ABSTRACT
A central theme of this book is that the leader development process can be accelerated through the application of scientifi cally based principles derived from theory and research from diverse areas such as developmental psychology, lifespan development, adult learning, Gestalt psychology, expertise and skill acquisition, leadership, and growth modeling, as well as training and development (among others). These various areas contribute diverse perspectives that are helpful in better understanding the leader development process, yet there has been little effort directed at synthesis and integration. The systems theory maxim that differentiation always precedes integration (Gharajedaghi, 1999) certainly seems to apply to the state of the fi eld of leader development. There is a multitude of differentiated perspectives but no integrated theory of leader development. Accelerating leader development depends foremost on having a comprehensive, integrated theory on which to base research and practice (Day & Zaccaro, 2004). Our purpose is to provide the much needed integration across these differentiated perspectives.
