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Nine Principles for Enhancing Leadership Development Practices in Organizations

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Title: Nine Principles for Enhancing Leadership Development Practices in Organizations
Language: English
Authors: Anna Fabisch (ORCID 0000-0002-2764-5808), Sofia Kjellström, Marlene Ockander, Gunilla Avby
Source: International Journal of Training and Development. 2025 29(3):388-400.
Availability: Wiley. Available from: John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030. Tel: 800-835-6770; e-mail: cs-journals@wiley.com; Web site: https://www.wiley.com/en-us
Peer Reviewed: Y
Page Count: 13
Publication Date: 2025
Document Type: Journal Articles
Reports - Research
Descriptors: Educational Principles, Leadership Training, Decision Making, Organizational Development, Foreign Countries, Human Resources, Organizational Learning
Geographic Terms: Sweden
DOI: 10.1111/ijtd.12369
ISSN: 1360-3736
1468-2419
Abstract: The significance of leadership for organizational success is widely recognized; however, there are numerous perspectives on the best way to develop leadership. The aim of this study was to explore the factors that professionals collectively identify as crucial for enhancing leadership development in organizations. The research questions addressed are: What key principles guide well-informed decisions in organizing leadership development practices? What generic aspects are related to these principles? Employing a participatory research approach, we collected and analyzed data in collaboration with professionals working with leadership development in 17 municipalities and 10 regions in Sweden. The data were gathered by recording collaborative work during workshops, analyzed using reflexive thematic analysis and interpreted using paradox theory. Our main theoretical contribution consists of nine key principles that guide well-informed decisions in organizing leadership development practices. These principles are structured within key questions that go beyond perspectives on the best way to develop leadership, addressing inevitable paradoxical tensions. Additionally, we identify three generic aspects for managing these tensions and enhancing leadership development practices in organizations: systematic deliberation, integration and continuous improvement. Based on these findings, we present two practical tools to help professionals strengthen leadership development as a cohesive support system. Rather than seeking a single best curriculum or framework, professionals can be supported by aligning the responses to Why? What? How and when? Who? and What works?, always related to Where? and by continuously applying systematic deliberation, integrating leadership development with business strategies and HR activities and pursuing continuous improvement.
Abstractor: As Provided
Entry Date: 2025
Accession Number: EJ1479214
Database: ERIC
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  Value: <anid>AN0187144489;bpu01sep.25;2025Aug07.03:49;v2.2.500</anid> <title id="AN0187144489-1">Nine Principles for Enhancing Leadership Development Practices in Organizations </title> <p>The significance of leadership for organizational success is widely recognized; however, there are numerous perspectives on the best way to develop leadership. The aim of this study was to explore the factors that professionals collectively identify as crucial for enhancing leadership development in organizations. The research questions addressed are: What key principles guide well‐informed decisions in organizing leadership development practices? What generic aspects are related to these principles? Employing a participatory research approach, we collected and analyzed data in collaboration with professionals working with leadership development in 17 municipalities and 10 regions in Sweden. The data were gathered by recording collaborative work during workshops, analyzed using reflexive thematic analysis and interpreted using paradox theory. Our main theoretical contribution consists of nine key principles that guide well‐informed decisions in organizing leadership development practices. These principles are structured within key questions that go beyond perspectives on the best way to develop leadership, addressing inevitable paradoxical tensions. Additionally, we identify three generic aspects for managing these tensions and enhancing leadership development practices in organizations: systematic deliberation, integration and continuous improvement. Based on these findings, we present two practical tools to help professionals strengthen leadership development as a cohesive support system. Rather than seeking a single best curriculum or framework, professionals can be supported by aligning the responses to Why? What? How and when? Who? and What works?, always related to Where? and by continuously applying systematic deliberation, integrating leadership development with business strategies and HR activities and pursuing continuous improvement.</p> <p>Keywords: didactical question; Leadership development system; leadership intervention; management development; paradoxical tension</p> <hd id="AN0187144489-2">Introduction</hd> <p>Leadership development is presumed to play a significant role in ensuring and improving high‐quality performance (Boaden [<reflink idref="bib7" id="ref1">7</reflink>]; Burgoyne et al. [<reflink idref="bib12" id="ref2">12</reflink>]; West et al. [<reflink idref="bib47" id="ref3">47</reflink>],) as well as in promoting employee well‐being (Lundqvist et al. [<reflink idref="bib30" id="ref4">30</reflink>]) and organizational learning climate (Daniëls et al. [<reflink idref="bib14" id="ref5">14</reflink>]). Organizations invest time and resources into leadership development practices such as programmes, mentoring and networking (Mercer [<reflink idref="bib35" id="ref6">35</reflink>]; Vårdanalys [<reflink idref="bib43" id="ref7">43</reflink>]). However, systematic reviews struggle to draw clear conclusions about the effectiveness of these kinds of practices due to the high variability and diversity in intervention design (Lyons et al. [<reflink idref="bib31" id="ref8">31</reflink>]; McGowan et al. [<reflink idref="bib34" id="ref9">34</reflink>]). Although professionals responsible for leadership development practices engage with a wide array of curricula and frameworks across different contexts, few studies have focused on the knowledge these professionals gain from their experiences in organizing leadership development practices. The aim of this study is to explore the factors that professionals collectively identify as crucial for enhancing leadership development in organizations. The research questions addressed are: What key principles guide well‐informed decisions in organizing leadership development practices? What generic aspects are related to these principles?