Enhancing leadership skills with action learning: a promising way to improve the effectiveness of leadership development

2016 ◽  
Vol 30 (6) ◽  
pp. 13-15 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel Belet
Keyword(s):  
Leadership Development ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Leadership Skills ◽  
Action Learning ◽  
Leadership Education ◽  
Development Programs ◽  
Leadership Development Programs ◽  
Content Type ◽  
New Learning ◽  
Management Institutions

Purpose The paper aims to describe the use of the World Institute for Action Learning method to develop leadership skills of managers and future managers. Design/methodology/approach Brief description of the methodology of this version of action learning (AL) based on field experiences. Findings AL is an effective tool for the development of leadership skills. It proposes a new learning model, and it opens up new opportunities for future leadership development programs and management education curriculum. Originality/value This paper will be of value to organizations considering various approaches to develop the competencies of their managers, leaders and to management institutions looking for ways to improve their leadership education offerings.

The ideal and the counter-ideal follower – advancing implicit followership theories

2016 ◽  
Vol 37 (8) ◽  
pp. 1205-1222 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nina M. Junker ◽  
Sebastian Stegmann ◽  
Stephan Braun ◽  
Rolf Van Dick
Keyword(s):  
Leadership Development ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Development Programs ◽  
Leadership Development Programs ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Implicit Followership Theories ◽  
Practical Implications ◽  
The Ideal

Purpose Research on implicit followership theories – that is, individually held assumptions about how followers are and how they should be – is still in its infancy. The few existing approaches differ in what they define as the object of these theories. The authors consider the lack of two aspects in the existing literature: first, the authors consider it important to not only focus on effective but also on ideal followers – which allows investigating follower characteristics that go beyond just performance; and second, the authors demonstrate the importance of the study of characteristics which leaders explicitly see as undesirable for followers (i.e. counter-ideal follower prototypes). The purpose of this paper is to fill these gaps and to extend the literature by introducing the concept of implicit followership theories as assumptions of ideal followers. Design/methodology/approach The authors first present three studies conducted to develop a scale to measure ideal and counter-ideal follower prototypes, respectively. In a fourth study, the authors apply this scale and compare it to existing measures of implicit followership theories regarding their value for predicting leaders’ follower ratings. Findings Results show that the newly developed measure is reliable and valid, and comprises a useful tool for future research. Practical implications The scale can be used for leadership development programs. Originality/value The study is among the few that provide theory and evidence for the relevance of implicit followership theories and is the first to consider the ideal follower in this regard.

A framework for analyzing how context influences lean leadership

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
André Seidel ◽  
Tarcisio Abreu Saurin
Keyword(s):  
Leadership Development ◽  
Empirical Study ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Leadership Competencies ◽  
Development Programs ◽  
Theoretical Level ◽  
Systematic Analysis ◽  
Leadership Development Programs ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose Although leadership in lean systems is influenced by context, the mechanisms linking contextual factors (CFs) to leadership have not been explored. This study aims to present a framework for analyzing how context influences lean leadership competencies (LLCs). Design/methodology/approach The framework’s design was based on insights from literature and refined through an empirical study of a large manufacturing plant formally committed to lean. The evolution of CFs over time was monitored in this study, allowing for analyzing how these triggered the need for using LLCs. Findings The framework proved to be useful for as follows: the assessment of LLCs in different hierarchical levels; the analysis of how CFs and LLCs interact in specific “leadership events”; and the identification of improvement opportunities for supporting leadership. Four design propositions emerged from the empirical study, offering complimentary guidance for using the framework. Research limitations/implications The framework was tested in one company, and therefore generalizations about its effectiveness need further applications. Practical implications The framework may be used fully or partly by practitioners. For instance, the assessment of LLCs can be used as a standalone tool according to the specific needs of practitioners. Also, by producing rich descriptions of LLCs and CFs, the framework may inform lean leadership development programs. Originality/value The framework allows for a systematic analysis of how a broad range of CFs influence LLCs, thus operationalizing an idea that so far has been discussed mostly on a theoretical level.

