Typical Design” case study presented in Chapter 34 of Organization Development (pages 683–685). Specifically, consider the effectiveness of the design of the leadership development course.
A TYPICAL DESIGN
To illustrate a program focused on individual development, we use
the example of a leadership course designed for a manufacturing com-
pany. The company had a long history of promoting leadership devel-
opment and had recently become concerned about building a cadre
of “change-agent” leaders capable of coping with the accelerating pace
of innovation in the industry. Two professors from a leading business
school, experts in leadership, were called in to design a program
around the leadership competencies required to effect organizational
change. Together the professors and company sponsors produced and
delivered a four-day learning experience structured around three dis-
tinct modules: the leader’s role in change, skills for implementing
change, and motivational and empowerment practices.
Developing the Individual Leader
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At the start of day one, participants received survey feedback from
a dozen of their workplace colleagues (superiors, peers, and subordi-
nates). This feedback was structured so that the competency categories
that were reported corresponded with each of the course’s three
themes. This ensured that participants could personally gauge their
strengths and weaknesses against the competencies described in the
modules about to be taught. It was assumed that feedback early in the
course would stimulate the participants’ desire to learn.
Following this feedback and a personal review session with an on-
site coach, the program began with a module on leadership vision and
change. Using a series of case studies from companies such as General
Electric, Microsoft, and the Virgin Group, participants learned lessons
about core leadership concepts such as strategic vision, unconven-
tional market perspectives, and environmental scanning for opportu-
nities. During course discussions, the professors encouraged
participants to share their own experiences. This created dialogue that
allowed the core concepts to be applied to the individuals’ own lead-
ership challenges and personal work situations.
A second module was presented in days two and three that empha-
sized skills required for implementing change. Another series of case
studies illustrated how effective leaders at several companies had suc-
cessfully orchestrated large-scale organizational change. For example,
participants explored the successful turnaround of the international
advertising agency Ogilvy & Mather by its senior leader Charlotte
Beers. This case study taught lessons about the process of developing
a strategic vision and ways to implement the vision once it was
defined. Experiential exercises were used to teach communications
and influence skills. A portion of day three and all of day four explored
the remaining themes of motivation and empowerment—again using
experiential exercises and case discussions as the principal vehicles for
conveying lessons and insight. Participants learned about the personal
philosophies that leaders often draw on in their efforts to empower
others, and about the importance of leaders demonstrating their val-
ues and beliefs in day-to-day actions. Throughout the program, par-
ticipants were continually required to reflect on their own actions.
They were encouraged to think about the extent to which they
embody the skills and worldviews they were being taught, and
they were asked to discuss their own personal challenges. There were
also opportunities to practice some of the skills and to receive perfor-
mance feedback.
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Such is the design of a fairly typical in-company program aimed at
developing individual leadership capabilities. A carefully tailored
assessment tool gathers feedback from colleagues prior to the course
and provides detailed input on the developing leader’s effectiveness
along course dimensions. This gives the individual a good sense of
specific strengths and weaknesses and motivates the need to learn.
Case studies, practice sessions, and reflective exercises convey and
teach essential ideas, frameworks, and techniques. In the end, partic-
ipants learn about the characteristics of effective leaders and learn
what these leaders actually do. Indivi
duals are compelled to contem-
plate these leadership characteristics in light of the beliefs and behav-
ior they demonstrate in their own jobs. With this knowledge, it is
presumed that participants will return to their workplaces and imple-
ment the skills and worldviews they have learned.
Though the course meets a larger organizational need around
change leadership, the experience is geared toward the individual
learner. There may be limited attempts to address some of the leader-
ship challenges facing the organization itself, but the emphasis remains
on the individual. Moreover, participants may or may not attend the
development program with colleagues they work with on a regular
basis (in this example, they did not). In programs where participants
attend individually from different parts of the organization, they are
likely to have greater difficulty applying their learning when back on
the job due to a lack of common understanding and support among
the members of their work group. As a result, learning often remains
an individual experience built around the one-time learning event.
This is particularly true with open-enrollment university programs
where participants may be the sole representative from their company