How top‐level managers develop: a field study

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this study was to determine how top‐level managers continue their development/performance improvement, once they have reached the highest levels of their organizations.

Design/methodology/approach

Interviews were conducted with 106 of senior‐level managers who were asked to identify the specific things they did to continue their development.

Findings

The top ten practices identified by executives included: seeking out honest/accurate performance feedback from a wide variety of sources; reading relevant material; self‐reflection/self‐appraisal; recruiting, hiring, and promoting talented people attending formal continuing education programs, workshops and/or seminars; membership in professional/trade organization associations; mentoring and coaching others; benchmarking and observing the practices of other leaders/organizations; working at knowing the current needs of your own organization and the demands of your job; always knowing the current needs of your own organization and the demands of your job; and having a mentor and/or coach.

Research limitations/implications

The research limitations of this study include a limited executive sample from large US organizations that makes generalizing these finding difficult. Future research should focus on the barriers that prevent executive development and whether these same development techniques are used by executives all over the world.

Practical implications

The practical implications of this research make it clear that executive development is a complex and critical organizational/personal process.

Originality/value

Most research has focused on management development techniques of middle and lower‐level managers. This study determines how top‐level managers continue their development once they have reached the highest levels of their organizations.

Citation

Longenecker, C.O. and Fink, L.S. (2006), "How top‐level managers develop: a field study", Development and Learning in Organizations, Vol. 20 No. 5, pp. 18-20. https://doi.org/10.1108/14777280610688005