96310 Leading and Managing in High Performance Sport
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Subject handbook information prior to 2025 is available in the Archives.
Credit points: 6 cp
Result type: Grade and marks
There are course requisites for this subject. See access conditions.
Description
This subject examines the competencies necessary to effectively lead others in elite sporting environments. Core components include self-awareness around communication and leadership style, managing relationships with others and cultural considerations in high performance sport. Students also explore organisational leadership models and how they apply in athlete preparation, staff development and sports performance. Developing leadership skills in others (athletes and staff) are also discussed, with particular reference to the co-development of personal wellbeing and excellence. Students engage in a self-reflection process, to better understand their own traits, and explore how these individual traits might influence their personal leadership within a range of different high performance sport environments.
Subject learning objectives (SLOs)
| A. | Reflect and evaluate on personal leadership strengths, values and objectives; develop a personal leadership framework that informs individual practice. |
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| B. | Understand and apply boundaries of ethical practices and why strong values, integrity and expert leadership is necessary in the high performance sport environment. |
| C. | Demonstrate advanced communication skills and ask meaningful questions to effectively manage relationships and lead others. |
| D. | Demonstrate professional cultural competency in diverse social and cultural high performance sport settings, with a particular focus on Australian Indigenous ways of knowing, being and doing. |
| E. | Develop the skills required to cultivate the co-development of personal well-being and excellence to enhance high performing teams and organisations |
| F. | Critically appraise organisational leadership models within the context of high performance sport. |
Course intended learning outcomes (CILOs)
This subject also contributes specifically to the following graduate attributes:
- Translate ongoing personal and professional development into practice through research, critical thinking, and reflection. (1.1)
- Apply leadership through interdisciplinary communication and collaboration in the field of high performance sport. (2.2)
- Model socially-responsible, legal, and ethical behaviour within interdisciplinary high performance sport environments. (3.1)
- Critically reflect on personal and professional contexts to develop culturally safe work practices to work for and with Indigenous Australians in a high performance sport. (4.1)
Teaching and learning strategies
This subject incorporates a range of activities that will interactively engage students with the content so that they can develop skills in a variety of ways. Four online modules will form the foundations of the subject.
Teaching and learning strategies will assist students to develop self-reflection and leadership skills, as well as encourage them to apply these concepts in common high performance sport environments and situations. Additionally, students will undertake activities that are designed to enable them to learn through discovery.
Students will be required to prepare for collaborative activities and engage with other students and teachers via the online platform (Canvas) and live (Zoom) online sessions. Using these mediums, the class will interact weekly with the subject coordinator and peers on topics and activities related to each week’s topic of focus. Students will be required to communicate information and demonstrate their understanding in a variety of formats, including written and verbal forms, often incorporating technology via online tools.
Assessment tasks are designed to enable students to demonstrate what they can do with what they have learned.
Content (topics)
Module 0: Introduction to leadership
- What is leadership?
- Competencies of leadership: management of attention, meaning, trust and self
- Why is it important in high performance sport?
Module 1: Leading self
- Assessment of individual traits and tendencies
- Self-discovery: bias awareness, emotional IQ, motivational drivers and self-regulation
- Awareness and development of your communication style
- Mindful practice to support individual health and performance
- Maintaining wellbeing to deliver excellence
- Developing a personal leadership framework
Module 2: Leading others
- What makes a great leader?
- The science of leadership
- Leadership skills: creating trust and navigating conflict
- Communication strategies
- Ethical behaviour
- Managing key relationships
Module 3: Cultural aspects in high performance sport
- Understanding the cultural landscape of sport
- Systemic inequality in sport and society: ethnicity, gender & sexuality
- Indigenous Australians in sport: ways of knowing, being and doing
- Diversity in high performing teams
- Cultural (mis)alignment of staffing and athlete groups
Module 4: Organizational leadership
- What makes a great team?
- Drivers of high performing teams
- Optimising teams within teams
- Dysfunctions of a team: vulnerability-based trust, conflict and accountability
- What makes a great organisation?
- Creating a high performance culture
- Leading through change
- Fostering leadership in others
Assessment
Assessment task 1: Understanding yourself and finding your purpose
| Intent: | The intent of the task is for students to develop an understanding their own values, dominant traits, and behaviors. Then explore how this influences their personal leadership approach and purpose. |
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| Objective(s): | This assessment task addresses subject learning objective(s): A This assessment task contributes to the development of graduate attribute(s): 1.1, 2.2 and 4.1 |
| Type: | Reflection |
| Groupwork: | Individual |
| Weight: | 20% |
| Length: | Part I: 750 words Part II: 2 x 2-min audio recordings |
Assessment task 2: Critical conversations
| Intent: | The intent of this task is to provide students with an opportunity to practice navigating critical conversations, and to understand their own communication style during high-pressure situations. |
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| Objective(s): | This assessment task addresses subject learning objective(s): A, B, C, D and E This assessment task contributes to the development of graduate attribute(s): .1, .1, .2, .2, 3.1 and 4.1 |
| Type: | Exercises |
| Groupwork: | Group, individually assessed |
| Weight: | 20% |
| Length: | Part I: 60-min in course hurdle task. Part II: 30-min live Zoom role play Part III: Student scoring sheet (1-2 pages) |
Assessment task 3: Recognition of culture
| Intent: | The intent of this assessment is to engage on discussions around different cultural aspects in sport. The activities will allow students to reflect upon their own background experiences as well as learn from other people’s perspectives, with a particular focus on Australian Indigenous ways. |
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| Objective(s): | This assessment task addresses subject learning objective(s): A, B, C, D and E This assessment task contributes to the development of graduate attribute(s): .1, .1, .2, .2, 3.1 and 4.1 |
| Type: | Reflection |
| Groupwork: | Individual |
| Weight: | 20% |
| Length: | 12 x online posts (4 submitted), Part I: 2 page critical reflection, Part II: 3 page question responses and critical reflection |
Assessment task 4: Organisational analysis in high performance sport
| Intent: | The intent of this assessment task is for students to develop the skills required to understand organisational structure and culture while identifying key relationships. Then combined with an understanding of their own personal leadership framework, develop strategies to successfully lead within an organisation. |
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| Objective(s): | This assessment task addresses subject learning objective(s): A, B, D, E and F This assessment task contributes to the development of graduate attribute(s): .1, .2, .2, 1.1, 2.2, 3.1 and 4.1 |
| Type: | Presentation |
| Groupwork: | Individual |
| Weight: | 40% |
| Length: | Part I: 1-page executive summary Part II: 10 min presentation + 5min questions |
Other resources
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Improve your academic and English language skills
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HELPS (Higher Education Language & Presentation Support)
HELPS provides assistance with English language proficiency and academic language. Students who need to develop their written and/or spoken English should make use of the free services offered by HELPS, including academic language workshops, vacation intensive courses, drop-in consultations, individual appointments and Conversations@UTS (www.ssu.uts.edu.au/helps). HELPS staff are also available for drop-in consultations at the UTS Library. Phone (02) 9514 9733.
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