Redefining the Rules of Power and the Role of the Leader | Summer / Short course | Business | On Campus | 3 weeks | Bifröst University | Iceland

It is a well-known fact that women are underrepresented in top tier role e.g. in business, politics and academia, fields that thereby forego a vast resource of leadership potential. Lack of diversity in terms of gender, race, religion and other aspects is therefore an ocean of lost opportunities and a general loss in terms of economic growth and general societal welfare. The core of this course revolves around leadership and leadership theories in the context of gender. In the international political debate, Iceland is considered an excellent example of success in terms of gender equality, often considered as the ‘equality’s paradise’ and will be particularly discussed in comparison with other countries and parts of the world. Research have demonstrated that companies and institutions who are inclusive in terms of leadership and governance are outperforming others that do not demonstrate the same diversity. Furthermore, there is a correlation between gender equality and the level of societal welfare. The aim of this course is to raise general awareness to the gender gap and bias women face when climbing the corporate ladder and provide participants with effective tools to deal with and change a gender-biased organisational culture; how to eliminate the glass ceiling, prevent women from getting lost / exhausted in the corporate labyrinth and stop them from disappearing through the leaky, gendered pipelines. Work-life balance will also be put in the forefront (how to create a family-friendly company culture) and the importance of formal and informal networking.