Leadership at Work

Introduction

Ascending to the Top

This was a two-tier project to investigate the overall quality of a state level government Leadership and Management initiative.

Tier 1. A Summative Evaluative Evidence-based Study on the overall quality of the programs.

Tier 2. Detailed recommendations and an implementation plan focused on redesign and upgrading the existing curriculum of the programs and outlined how the programs could be integrated into the Human Resources policies and promotion cycle.

1st Tier

Introduction

The primary goal of this two-tier project was to investigate the assumptions, design, curriculum and the overall quality of programs including the performance of the core-faculty members and upgrading and professionalizing the curriculum. The study was a neccessary step in transitioning the State Leadership and Management programs from their first experiment in 2010, to the pilot initiatives of 2011 and 2012; into formalized, recognized programs within the State Government.

In taking this step, the programs could potentially evolve into a professionalized element within the state’s existing educational ecosystem embedded as an integral part of the Human Resources policies. This ambition translated into increased expectations; greater diversity; increased visibility and responsibility; and, ultimately, full accountability and transparency. Furthermore, the program sponsors sought greater understanding of the measurable return on investment and the quality of program design and delivery.

How did people experience their participation in the programs?

Study Design

Central to exemplary-based action research is the cyclical iterative process guiding, learning and action during empirical studies. This method is focused on a practical understanding of the unique context and the effects of the intended and unintended actions.

Essential in this kind of study is the art of generative dialogue to co-create new knowledge. The purpose of this method is to activate all the participants in the study to be a part of a collective learning and developmental process, including defining and understanding the main challenge; implementation of any action plans and evaluating the measurable results.  The main focus is contextual experiential learning. In following this method, it has the potential for participants to co-discover the solutions to a specific challenge in a unique context.

In pursuit of external accuracy, authenticity, trustworthiness, transferability, utilization, implementation and participatory value as important indicators, the initial subjective data and the thematic interpretation was presented to the Development Design Team (DDT) for further external multi-disciplinary peer-examination. 

Based on the outcomes of this  crystallization phase  within the DDT, the results were transferred into a broader organizational contextual perspective and systematically tested. Executing the changes based on the decisions and directions in the crystallization phase created the opportunity to move forward into implementing one example. By doing this, any new changes and actions could be objectively measured. 

2nd Tier

Evaluation and Design

To recommend how to adjust the programs for the future, the third member of the study team and co-author of the research conducted a supplementary literature overview to explore the latest trends in defining, developing, evaluating and measuring leadership development. The central question of this desk-research was: 

What are best practices in designing effective Statewide leadership and management development programs?

Design

Based on the data we introduced the analogy of the ‘Art of climbing’ to illustrate the future of the Statewide development programs. Eight inspiring  core principles were introduced to emphasize the importance of individual and collective learning and the connection between leadership and learning in the new curriculum.

The recommendations focused on developing a fully integrated curricula that is evidenced-based in activating formal and informal, self-directed life-long learning processes within an organizational setting. We also introduced a modular leadership developmental approach that distinguishes different levels of engagement from basic to the most advanced levels with a minimum structure and design; creating maximum self-management competencies; sufficient familiarity with the subject matter; and attainment of a sense of learning competence by participants.

We proposed that it would be essential to close the gap between theory and practice as well as bridge the gap between thinking and doing. This program design surpassed the traditional psychological ‘doing good’ focus and introduced an advanced multi-disciplinary andragogical, didactical and responsible, timeless design to think in terms of accountability, a results-driven focus and return on investment, related to the core concepts, main theories, methods, tools and competency profiles of managers, faculty members, trainers and the affiliated coaches involved.

” Leadership and learning are indispensible to each other.”

– John F. Kennedy  –

The essence of  leadership and management development is the exploration and defining of your authentic voice and translating that voice into a concrete vision-in-action. Ascending a mountain is chosen as a salient metaphor for the vision of our evidence-based and advanced leadership program based on cutting-edge methodology and technologies.

Upon request, we would have provided our cost-effective, multi-disciplinary, evidence-based, reliable, and cutting-edge curriculum proposal and modules to serve as a blueprint for current and future Statewide Leadership & Management programs. This offer was made  to advance the programs in ways that would honor the past while innovating the programs to add educational value for leaders facing increasingly complex challenges in the future.  In the end, freedom is the choice to reject the “new and stick to the old.”