The Development of Management and Leadership Capability and its ...

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The effectiveness of management and leadership development in organisational settings is strongly influenced by the culture and HRM practices of those organisations, and is both shaped by, and influences, these factors. 5.1 Effect of learning environment and challenges faced There are a number of key factors in the learning environment which will affect how individuals learn. These include personal learning styles, the teaching methodology used and the size of the groups involved. Considerable attention has been given to the notion of learning style mainly originating with the work of Kolb. (Kolb 1984). The main ideas are summarised: Learning styles Among the most influential and well-known classifications of learning styles are: • Myers-Briggs: classifies learners along dimensions of extrovert or introvert; sensing or intuiting; thinking or feeling; judging or perceiving • Felder-Silverman: learners can be sensing or intuitive; visual or verbal; inductive or deductive; active or reflective; sequential or global • Kolb: classifies learners as having a preference for concrete experience; abstract conceptualisation; active experimentation; reflective observation • Honey & Mumford: developed from Kolb’s theory, there are four types – activists, reflectors, pragmatists, theorists Source: Caley et al 2001 • Sadler-Smith (2002): uses three categories for learner preferences- verbal imagery; holist-analytical; and rational-intuitive. However learning ‘styles’ are better thought of as learning ‘strategies’ that individuals can change and develop, and may vary much more with context than the term style, as an individual personality characteristic, implies. In consequence a variety of different teaching methodologies are now being used in management and leadership education and development. Different practitioners favour different options. Methods include simulations, case studies, action learning, and outdoor adventure. Taking the literature as a whole, there is no evidence to show that any one method is the most successful. All indications are that multiple methods will produce the most effective management learning. No one method has the sole answer. Some examples of different methods are given in the boxes below. 50
Simulations There are several kinds of simulation, the main ones being: computer-based electronic simulation (widely used in teaching marketing, sales and strategy); role play (often used for leadership development); and project-based simulation (often used for complex business situations) (Caley et al 2001). One study found that for teaching strategic management, project-based simulations where participants worked in small teams to develop a new business initiative were rated as more effective by participants than either case studies or action learning sets (Jennings 2002). Problem-based learning Problem-based learning is another respected method. This involves the learner in responding to the totality of a situation and looking for clues. Students learn through doing, direct the learning experience themselves and pursue independent enquiry in order to learn. The student has to take into account the complex context of the problem when finding a solution (Savin-Baden 2001, Boud and Feletti 1997). Project and action learning A large study of HR departments in over 430 organisations was carried out using survey methods plus some individual interviews (CIPD 2002). It found that respondents believed project and action learning to be the most effective methods. Action learning was developed after the Second World War by Reg Revans (Revans 1998) in order to provide management development which would be relevant to the workplace and to the real life problems faced by managers. The method draws upon the shared learning which happens within the group as members work towards finding solutions. Members are working on actual problems arising from their jobs rather than on artificially produced case studies or simulations. This means that the topics reflect the real life situations in which managers find themselves. Such situations are often ‘messy’, complex, contextualised and unique. This method of learning allows all these factors to be brought into the equation. Although this method is popular and respected and has many advantages, it can be difficult to find any objective measures to assess the learning. Individuals commonly report personal growth and development as a result of participating in action learning sets. However this does not always translate beyond the individual into organisational growth (de Loo 2002). Findings such as these indicate that some teaching tools appear to be more effective than others, at least for some topics and some circumstances. No one strategy will work for all managers and all types of subject area and tailored courses for different contexts and audiences are likely to be the most effective. 51
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The Development of Management and L
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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This report has be
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Page 89 and 90: Bibliography AGR (2001). Graduate S
Page 91 and 92: Burke M and Day R (1986). A cumulat
Page 93 and 94: Dunbar, R (1996) Grooming, Gossip a
Page 95 and 96: Jennings, D. (2002). Strategic mana
Page 97 and 98: NHS (2003). Leadership Qualities Ca
Page 99 and 100: Senge, P (1990). The fifth discipli
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