Women’s leadership and well-being: incorporating mindfulness into leadership development programs

2018 ◽  
Vol 32 (6) ◽  
pp. 25-27 ◽  
Author(s):  
Helen Beddow
Keyword(s):  
Leadership Development ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Women's Leadership ◽  
Leadership Roles ◽  
Development Programs ◽  
Leadership Development Programs ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Pertinent Information ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose This paper aims to review the latest management developments across the globe and pinpoint practical implications from cutting-edge research and case studies. Design/methodology/approach This briefing is prepared by an independent writer who adds their own impartial comments and places the articles in context. Findings Leadership development programs should include tools and strategies to help women cope with the unique challenges facing them in leadership roles. One such tool is mindfulness, which could help reduce stress and promote greater well-being. Practical implications The paper provides strategic insights and practical thinking that have influenced some of the world’s leading organizations. Originality/value The briefing saves busy executives and researchers’ hours of reading time by selecting only the very best, most pertinent information and presenting it in a condensed and easy-to-digest format.

Not all teams are created equal

2019 ◽  
Vol 33 (5) ◽  
pp. 30-32
Keyword(s):  
Social Support ◽  
Leadership Development ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Reading Time ◽  
Development Programs ◽  
Leadership Development Programs ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Pertinent Information ◽  
Key Driver ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose This paper aims to review the latest management developments across the globe and pinpoint practical implications from cutting-edge research and case studies. Design/methodology/approach This briefing is prepared by an independent writer who adds their own impartial comments and places the articles in context. Findings The findings indicate that within leadership development programs, team social support is a key driver for participation in team activities. They also indicate that team competence is associated with less participation in program-wide activities. Originality/value The briefing saves busy executives and researchers hours of reading time by selecting only the very best, most pertinent information and presenting it in a condensed and easy-to-digest format.

Increasing the impact of management development programs

2022 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Reflective Practice ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Action Learning ◽  
Development Program ◽  
Management Development ◽  
Development Programs ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Pertinent Information ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Overall Effectiveness

Purpose Reflective practice makes an important contribution to the ultimate success of any management development program. Greater emphasis on reflection demands that both program participants and action learning facilitators take appropriate responsibility needed to increase the overall effectiveness of the process. Design/methodology/approach This briefing is prepared by an independent writer who adds their own impartial comments and places the articles in context. Findings Reflective practice makes an important contribution to the ultimate success of any management development program. Greater emphasis on reflection demands that both program participants and action learning facilitators take appropriate responsibility needed to increase the overall effectiveness of the process. Originality/value The briefing saves busy executives and researchers hours of reading time by selecting only the very best, most pertinent information and presenting it in a condensed and easy-to-digest format.

Leadership development strategy: the missing links

2018 ◽  
Vol 32 (1) ◽  
pp. 11-14 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shilpa Kabra Maheshwari ◽  
Jaya Yadav
Keyword(s):  
Leadership Development ◽  
Development Strategy ◽  
Scale Up ◽  
Competitive Growth ◽  
Development Programs ◽  
Leadership Development Programs ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Individual ◽  
Business Complexity ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose Current volatile environments, business complexity, and leadership gaps are compelling organizations to deploy effective leadership development strategies. Fueled by competitive growth and people challenges, efforts continue to scale up but fail to create the desired leaders. This paper aims to address the missing links and calls for new ways of deploying leadership development strategy. Design/methodology/approach Qualitative data on experiential feedback have been collected from participants and stakeholders of leadership development programs in Indian organizations. Findings An integrated six-step approach to leadership development has been proposed for scholars and practitioners. Practical implications From the practitioner’s perspective, this study contributes to the field of leadership development by challenging the relevance of current approaches. It also adds to the scholarly literature on leadership development in the context of the organization and the individual. Originality/value Current studies in the area of leadership development in the Indian context are scarce.

