ABSTRACT
Leadership development has traditionally concentrated on individual managers and their needs, treating them as clients. Typical activity develops managers’ generic leadership ability in relation to those reporting to them, i.e. leadership as high-end people management. This is valued by learners and considered useful for their jobs, careers and marketability. Such activity is tactical in nature, being semi-detached from the business’s own needs and agenda. Other than showing concern for the ‘transfer of learning’ problem, developers mostly leave the learners themselves to make the connection with the business and the workplace. All parties are fairly comfortable with this arrangement, including the employer underwriting the development. Yet it leaves much to chance from the business’s standpoint.
