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Part I of this research study identified the top five leadership deficiencies that confront managers in periods of rapid organizational change and transformation. This article aims to discuss the remainder of the top 10 leadership deficiencies and to provide a call to action for both individual leaders and professionals responsible for leadership training.

The leadership deficiencies were identified using a multisource feedback (MSF) methodology that was employed as a needs assessment tool which was a component of a formal leadership development program.

The leadership deficiencies include ineffective coaching/feedback and employee development practices, and ineffective problem‐solving and decision‐making practices.

This article provides a call to action for both individual leaders and professionals responsible for training and development of leaders needed for driving organizational change and improvement.

This paper explores the benefits of effective management training and consequences of ineffective training programs.

Seasoned managers (278) working in rapidly changing organizations were surveyed on issues related to management training.

Content analyses revealed a number of specific benefits associated with management training. Conversely, managers identified a series of problems caused by ineffective management training.

Generalization of these findings to non‐rapidly changing organizations is unclear.

Findings suggest that the effectiveness of management training has a significant impact on managerial and organizational performance.

This paper voices the concerns and observations about managerial training from seasoned managers in rapidly changing organizations.

The purpose of this paper is to explore the barriers to managerial learning in rapidly changing organizations.

The material presented in this paper is based on a focus group methodology designed to solicit the input of managers operating in dynamic organizations on the subject of factors that influence their ability to learn and develop.

The study identified ten recurring barriers that prevent managers from learning and developing that included such factors as time pressure, lack of awareness, little or no performance feedback, lack of self‐reflection, and egos, among others.

Learning is difficult for most managers in normal times, let alone when their organizations are changing at a previously unseen pace. This study identified factors that damage the ability of managers to learn. This subject matter warrants further exploration as organizational structures, levels, and industries may influence the outcome of the findings.

Key implications of these findings include: individual managers must take more responsibility for their own learning; superiors must play a larger role in management development; and senior leaders must create systems to support learning.

When organizations and societies change, people at all levels must learn and develop to operate in these new environments. Without this learning and alignment, performance will suffer.

Organizations, in many cases, wrongly assume that their leaders will acquire the new skill‐sets necessary to perform in an optimal fashion. The very factors that drive organizational change are the same factors that create barriers to managerial learning.

Some research suggests that the higher a manager rises, the less likely it is that the manager will receive quality feedback. Reports on a survey which shows that executives want feedback. Several fallacies about appraisal are outlined before a case (or appraisal) is presented.

In the global marketplace of the twenty‐first century, we know that managers are being called upon to lead their organization forward in new and creative ways and that improving their performance is no longer optional, but rather an imperative. Unfortunately, most management development activity has continued to emphasize a traditional organization‐oriented approach that is inconsistent with the emerging employer‐employee psychological contract. We propose that management development decisions should include the voice of practicing managers. To that end, 524 front‐line managers from the USA were surveyed to identify what they considered to be the most important factors/practices for improving their performance in the context of rapidly changing organizations. A discussion of the practical implications are offered for organizations and individual managers seeking to improve performance through management development.

The aim of the paper is to discuss specific HR practices that business leaders must embrace to create HR value and competitive advantage for their organizations.

The paper integrates the authors' previous research on critical HR practices.

The paper reveals that HR value creation is driven by: progressive HR thinking and planning; staffing for success; talent development; results‐orientated performance management and appraisal systems; aligned compensation and incentive systems; line‐managers acting as HR managers; and fostering an ethical culture.

The paper discusses specific practices directly related to improving an organization's ability to create competitive advantage through its people.

The paper contends that better HR practices lead to stronger organizational performance and greater use of human‐resource assets.

The paper reinforces the importance of taking HR beyond administrative activity.

The purpose of this paper is to discuss the professional benefits of being in good health and construct a development plan to help business leaders learn how to get and stay healthy.

