Leadership Learning Knowledge into Action

Citation

Dyson, K. (2009), "Leadership Learning Knowledge into Action", Leadership & Organization Development Journal, Vol. 30 No. 6, pp. 592-593. https://doi.org/10.1108/01437730910981962

This book and its companion, Leadership Perspectives – Knowledge into Action, emerged from the Cranfield School of Management Leadership Conference in 2006. The theme of the conference was Knowledge into Action, and the aim of this book is to capture in text format some of the new ideas, approaches and thinking presented at the conference from the research and commissioned papers. Whilst the book offers academics involved in the design and development of leadership programmes up‐to‐date thinking on leadership learning, the book also has relevance for practising leaders who can use the themes to reflect on their own approaches to leadership and look at ways of both harnessing and managing talent within their organisations.

Divided into three sections the book takes the reader from the challenges of Leadership Learning in Part I, Leadership Development and Delivery in Part II through to Leadership Learning and Managing Talent in Part III. Each chapter is by different contributors; however, the book has been carefully edited to ensure that the themes of leadership development are presented in a coherent and accessible route for the reader. Each chapter has a comprehensive list of supporting references of journals, research reports, texts and web‐based resources for further reading. A detailed index enables the reader to select particular themes or concepts.

The first three chapters focus from differing perspectives on the challenges of leadership learning. Traditional models of leadership learning it is argued focus on the individual leader and the authors suggest that programme designers should take a more holistic approach to leadership acknowledging how it is practised at many levels within an organisation.

Part II explores different approaches to leadership development and delivery, again challenging the more traditional core competencies and skills development which form the basis of many leadership programmes. These different approaches include arts and aesthetics based approaches, coaching as intervention and psychodynamic approaches. These chapters offer a refreshing alternative with a focus on personal and interpersonal dynamics. The MBA as preparation for real management roles is challenged with a useful chapter on how MBA programmes can be redesigned to more appropriately prepare future leaders.

Chapter 8 makes the case for Women Only Leadership Development. It proposes that MBAs, for example, are designed by men and for men. The authors of this chapter suggest that many young women do not choose “women only” development programmes for fear of being stigmatised. In an era of increasing gender equality when we should be promoting the richness of learning from each other, be it male or female leadership, this chapter feels at odds with much of the innovative themes throughout the book.

The final two chapters of the book, which make up Part III, focus on talent management. The first chapter uses a series of case studies taken from complex multinational organisations as the basis for arguing that talent management is more than human resource management. The authors question whether talent management in reality contributes to the development of future leaders or actually hinders the process. The case for an organisational culture that supports and encourages talent to flourish is strongly made.

The final chapter explores the development of global leaders and the impact of the expatriation experience both from a cost and investment perspective on global leadership. The chapter proposes that the development of global leaders through expatriation is cost driven rather research based and therefore is questionable as a valid developmental process.

Overall this book offers innovative and refreshing thinking in terms of leadership design and development. In increasingly turbulent and dynamic business environments it is essential that leadership learning reflects these environments and this book provides a useful overview for programme designers to ensure that their programmes appropriately prepare leaders to meet the challenges of the twenty‐first century.