.g., from lectures, seminars, theoretical content, real life examples,

teamwork, guest speakers, assessment, etc.). You are expected to use the principles of critical reflection and theories and literature related to this. In your critical reflection, it is helpful to

critically analyse how you have applied or will use learning from the module going forward. The reflection piece can be written in

the first person, however, you must use academic references where applicable to support your arguments. The final component of Part 2 is to critically reflect on steps and actions you need to take to develop and advance your leadership skills (clear and realistic goals, plans with timescales).  

• Substantial work is anticipated outside of teaching hours,

including independent reading and reflection.

Expectations for group work

(if applicable)

N/A

Self-regulation: Make sure that you…

· Attend all lectures for an overview of concepts relevant to this Assessment.

· Demonstrate an engagement with relevant theories and concepts taught in the module (in other words, use a range of academic and business sources to support your arguments)

· Even when you reflect on yourself, your plans, options, etc. and provide a range of examples to support the points made;

· Study any supplementary materials and reading on Blackboard.

· Critically analyse the material and your individual learning rather than descriptively present what we’ve covered in the module;

· Keep a diary or notes throughout the module to reflect on incidents of leadership and your development as a leader.

Three key pieces of advice based on the feedback given to the previous cohort who completed this assignment

1. Use module materials and examples to demonstrate a strong engagement with the literature and your own understanding of the material;

2. Conduct further research;

3. Follow critical reflection rather than description.

Formative assessment opportunities/activities

Lectures and Seminars: Lectures and seminars will cover relevant concepts, models, and frameworks, providing opportunities for feedback and advice related to the assessment. Active participation in these sessions would allow students to gain insights and clarify any doubts.

Drop-in Sessions: These sessions are designed to give opportunities for students to receive direct feedback and further advice on their work.

Assignment Brief Lecture: A specific lecture is allocated to reviewing the module and Q&A for the assessment, offering a platform for formative feedback.

 In-Class Tasks and Discussions: Engagement in tasks and discussions during classes can help refine understanding of key concepts and how to apply them in the assignment.

Guidance on academic misconduct (including using Turnitin practice area)

The work you produce must be your own or that of members of your group if it is a group assessment. It must not have been submitted as part of other assessments, at this or another institution. You should ensure that the work you produce adheres to the University’s statement on academic integrity and to the regulations regarding academic misconduct (such as plagiarism and cheating). You can find information about this at: University of Reading Academic misconduct policies. 

You are encouraged to put a draft of your work through the Turnitin practice area to satisfy yourself that the work is your own original work. You can seek advice from the Module Convenor.

Use of Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) tools

*What do we mean by GenAI?

GenAI tools create new content in the form of text, code, images, videos, music etc. The most common GenAI tools at the time of writing are ChatGPT, CoPilot, Claude, Llama and Gemini. Please note that this list is not exhaustive. Please refer to the article here which frequently updates its list of well-known GenAI tools.

There are three categories of GenAI use in assessments in operation at the University of Reading. The ticked box below indicates which category this assignment belongs to:

1. GenAI tools cannot be used in any way in the assessment

2. GenAI tools can be used to support student learning and  development (to sketch initial ideas, find sources, explore unfamiliar concepts, provide structure etc.)  

3.The use of GenAI tools is actively encouraged to help students develop their skills in the use of such tools and understand how their use can be incorporated into authentic writing tasks. Specifically: Enter text here

If option 2. or 3. above is checked, you must include a statement to acknowledge your use of GenAI tools* within the assessment itself. This statement should be written in complete sentences and include the following information:  

· Name and version of the GenAI tool used; e.g. ChatGPT-3.5  

· Publisher (company that provides the GenAI system); e.g. OpenAI  

· URL of the AI tool (if applicable)  

· Brief description (single sentence) of the way in which the GenAI tool was used  

· Confirmation that the work is your own  

For example:  

I acknowledge the use of ChatGPT 3.5 (OpenAI, https://chat.openai.com/) to generate an outline for background study. I confirm that no output generated by GenAI has been presented as my own work.

Note: if you have not used GenAI tools to help with your assessment, you must still include a statement to acknowledge this fact, e.g. I declare that no GenAI tools have been used to produce this work.

The misuse of GenAI tools, including the failure to appropriately acknowledge the use of such tools, is considered academic misconduct and carries sanctions, as detailed in the Assessment Handbook.

Please also refer to student guidance on Using Generative AI Tools at University and GenAI and University Study 

Academic misconduct penalties

☒ The University’s standard policy on academic misconduct applies.

☐ Other: Enter text here 

Late submission point

☐ Blackboard    ☒ Turnitin     ☐ Other:  Enter text here

Late submission penalties

☒ The University’s standard penalties apply. See Standard Penalties.

☐ Other:  Enter text here

Timing of feedback

☒ Within 15 days of submission deadline   

☐ When examination marks are released

☐ Other:  Enter text here

Type of feedback

☒ Mark                                           ☒ Generic feedback

☐ Individual feedback                  ☐ Breakdown of mark

☐ Audio feedback                         ☐ Video feedback

☒ Comments written on the submitted work                  

☐ Other: Enter text here

Location of feedback

☐ Blackboard    ☒ Turnitin     ☐ Other:  Enter text here