Running and managing a team for the first time, let alone a whole department, can be daunting, especially if you've come from a role in which you managed just yourself or one project or programme.
In RSM’s three-day course Team Leadership, you will learn how to become an effective team leader. Dr Sofya Isaakyan will teach you how to get the most out of your team member’s knowledge, expertise and potential.
Discover the full overview of short courses
Do you have the skills to be an effective team leader? Are you struggling with team leadership challenges and issues, or need to boost your skills to manage your team to collective excellence?
In this three-day workshop, you will learn relevant team leader skills from RSM Executive Education's top faculty members. Your new knowledge and tools to deal effectively with motivational problems, dysfunctional team members, conflicts and lack of a common direction can be applied into your work immediately.
Team Leadership is a module of RSM’s Diploma Programme in General Management (DPGM), but can also be followed separately. The diploma programme is designed so you can tailor it to your personal and professional development needs.
You will benefit from this programme if you have some experience in managing teams, interested in team dynamics, or are a project manager who indirectly manages teams for example as a:
The first step in leadership development, is to learn how to become more effective as a person. If you are not managing a team yet, please look at our Essentials of Leadership programme.
This programme is applicable for (junior) managers from all disciplines and industries.
It will help you release the potential of your team.
It will help you expand your professional team leadership toolbox.
It’s a great opportunity to network with your peers.
During the Team Leadership Programme you will learn from Dr Julija Mell, Dr Inga Hoever, Dr Sofya Isaakyan, Dr Rebecca Hewett and Dr Tina Davidson. Occasionally we may substitute other faculty members according to the content of the programme and their availability.
Julija Mell, assistant professor of organisational behaviour at RSM, is academic director of the Cologne-Rotterdam Executive MBA. Her research focuses on cross-boundary collaboration: bridging cognitive, geographical and cultural boundaries within diverse teams; and bridging structural boundaries within complex social systems and networks. Her award-winning work has been published in leading academic journals. Julija teaches topics that focus on organisational behaviour, teams, leadership and social networks at all levels at RSM. Her PhD in organisational behaviour is from Erasmus University Rotterdam and her diploma in psychology is from the Humboldt University Berlin (Germany).
Inga Hoever is an assistant professor in RSM’s department of organisation and personnel management. She specialises in studying workplace creativity, team excellence, and their intersection. Put simply, she is interested in explaining how teams can bring out the best in each other – and why they so often do not. Her research addresses questions of individual and team creativity, diversity, perspective taking, and communication in teams. She teaches on a variety of issues regarding organisational behaviour, human resource management, and team management to students and executives.
Sofya Isaakyan is an assistant professor of organisational behaviour at RSM. Her research focuses on understanding employees' upward expression of ideas and concerns about work-related issues such as voice behaviour, and the corresponding reactions by managers and team members. In her work, she also explores factors affecting leadership development and leader identity. Sofya is actively involved in MBA teaching, and also delivers customised executive development programmes. She received her PhD in organisational behaviour from Maastricht University in 2018. Before entering academia, Sofya worked in human resource management and in consulting.
Rebecca Hewett is an associate professor of human resource management at RSM. Her research focuses on individuals’ experiences of people management at work, examining how people management can best be implemented to enhance performance and well-being. She is academic director of RSM’s MSc in Human Resource Management (People, Organisations and Change) and teaches courses to executives at all levels and helps organisations to apply research to practice. She completed her PhD at Royal Holloway, University of London. Before that she worked as an HR professional for 10 years, most recently as head of HR operations for the UK’s communications regulator, where she gained wide experience as a team leader.
Tina Davidson is an assistant professor in the department of organisation and personnel management at RSM. She is interested in how organisations, leaders and employees can build a level playing field to better benefit from the full spectrum of diversity at work. In particular, her work focuses on the dynamics of upward constructive voice, leadership and followership, and leadership development in culturally diverse contexts. Prior to joining RSM, she was active in research at Vlerick Business School and a visiting scholar at Michigan State University. Tina earned her PhD from Ghent University, and speaks English, French and Chinese.
I chose RSM because of its international status as a top business and management school. The programme was a compact, logical and balanced mix of theory, interactive group exercises and time for reflection. The course pushes you out of your comfort zone.
Dr Adrian Cohen, senior scientific policy advisor, Erasmus University Medical Center Rotterdam
I highly recommend RSM’s Team Leadership programme to future team leaders. The theory was clearly connected to practice, some of the exercises put you out of your comfort zone, and all the advice can easily be implemented in day-to-day managerial activities. The trainers were young and dynamic, always open to answer any questions. They all had a very inclusive, inspiring and insightful approach. As an Erasmus alumna, RSM was an obvious choice and the quality of the programme was high, as can be expected.
Edina Struhar, recruitment manager, Adams Multilingual Recruitment
The three days at RSM have given me new meaning and ideas in my role as a manager. I encourage my team to think differently every day, and I now feel equipped to take this to the next level. It was just what I needed to be the best I can be as a Manager and Consultant. I learned as much about myself as a person as I did about leadership theory and concepts. So it was useful for several aspects of my role.
Shane McMahon, Lead Consultant - Organisational Resilience at Horizonscan Ltd
As a first-time manager I wanted to learn how to create a strong and efficient team, and empower team members to grow, develop themselves and work confidently. RSM really exceeded my expectations. The professors did a really good job balancing theory with practice, and I learned a lot from the other participants’ diverse experiences and backgrounds.
Rohini Persad-Bhaggoe, marketing manager at REISinformatiegroep|9292
This programme gave me a good insight in myself, the way I am perceived by others, and how I would like to act as a team leader. I know I’m an action-oriented person, and I think I jump to conclusions too soon. The level of education at RSM is high, and there’s a lot of high-quality interaction among participants. This combination and the programme content will help me in my role to ask open questions, listen more carefully, and include the valuable input of my team members more to increase the quality of my decisions.
Koen Daamen, team co-ordinator life sciences and health at Invest in Holland
To be honest, I did not recognise the three-letter acronym ‘RSM’ when a colleague at LexisNexis IP suggested I do a leadership course there. I quickly learned first-hand why it has such a solid reputation. The one thing I valued most in the course is that I was pulled outside my comfort zone. Right from the start I was hearing new information, doing unfamiliar things and practising difficult situations; those were the exact moments when the actual learning happened.
Jody Leewes, Teamlead Content, LexisNexis IP
To receive your diploma programme, you need to complete four courses. You must complete The Applied Research Project module in order to gain your diploma.
6 - 8 March 2023 > Apply now
26 - 28 June 2023 > Apply now
30 October - 1 November 2023 > Apply now
€ 3,500 (excl. 21% VAT) including course materials, lunches, and snacks. This fee does not include hotel accommodation.
25% discount for alumni from Erasmus University Rotterdam and RSM.
Our general terms and conditions apply when you register for an open programme. Please review them to learn more about our policies for cancellation, deferral and substitution.
The programme takes place in the Bayle building on the Woudestein Campus of Erasmus University Rotterdam.
We recommend Novotel Rotterdam Brainpark Hotel adjacent to the university and less than five minutes’ walk from campus. Participants benefit from special rates.
