Executive Master in Light Leadership and Innovation for Education or Training Organizations - 2025 Editio

in collaboration with Associazione Senza Zaino, Lucca e Massa Carrara School Office, training providers Percorso and Soecoforma

The program

Training new generations in the face of complex, strongly influenced by new technologies, dynamic and articulated global scenarios, requires education and training organizations to have a new vision and leadership competences to express both human and educational authority and operational effectiveness.

The master course "Light Leadership and Innovation in Education or Training Organizations" is promoted by IMT Alti Studi Lucca School, Associazione Senza Zaino, Lucca and Massa Carrara School Office, training providers Per-corso and Soecoforma. It is aimed at coordination figures: school principals or managers, teachers with coordination and instrumental functions, and professionals in the training sector. The course offers a high-level training path for personal and professional growth, based on the Light Leadership approach.

The approach

The governance of educational or training organizations often appears complex and highly bureaucratic, mainly featured by top-down mechanisms such as: uncritical trust in strategic plans, setting of countless goals, control systems based on the “stick & carrot” culture, evaluation/judgment connection. We know what a negative impact such an approach has on both management and teaching/training activities and the people involved in them.

This executive master proposes to adopt a Light Leadership approach, aiming to rediscover the original meaning of the word “to lead”, that is, to lead organizational and didactic change and, at the same time, lead people, whether they are teachers/trainers or learners, so that the leaders themselves become architects of choices, and can promote efficiency, effectiveness and process improvement by a “nudging” technique, that is a light or gentle push towards the desired changes or goals.

Light leadership therefore:

• encourages responsibility and collaboration among staff and learners;
• simplifies bureaucratic processes and procedures;
• takes into account a global approach to curriculum;
• fuels didactic innovation and development of professional communities;
• promotes cohesion of the educational community around the educational/training institution;
• develops a context where the tools of artificial intelligence are used and guided by human intelligence;
• focuses on formative and gentle evaluation.
   

Timetable and topics

The course study plan is made of 6 thematic modules, which are distributed into 3 residential training weekends, several online coaching sessions, and a project work, as follows:

The first weekend introduces the basics of the Light Leadership approach, alternating theoretical sessions and set within scholastic and training organizations practical and realistic cases. The “gentle nudge” – a concept borrowed from behavioural economics - will be delved deeper, as well as the concepts of "nudging" and "boosting", and methods and visions suitable to guide organizational innovation.

The second weekend is dedicated to practical and operational tools which allow the course learners to apply Light Leadership in their educational or training contexts. We will explore topics such as delegation, accountability, leadership styles, differentiated teaching, on-boarding tools for teachers and reduction of bureaucracy. We will explore how Artificial Intelligence, and architectural or interior features of workplaces can enhance organizational "lightness".

The third weekend is dedicated to theoretical insights from neuroscience research about leadership, with a focus on human and artificial intelligence, and on the organizational and managerial impact of cognitive sciences. Strengthening and engaging the educational community will also be discussed as a prerequisite to promote local contexts which are able to address cultural, social and economic poverty.

Between training sessions, group coaching sessions and online insights are planned, to help learners in applying the course contents in their work context.

Expected results

This executive master course provides the participants with the opportunity to update their skills and to develop innovative tools to carry out the complex managerial or coordination role they are to perform, while adopting a continuous improvement approach in their complex organizational context.

At the end of the course, participants will achieve:

• Professional growth
• Overcoming the “stick & carrot” culture
• Light organization governance
• Authoritative leadership in both organizational management and teaching
• Networking with other educational or training experiences

Info, courses and registration procedure:

For more information about the call for applications and the registration procedure,
visit the SITE of the Executive Master
or e-mail: masterLL@imtlucca.it 
or whatsapp +39 346 3554628. 
Click here to download the information brochure

Scientific Committee

Prof. Ennio Bilancini, IMT School of Advanced Studies;
Dr. Donatella Buonriposi, Percorso training provider;
Dr. Salvatore Lentini, Percorso training provider;
Dr. Monica Mariti, Associazione Senza Zaino;
Dr. Giacomo Marzi, IMT School of Advanced Studies Lucca;
Dr. Marco Orsi, Associazione Senza Zaino;
Prof. Massimo Riccaboni, IMT School of Advanced Studies;
Dr. Sara Sassetti, Soecoforma Training Provider