In partnership with the University of Glasgow
Agile Leadership Microcredential
Build the mindset and practical capability to lead adaptive teams, on a postgraduate microcredential developed with the University of Glasgow.
Level
Postgraduate
Duration
10 weeks
8–10 hours per week
Language
English
Award
University of Glasgow Microcredential
About the course
Agile leadership asks something different from those who lead. Less command and control, more clarity and trust. Less direction from the top, more of the conditions that let people do their best work. Understanding that shift is one thing. Building the capability to lead that way is another.
This ten-week microcredential is delivered by the University of Glasgow and was developed in partnership with us. It’s built around our Nine Principles of Agile Leadership, exploring one principle a week, from why actions speak louder than words through to how great ideas can come from anywhere in an organization. Along the way you’ll work through the things that make agile leadership genuinely hard: building psychological safety, devolving real authority, giving feedback that lands, and sustaining motivation when the work gets difficult.
It’s fully online and flexible, with no scheduled classes. You’ll learn alongside other experienced professionals through discussion forums, reflecting on your own leadership practice and testing what you’re learning against the realities of your own organization. Complete the assessment and you’ll earn 10 postgraduate academic credits from the University of Glasgow. Take it for your own development and you’ll receive a certificate of completion.
Learning outcomes
Critically evaluate agile leadership
Assess the principles, practices and challenges of leading in an agile way, and understand where each applies in practice.
Apply the Nine Principles in real situations
Put agile leadership principles to work in your own context, with the judgement to know which matters most, and when.
Assess and develop your own leadership
Understand your current leadership style and agility, and build a clear plan for where to grow next.
Keep improving your practice
Develop approaches for continuously refining how you lead, drawing on peer discussion, feedback and shared experience.
Who is it for?
- Anyone new to agile leadership, regardless of how senior they are
- Senior managers across business, public and third sectors moving into agile ways of working
- Leaders at any level committed to organizational and cultural change
- People working in agile environments who want to step into a leadership role, formal or informal
Curriculum
Agility and agile culture, what kind of agile leader you are, an introduction to the Nine Principles, and a case study.
The qualities agile leadership needs, frameworks for leading with action, building effective teams and reflecting on accountability.
High-quality thinking in practice, avoiding stressors, systems thinking and becoming a critical thinker.
Giving and receiving feedback well, psychological safety, and building trust.
Exploring engagement, the value of meaningful work, motivation and self-determination theory.
Emotional intelligence, team safety, resilience and wellbeing.
Building an agile culture, servant leadership, mentoring and exploring leadership potential.
Power, influence, delegation and empowerment. Self-organizing and high-performing teams.
What makes agile collaboration work, the role of diversity, trust as the foundation, and communities of practice.
Constructive dissent, the power of neurodiversity in teams, and preparing for assessment.
Assessment
Submit the assessment and you’ll earn 10 postgraduate academic credits. It’s a 2,000-word essay analysing a case study (80%) and a quiz on agile leadership principles and practices (20%).
If you’re taking the course for professional development rather than academic credit, you can earn a certificate of completion by working through the material without submitting the assessment.
University of Glasgow Microcredential in Agile Leadership
On completion you’ll earn a microcredential from the University of Glasgow, worth 10 postgraduate academic credits, recognized by employers and stackable towards further postgraduate study.
Related courses
Frequently Asked Questions
No. This microcredential is delivered by the University of Glasgow and is paid for separately at £625. Your membership gives you our full library of self-paced short courses, including three on agile leadership, which are a good alternative if you’re looking for something shorter.
The University of Glasgow’s School of Computing Science. We developed the course with them and continue to support it, but Glasgow runs it, teaches it and awards the microcredential.
Around 8 to 10 hours a week across ten weeks. It’s fully online and flexible with no scheduled classes, so you can fit it around work, but it’s a meaningful commitment.
No. Submitting the assessment earns you 10 postgraduate academic credits. If you’re taking the course for CPD, you can earn a certificate of completion instead by engaging with the material.
The course is designed for people with work experience who either hold an undergraduate degree or have substantial professional experience. Glasgow recommends an IELTS equivalent of 6.5.