ABSTRACT
Metamorphosis means literally ‘transformation’. The biological sciences have provided descriptions of forms of life that develop though a process of transformation from one stage of life, or one form of existence, to another. In human development there are a number of examples which seem to parallel this type of development, though as with all analogies there are of course limitations. The most dramatic examples in the human sphere are probably those associated with what are known as ‘conversion’ experiences. These are found in religious and political life, and perhaps less frequently in the professional lives of managers and administrators. This does not mean that dramatic changes of belief, value, or behaviour pattern are lacking. Indeed, the point of designating this chapter and the factor it describes as the ‘Metamorphic Development Pattern’ suggests that there are sufficiently notable examples of major transformation among the Henley members as a consequence of their training to allow qualified usage of the designation. Indeed, this is the factor that accounts for the greatest amount of variance in the questionnaire responses, and one may infer from this that it reflects more than other patterns the experiences and concerns of Henley ex-members who consider that they have developed as managers – in so far as we can determine them from this type of survey instrument.
