ABSTRACT
The pace of change, the influx of new technologies, and changing customer expectations place increasing demands on effective leadership. This chapter examines the variety of learning approaches to developing effective leadership across levels and functions in an organization. The first section of the chapter describes an underlying theory of leader development followed by the identification of the key skills and competencies required of leaders. The second section describes a variety of learning interventions employed by organizations in developing their leaders. These approaches include training efforts around behavioral modeling, simulated business games and feedback intensive approaches such as the use of developmental assessment centers. Beyond formal training, leadership developmental efforts include experience-centered learning approaches such as assigning individuals to challenging work assignments. In addition, the section describes the research evidence supporting executive level coaching. The final section provides an analysis of learning initiatives around issues of global leadership developing including skill and competency challenges. The section also addresses the effectiveness of learning interventions such as cross-cultural training as well as high contact learning experiences that are created to enhance global leadership capabilities. The section ends with a discussion of international service learning projects for developing leadership capabilities while also fostering corporate social responsibility goals.
