Leadership Development in Context

Abstract

Welcome to the third in a series of research reports from Leadership South West, the regional Centre of Excellence in leadership, based at the Centre for Leadership Studies, University of Exeter. This report builds on from the last one, ‘What is leadership development: purpose and practice’, which explored the range of approaches to leadership development available to individuals and organisations and the assumptions and principles that underlie them. This is done by considering the impact of context on the appropriate content, style and format of leadership development. The report is divided into two main sections. The first looks at how different organisational and individual priorities shape the content and format of leadership development. Thus, for example, what are the sorts of things an organisation needs to pay attention to when embarking on a process of strategic change? What is distinct about development initiatives targeted at different client groups (e.g. women managers, senior executives)? And how can topics such as ethics and self-awareness be effectively conveyed within leadership development?

The second section takes more of a sector/occupational focus on leadership development, looking at what tend to be the most significant factors and challenges facing organisations in these different environments. Thus, for example, what is distinct about the police or military context and what types of intervention seem best placed for organisations of this type? What are the key issues for leaders in local government and/or the education sector and how can leadership development help? And what are the main issues when dealing with people from different occupational groups and how can they best be engaged?

The report concludes with a summary of themes arising from the different sections and an integrated framework for leadership development.