Organizational Leadership Career and Job Outlook

Today’s companies seek innovative, organizational leaders able to maneuver through complex, global business environments; to manage and lead virtual, multidisciplinary, dispersed teams; to manage change; and to balance the needs of stakeholders, employees, and customers, as well as society. Some of their tasks might include:

  • Building strong relationships with global executives and managers
  • Partnering with communities to foster corporate social responsibility
  • Developing processes for evaluating business opportunity decisions
  • Delivering business goals in terms of sales, operating income, cash flow
  • Creatively managing and allocating human and capital resources
  • Building a high-performance, inclusive, disciplined culture
  • Becoming strategic leaders for organizational change 


In other words, today’s companies are looking for adaptive leaders who proactively seek opportunities and who are equipped with the broad knowledge, organizational perspective, and critical and strategic thinking required to shape the future and to lead people and organizations to peak performance. 


As you can see from the list of potential responsibilities, an organizational leadership degree will give you great flexibility over the life of your career, providing you with skills and abilities valued across functions, sectors, and industries.

 

Organizational Leadership Jobs
 

A master’s degree in organizational leadership enables you to work in diverse business units, sectors, and industries. Below is a sample of roles in where Organizational Leadership skills are useful:

  • Chief Executive Officer
  • Chief Financial Officer
  • Chief Information Officer
  • International Team Manager
  • Operations Manager
  • Management Analyst
  • Corporate Recruiter
  • Talent Manager
  • Knowledge Manager
  • Vice President, Human Resources
  • Management Consultant
  • Director, Quality Systems
  • Director, Compliance
  • Vice President of Marketing
  • Global Trade
  • Strategy Consultant
  • Health Services Manager
  • Education Administrator
  • Director, Strategic Planning
  • Organization Development Consultant
  • Strategic Planner of Innovation 


Organizational Leadership Salaries
 

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, competition for top executive positions is intense, primarily because such positions carry high salaries—and often higher prestige. General and operations managers typically earn between $63,000 and $137,000 annually, depending on industry, whereas C-level executives earn significantly more, with the median earnings in May 2008 exceeding $158,000. Some top executives earn hundreds of thousands of dollars to more than $1 million annually.1

Whether you are a middle manager seeking leadership opportunities, a career changer seeking a whole new path, or a visionary eager to change the world with your own entrepreneurial venture, the online MA in Organizational Leadership from Saint Mary’s is a smart launching point. To learn more, call 877-308-9954 to speak to an enrollment counselor or request more information today.

1Bureau of Labor Statistics U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2010-11 Edition, accessed 2/1/2011, http://www.bls.gov/oco/ocos012.htm