Careers in Organizational Leadership
An exploration of the education and careers of organizational leaders
“Leadership and learning are indispensible to each other.” --President John F. Kennedy
Trying to decide if an education in organizational leadership is right for you? The Master of Organizational Leadership is the lesser-known counterpart to the Master of Business Administration. The two generally work side by side in the workplace, and understanding what an education in organizational leadership can offer you will help you decide which careers you can pursue once you’ve received your diploma.
There are some key differences between the Master of Business Administration and the Master of Organizational Leadership. While administrators take charge, often despite difficulty and hardship, organizational leaders instruct and guide employees through example and mentoring.
In degrees, this translates to a difference in management style. Those with their degrees in business administration have their eyes on a bottom line to achieve. They watch finances, broker agreements and hold meetings to ensure that their goal is being reached. Those with their degrees in organizational leadership directly manage the people in their department or company. Through a thorough understanding of human behavior and work environments, organizational leaders are able to achieve results with motivation and inspiration.
Leaders within organizations must learn to balance the bottom line with the culture of their workplace. When done correctly, organizational leaders can leverage their employees to make the company a better place to work while achieving effective results.
The U.S. Office of Personnel Management values organizational leaders for their ability to tap into individual strengths and drive projects with an understanding and motivation for gender, generational and multicultural differences. The Office also lists the ability to challenge employees to produce innovations and create partnerships as a strength of organizational leaders.
Careers for those with a degree in organizational leadership are varied. Some can work in business administration, others in educational or government settings. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics1 (BLS), the top fields include:
- Local and state government
- Colleges and universities
- Companies and enterprises
- Medical and surgical hospitals
Some of the companies and enterprises include petroleum, coal and natural gas management; apparel and notions wholesalers; banks; computer equipment manufacturing; scientific research; and professional equipment wholesalers.
According to the BLS, those in administrative leadership roles make a mean annual salary of $81,530. The BLS lists a bachelor’s degree or higher, plus work experience, as the most significant source of postsecondary education or training for organizational leaders. Courses in organizational leadership curriculums include leadership themes in business, company and other workplaces. Common classes include:
- Critical Thinking and Decision Making
- Conflict Management
- Building and Leading Teams
- Leadership and Diversity
- Organizational Ethics, Theory and Communication
- Labor Relations, Training and Development
- Career and Human Resource Planning
Resources:
1 Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2010-11 Edition, accessed September 27, 2010, http://www.bls.gov/oco/.