Turning managers into leaders: assessing the organizational impact of leadership development

Citation

Dexter, B. (2008), "Turning managers into leaders: assessing the organizational impact of leadership development", Human Resource Management International Digest, Vol. 16 No. 1. https://doi.org/10.1108/hrmid.2008.04416aad.009

Turning managers into leaders: assessing the organizational impact of leadership development

Turning managers into leaders: assessing the organizational impact of leadership development

Dexter B., Prince C. Strategic Change (UK), August 2007, Vol. 16 No. 5, Start page: 217, No. of pages: 10

Purpose – To assess the impact of a leadership development program on middle managers within a UK city council organization. Design/methodology/approach – Questions the assertion that “business education has made almost no impression on practicing managers and has failed to impact on business performance”. Describes a leadership development program instigated by Derby City Council in conjunction with the Derbyshire Business School, focusing on its population of middle managers. Briefly reviews contemporary literature on management development and leadership before providing contextual information on the development and content of this program. Explains that a qualitative methodology was used in the evaluation research project, drawing on information from the learning logs completed by participants and interviews with their line managers. States that semi-structured interviews were used to elicit stories about how the Leading Manager program might have made an impact at organizational level and that a thematic analysis was then undertaken using the categories of knowledge, skills and attributes. Findings – Discusses the individual and organizational benefits that line managers perceived to have been delivered by the program. Provides examples demonstrating contribution to better processes and project management; more effective team working; development of networks and collaborative working; and improved self-management. Originality/value – Shows how one leadership development program for middle managers not only contributed to individual development, but also led directly to organizational improvements.ISSN: 1086-1718Reference: 36AY711

Keywords: Leadership, Management development, Management effectiveness, Training