Florida Institute of Technology offers a specialized online Master of Arts (M.A.) in Organizational Leadership program designed for working professionals and others interested in advanced professional opportunities. This unique degree program prepares students to excel in managerial and leadership positions across industries, from corporate executive roles to upper-management positions in nonprofits and government agencies.
Unlike similar leadership programs such as organizational management or organizational behavior, the organizational leadership program explores the psychology of leadership, applying that science to facilitate productive change and movement throughout an organization. Organizational leaders approach leadership holistically by focusing on the organization’s mission and goals.
What Distinguishes an Organizational Leader From Other Types of Leaders?
A narrow focus on studying “leadership” often emphasizes the responsibilities, necessary skills and leadership styles of professionals working in management positions in specific industries. Organizational management explores managerial processes and practices in depth, and organizational behavior examines how workers and teams collectively interact and function, and how that impacts performance and success.
Organizational leaders help an organization drive growth by focusing on methods for training and coaching teams and building a diverse, inclusive culture that positively impacts employee performance. Florida Tech’s organizational leadership program explores topics such as effective leadership styles, how to motivate employees, communication, operational functions, and change management and implementation.
Why Is Organizational Leadership Important?
Leadership is crucial to achieving organizational goals. Organizational leadership, with its holistic approach, is crucial for setting the strategy behind those goals. The balance of leadership strategy and execution is what achieves organizational success. That’s why the long view of organizational leadership is so important.
The value of organizational leadership is even more evident when organizations find that it is missing. Estimates suggest that corporations lose billions of dollars of revenue every year due to ineffective leadership and the dismal employee engagement that results from poor organizational leadership. Low levels of employee engagement drive several other negative outcomes as well, such as lower productivity, high turnover rates and damage to an organization’s reputation.
The Value of a Degree in Organizational Leadership
Florida Tech’s organizational leadership program equips students with the knowledge and skills needed to successfully navigate all aspects of the leadership process. Effective leaders must possess certain elements of leadership. In Florida Tech’s online degree program, professionals can develop these highly valued attributes.
“Hard skills” and technical proficiencies may be somewhat helpful for industry-specific roles. Yet the most critical aptitudes for leadership are “soft skills.” These people-centric skills are applicable across industries and professional roles. Forbes highlights several crucial soft skills for leaders, including:
- Open-ended communication and active listening
- Intuitive intelligence and curiosity
- Social awareness, emotional intelligence and empathy
- Confidence, combined with the ability to express uncertainty
- The capacity to lead change and inspire followers to see what’s possible and share a vision
Strong leaders must be able to demonstrate all these abilities and inspire others to follow their lead. Florida Tech’s program helps student hone these skills so they can become agile leaders who can quickly adapt to changing business needs across different units and sectors. The program prepares students to effectively lead in a global business environment where motivating team members with different worldviews, attitudes and expectations is crucial to success.
In Florida Tech’s online M.A. in organizational leadership, students quickly learn that there’s no one road to effective leadership, that varying styles of leadership can achieve different goals. Organizational leadership considers classic leadership styles in addition to newly emerging practices such as transformational leadership, authentic leadership and situational leadership.
What Can You Do With a Master’s Degree in Organizational Leadership?
The Master of Arts in Organizational Leadership from Florida Tech prepares graduates for roles in a wide range of professional settings. Students gain the skills and knowledge needed to successfully lead in areas such as:
Management Consulting
An organizational leader can effectively analyze management activities and advise companies on their leadership strategies and capabilities. Graduates of Florida Tech’s degree program can opt to work for large management consulting firms or start their own consulting firm.
Human Resources
Organizational leaders excel at managing large teams of people with different backgrounds, work styles and expectations. They are also skilled in conflict management and resolution. These competencies are essential to success as a human resources manager.
Training and Development
For an organization to succeed, employees must have the tools and knowledge needed to effectively perform their tasks, as well as a strong understanding of shared goals and responsibilities. Training and development leaders head up the process of designing and disseminating information and making sure employees have what they need to be productive. Training and development managers may work in human resources or — depending on the size of the organization — they may be part of a separate team.
Education
Organizational leadership graduates can play an important role in helping schools improve student learning and development outcomes. Principals with strong leadership skills are necessary in elementary, middle and high schools. At the university level, skills and expertise developed in an organizational leadership program can apply to admissions, financial aid, academics, research and student services.
Executive Leadership
Executive leadership may be the most obvious path for students with a graduate degree in organizational leadership. Top executives such as company presidents, chief executive officers and chief operating officers apply advanced leadership skills to guide their organizations through growth and change. They inspire vision-alignment and shared purpose while also strategizing, planning, setting goals and overseeing managers.
Is a Master’s in Organizational Leadership Worth It?
Effective leadership is critical to organizational success, now more than ever. Florida Tech’s online M.A. in organizational leadership prepares professionals to move beyond managerial roles into specialized leadership positions.
Students develop highly valued skills that are transferable across industries and organizational functions. Upon completion, graduates can choose from a wide range of roles, giving them a kind of career mobility few other professions offer.
Learn more about the online M.A. in organizational leadership program from Florida Institute of Technology.
