Crafting continuing learning and development: a positive design tool for leadership development

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to consider leaders as continuing learning and development (L&D) crafters.

Design/methodology/approach

To maximize leaders’ “self-awareness” and “learning agility”, this article addresses itself to positive, purposeful and planned self-development by means of continuing L&D crafting.

Findings

Executing leader’s structured and personalized developmental portfolios produce both personal and organizational gains, as reported by participants in the global “Learning Entrepreneurs” research project.

Practical implications

The article offers a “designy” tool that executives can use in the workplace and outside.

Social implications

Apart from the fact that it seems highly practical to employ L&D crafting as a business leadership development method, one can extrapolate this idea, and recommend this technique to leaders outside of business. This may transform institutions at large into learning organizations.

Originality/value

Rooted in design thinking and positive organizational studies, the article advances a “continuing developmental portfolio” made up of two components: a continuing executive development “Check-in” and “Design”. These together are a mechanism for natural and disciplined learning from opportunistic incidents.

Citation

Tkaczyk, B. (2014), "Crafting continuing learning and development: a positive design tool for leadership development", Development and Learning in Organizations, Vol. 28 No. 4, pp. 5-8. https://doi.org/10.1108/DLO-10-2013-0079