Data were collected from a sample of 159 “high performance” managers who were identified by their organization as excellent performers over a period of at least five years. The managers were asked for their views on the relationship between health and performance at work. In addition, they were asked what the specific work‐related benefits of being healthy are.

High performance managers believe that there is a strong link between their health and their effectiveness as leaders. The main work‐related benefits of being healthy were: increased energy and drive; greater physical stamina and endurance; lower levels of stress; increased cognitive and thinking abilities; improved overall productivity and performance; improved confidence and self‐esteem; easier to maintain a positive attitude and personality; setting a good example for others in the organization; strengthened ability to make tough business decisions, and improved quality of personal life.

Given these benefits of maintaining a healthy lifestyle, recommendations are given to managers to help foster the appropriate culture or environment in.

The purpose of this paper is to explore the issue of workplace coaching and offers insight into the various coaching practices that are necessary to produce better employee performance and results.

The paper reports on a survey of 219 experienced managers who were asked to respond to a series of questions on the subject of coaching on a four point strongly agree to strongly disagree scale and references previous research in the discussion.

Key findings include that participant managers consider: coaching to be critical to their success and the success of their employees; coaching requires individualized strategies based on the employee's ability and motivation; employees do not always receive the coaching they want and need; and managers believe that they have considerable room for development in this critical leadership practice.

The primary limitation of this descriptive study is the use of a targeted convenience sample which might restrict the generalizability of these findings.

Implications of this research include: organizations placing greater effort in assisting managers to develop their coaching talents; managers tailor‐making coaching strategies for individual employees; and creating a better understanding of the factors that drive employee performance and what managers can and should do to impact these factors.

This paper moves away from the concept of “generic” coaching and makes a very strong case for “individualized approaches” to employee coaching and for managers to give coaching greater time and priority on a daily basis as leaders.

This article aims to report the results of a study concerning the key performance deficiencies found in leaders in rapidly changing organizations.

A sample of 153 middle and front‐line managers from a cross‐section of US manufacturing and service organizations were asked to assemble a multisource feedback (MSF) team consisting of five people who responded to the following question: “What specific things should this individual be working on to become more effective as a leader in their rapidly changing work situation?” In turn, 765 raters rated 153 middle and front‐line managers on their leadership performance deficiencies.

Data analysis indicated the top ten leadership performance deficiencies were: ineffective communication practices, poor time and priority management skills, failing to clarify direction and performance expectations, ineffective interpersonal/teaming skills, inability in handling stress/pressure and staying poised, ineffective coaching/feedback and employee development practices, poor planning skills, ineffective problem‐solving and decision‐making activities, ego issues and disorganization.

Based on these data, a series of leadership lessons for individual business leaders, organizations they serve and those responsible for the training and development of leaders are provided.

To describe the conduct and outcomes of a field experiment in a US manufacturing facility using goal setting and feedback as productivity improvement tools.

Initial studies were conducted to determine a baseline of performance. A two‐month field experiment was utilized to test and measure productivity. The field experiment involved the implementation of changes to three manufacturing cells for a six‐week period and the training of supervisors and staff. Researchers performed the collection of data, implementation of changes and training of workers.

Findings suggest that goal setting and timely feedback will lead to improved work performance, greater efficiency, and the establishment of more challenging goals. In addition, findings suggest that information systems which facilitate goal setting and feedback are more effective than traditional supervision systems at improving performance.

Several limitations of this study should be noted. First, the time frame for the intervention was limited to two months. A longer data collection period could ensure the longevity of the conclusions of this analysis. Second, all subjects received verbal feedback followed by the addition of graphic feedback. Therefore, sequence effects cannot be ruled out. On an overall basis, though, the findings of this study can clearly be applied to a wide range of manufacturing organizations

The study is useful for all managers seeking a competitive advantage through improved productivity. It provides significant insight into ways to improve productivity through the use of goal setting and performance feedback implemented by information systems.

This paper fulfills a need for insight into methods for improving productivity, as well as offering practical aid to managers in the manufacturing industry.