HELPING MANAGERS AND HIGH-potential contributors develop better leadership skills can be a critical part of building organizational capabilities — but for many companies, leadership development programs are falling far short. Those responsible for selecting such programs often struggle to show how their spending has produced significant, enduring changes in participants’ individual capacities or collective outcomes, yet operating executives continue to fund these efforts without requiring such accountability.¹ The result: a massive leadership development industry in which few distinguish between snake oil and effective healing potions.
Our review of leadership development programs (LDPs) at several dozen business schools around the world illustrates the typical shortcomings.² Few program directors we surveyed could identify how the design and evaluation of their leadership development offerings consistently meet scientific standards of desired impact. Instead of documenting improvement in participants’ capabilities, for example, the majority (70%) said they settle for positive reactions to the program or evidence of knowledge gained, at least in the short term (63%). None linked their programming to changes in participants’ career trajectories, followers’ attitudes or performance, or team- or organization-level outcomes.
This story is from the Winter 2024 edition of MIT Sloan Management Review.
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This story is from the Winter 2024 edition of MIT Sloan Management Review.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
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