Leadership self-efficacy: review and leader development implications

2019 ◽  
Vol 38 (8) ◽  
pp. 637-650
Author(s):  
Laura Paglis Dwyer
Keyword(s):  
Leadership Development ◽  
Self Efficacy ◽  
Cognitive Modeling ◽  
Group Performance ◽  
Leader Effectiveness ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Big Five Personality ◽  
Development Programs ◽  
Leadership Development Programs ◽  
Content Type

Purpose The purpose of this paper, on self-efficacy and leadership, has two objectives. First, it comprehensively reviews approximately 25 years of research on leadership self-efficacy (LSE), beginning with LSE measurement and related criticisms. Findings concerning LSE’s relationships with leader effectiveness criteria, as well as individual and contextual influences on LSE, are presented. Second, it examines the evidence on efficacy enhancement interventions and offers some preliminary recommendations for increasing LSE through leadership development programs. Design/methodology/approach The author conducted a comprehensive literature review of the existing research on LSE, covering the main contributors to this research stream and their findings. Findings The review revealed substantial diversity in LSE construct development and measurement approaches. Regarding LSE and leader effectiveness, many studies reported positive relationships with potential, performance and behavioral ratings of leaders. Collective (team) efficacy has emerged as a significant mediator between LSE and group performance. Influences on LSE include several of the Big Five personality traits, while contextual antecedents are under-researched, and potentially fruitful areas for further study. Executive coaching and mentoring, as well as cognitive modeling techniques and training in constructive thought patterns, received support for enhancing LSE in developing leaders. Originality/value This paper’s review and implications should be of substantial value to current and future LSE researchers, as it summarizes past research, synthesizes the findings to draw out common themes and consistent, corroborated findings, and identifies opportunities for future research. For practitioners, the reviewed research on interventions for increasing LSE through leadership development programs provides practical guidance.

Equipping students for leadership through community engagement

2020 ◽  
pp. 136548022096929
Author(s):  
Gladys Ingasia Ayaya
Keyword(s):  
Leadership Development ◽  
Character Education ◽  
Community Engagement ◽  
Private School ◽  
Leadership Skills ◽  
Phenomenological Approach ◽  
Development Programs ◽  
Way Of Life ◽  
Leadership Development Programs ◽  
Qualitative Research Study

The contribution of community engagement towards shaping leadership development in students is an area that is not well explored in research. A study was conducted to establish the type of leadership skills and values that were acquired by a group of students from an established private school in Johannesburg, South Africa, while they served an underprivileged community. The private school adheres to both Round Square discoveries framework and the International Boys’ School Coalition’s character education and practices the leadership development programs that have been developed by the two organisations. This was a qualitative research study within the constructivist paradigm with a phenomenological approach. Reflection sheets were used to collect data from 120 students. The data was analysed through discourse analysis, where all recurrent terms were coded, and the codes grouped into themes which were then matched against existing literature, the Round Square discoveries framework and the International Boys’ School Coalition’s character education. The study found that community engagement experience helped refine the character of the students, affording them opportunities to develop leadership skills and values that would see them adjust well into the 21st century way of life. The study was, however, not able to determine how other learning areas and developmental fields impacted on the leadership development of the students.

Challenges facing Islamic Azad University academic leaders in managerial positions

2014 ◽  
Vol 28 (6) ◽  
pp. 694-704 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fatemeh Hamidifar
Keyword(s):  
Leadership Development ◽  
Professional Growth ◽  
Qualitative Content Analysis ◽  
Middle Level ◽  
Development Programs ◽  
Leadership Development Programs ◽  
Academic Leaders ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Managerial Positions ◽  
High Level

Purpose – Over the past three decades, academic leaders at Islamic Azad University (IAU) have been facing different challenges for the success of the institutions. The purpose of this paper is to identify the challenges confronting IAU academic leaders in managerial positions. Design/methodology/approach – In this qualitative study, questionnaires containing open-ended questions were sent to academic leaders in managerial positions at IAU branches in Iran and the collected data were analyzed using qualitative content analysis. Findings – The results revealed that the main challenges were categorized into two themes: internal and external environmental factors. Internal challenges were sub-categorized into administration and managerial affairs, financial issues, organizational culture, and students’ affairs. External challenges were sub-categorized into political, economic, social, and technological factors, and international and national competitions. Research limitations/implications – This study is limited to Iran and IAU academic leaders who worked mainly in high-level and middle-level of managerial positions; therefore, the results cannot be generalized. The key implications are related to applying continuous professional growth through collaborative and qualified development programs. The implications could be appropriate for other higher education institutions in Iran. Originality/value – This is the first attempt to study the challenges confronting IAU academic leaders in Iran. The findings can help IAU academic leaders plan the most appropriate framework for professional academic leadership development programs.

