ABSTRACT
The widespread recognition of business leadership as a pillar of organizational success and the subsequent growth and investment in the executive development industry have resulted in businesses being faced with a diversity of approaches to leadership development. By which criteria, therefore, should those intent on developing leadership capability value one approach over another-business impact, individual behaviour change, novelty? And, with such an array of different offerings, is one approach more effective in certain circumstances than others? These questions are ever more pertinent given the substantial investment of time and money that executive development typically involves. A two-week senior executive programme at a UK business school can cost around £10,000, and at Harvard a nine-week leadership programme costs around $50,000. In the US it is estimated that the costs of developing in company programmes can run from $100,00 to $250,000, and it can cost from $50,000 to $150,000 per session to deliver (Fulmer 1997). It is not surprising therefore that Training magazine estimated that in 1998, US companies were spending around $60 billion on training each year (Fulmer ibid. 2000). And in the UK, business schools are reported as being among the UK’s top 50 exporters, attracting over $640 million a year from other countries (Crainer and Dearlove 1999). Thus, for senior managers the choice is wide and the stakes are high. But it is easy to get it wrong.