Learning to lead from outsiders

2015 ◽  
Vol 34 (10) ◽  
pp. 1262-1271 ◽  
Author(s):  
Igor Kotlyar ◽  
Julia Richardson ◽  
Len Karakowsky
Keyword(s):  
Leadership Development ◽  
Qualitative Methodology ◽  
Peer Coaching ◽  
Development Program ◽  
Development Programs ◽  
Leadership Development Programs ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Personal Coaching ◽  
Leadership Development Program ◽  
Depth Interviews

Purpose – An increasingly popular method of facilitating employee and leadership development is via a career community (Parker et al., 2004), where individuals self-organize to obtain career support. This study was driven by the following research question: how do external peer coaching groups – which are a form of career community – impact leadership development? The purpose of this paper is to report the findings of a research study that examined one such career community focussed on providing peer coaching for managers in business organizations. The authors conducted in-depth interviews with participants who attended a leadership development program that was based on harnessing a career community for the purpose of peer coaching. The authors report the results of the study and its implications for leadership development programs. Design/methodology/approach – The authors chose a qualitative methodology to conduct this exploratory examination, where the authors conducted in-depth interviews with participants in a unique leadership development program which involved peer group coaching supplemented by one-on-one personal coaching. A key reason for adopting a qualitative methodology was that the authors were looking for a deeper understanding of interviewees’ perceptions and experiences regarding peer coaching. The first component of the leadership program involved eight peer coaching sessions over a 12-month period. Participants met in small, exclusive groups – typically in cohorts of seven to eight peers, but as many as 12 peers – every six weeks to discuss a variety of topics relevant to their jobs and stage of career and to provide each other with peer coaching and advice. Each group was comprised of people from different organizations. Sessions were led by a facilitator and lasted three hours each. The authors conducted in-depth interviews with 17 graduates of the program. The sample comprised 14 women and three men. Interviews were audio taped and transcribed verbatim and then analyzed using thematic analysis (King, 2004) to identify the key themes in interviewees’ experiences of the respective program. Findings – Thematic interpretation of participants’ responses yielded the following four major themes: first, the value of a learning community; second, the utility of a formal approach to peer coaching; third, the value of diversity and “externality”; and fourth, the value of an open learning environment (each fully described in the manuscript). The study revealed that external peer coaching and personal coaching deliver distinct types of value as part of a complete leadership development program. Research limitations/implications – This was a case study and specific to one leadership development program. Consequently, the authors cannot necessarily generalize the findings. Practical implications – The findings draw critical attention to the major contribution that learning communities can make toward leadership development. Although many leadership development programs assume that “leadership” is best learned from top leaders (e.g. Presidents and CEOs), organizations can acquire unique benefits by leveraging the concept of peer coaching, which can produce substantial results by having managers at the same organizational level learn from each other. In addition, the study underscores the potential value of external sources of peer coaching and leader development. Organizations may further maximize such benefits by sending their mid and senior-level managers to external peer coaching programs, which can deliver unique value in addition to any internal leadership development initiatives. Social implications – This study underscores the need to better bridge the gap between two literatures – careers and leadership development. Career scholars explore the activities involved in developing careers (e.g. career communities) and leadership development scholars explore activities involved in developing leaders. This study demonstrates the value of integrating knowledge from both these literatures to suggest that learning communities can impact leadership development in significant and positive ways. Originality/value – This study makes a novel contribution to the literature addressing leadership development. It draws attention to the use of career communities for leadership development – an issue which has largely been ignored. In addition, while much of the extant research has focussed on either academic or student participants, the study focussed on business professionals. Few studies have examined the use of peers from outside organizations to serve as coaches for leadership development.

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