</p> <hd id="AN0187144489-3">Theoretical Background and State of Research</hd> <p>Organizational development involves addressing cognitively and socially constructed polarities, known as paradoxical tensions (Lewis [<reflink idref="bib29" id="ref10">29</reflink>]; March, 1991). Studies show that organizations capable of balancing these seemingly contradictory qualities can navigate challenges, develop sustained performance and foster innovation (Edmonstone and Western [<reflink idref="bib18" id="ref11">18</reflink>]; Rosing and Zacher [<reflink idref="bib37" id="ref12">37</reflink>]; Uhl‐Bien and Arena [<reflink idref="bib42" id="ref13">42</reflink>]). Similarly, organizing leadership development practices involves managing conflicting truths, such as the contrasts between focusing on individuals or groups, or between prescribed and emergent learning processes (Bolden [<reflink idref="bib8" id="ref14">8</reflink>]). Neither a specific curriculum ('what') nor a leadership development framework ('how') seems to be clearly linked to behavioural or organizational outcomes (Lyons et al. [<reflink idref="bib31" id="ref15">31</reflink>]). Leadership tends to operate differently in different situations, indicating that leadership development requires practices appropriately tailored to specific circumstances rather than a universal model of best practice (Burgoyne et al. [<reflink idref="bib12" id="ref16">12</reflink>]). Unintentionally, leadership development practices can reinforce organizational polarities and silos (Gilani et al. [<reflink idref="bib20" id="ref17">20</reflink>]). Positive outcomes, such as an increased sense of agency, can be coupled with decreased manager identification and reduced commitment to the organization (Larsson et al. [<reflink idref="bib26" id="ref18">26</reflink>]; Larsson et al. [<reflink idref="bib27" id="ref19">27</reflink>]), and inefficient use of leadership development resources can impede organizational performance (Arnulf et al. [<reflink idref="bib1" id="ref20">1</reflink>]).</p> <p>To address these challenges and enhance leadership development, there are compilations of best practices, various types of questions and checklists to consider when designing leadership practices (Bitton and Barnes [<reflink idref="bib6" id="ref21">6</reflink>]; Burgoyne and James [<reflink idref="bib13" id="ref22">13</reflink>]). For example, Nilsson ([<reflink idref="bib36" id="ref23">36</reflink>]) emphasizes the importance of managing the interplay between: (<reflink idref="bib1" id="ref24">1</reflink>) <emph>Individual factors</emph> that include the participant's own capacity, motivation and self‐image; (<reflink idref="bib2" id="ref25">2</reflink>) <emph>Practice‐related factors</emph> that focus on whether the leadership development practice is well‐planned and individualized; (<reflink idref="bib3" id="ref26">3</reflink>) <emph>Organizational factors</emph> that encompass an organizational culture that supports development, the opportunity to apply knowledge in daily work and the integration of learning before and after the intervention. This category also includes active managerial support, strategic alignment with the organization's overall purpose, horizontal integration with human resource (HR) activities and connections to other ongoing initiatives. (<reflink idref="bib4" id="ref27">4</reflink>) <emph>World‐related factors</emph> refer to the leadership development practices' relevance to current challenges and their design based on best practice and research.</p> <p>Most research in leadership development and human resources still focuses on single interventions, neglecting the synergies between various practices in a system (Boon et al. [<reflink idref="bib10" id="ref28">10</reflink>]; Vogel et al. [<reflink idref="bib45" id="ref29">45</reflink>]). For instance, Lacerenza et al. ([<reflink idref="bib25" id="ref30">25</reflink>]) demonstrate that programmes are more effective when they incorporate needs analysis, feedback, multiple delivery methods, distributed training sessions, on‐site locations and face‐to‐face delivery. However, professionals working with leadership development in organizations are typically responsible for a much broader range of practices than just training programmes. In this paper, we adopt a comprehensive perspective by including all practices offered by an organization with the purpose of enhancing leadership. We seek to understand factors that professionals collectively identify as crucial for enhancing leadership development, irrespective of specific leadership curricula or frameworks.</p> <hd id="AN0187144489-4">Empirical Settings</hd> <p>The local settings for this study are several municipalities and regions in Sweden. A significant part of the Swedish public sector is decentralized to 290 municipalities and 21 regions, which are responsible for various services such as social care, health care, childcare, education, public transport and regional development. All municipalities and regions are members of the Swedish Association of Local Authorities and Regions (SALAR), which serves as a network for knowledge exchange and coordination, aiming to support and contribute to its members' development.</p> <p>Municipalities and regions use various leadership development frameworks. Around half of the regions (12 out of 21) collaborate with universities, and most (18 out of 21) hire external consultants for these practices (Vårdanalys [<reflink idref="bib43" id="ref31">43</reflink>]). Similar trends can be observed in Sweden's municipalities (Vårdanalys [<reflink idref="bib44" id="ref32">44</reflink>]).</p> <hd id="AN0187144489-5">Materials and Methods</hd> <p></p> <hd id="AN0187144489-6">Research Design</hd> <p>The study employed a qualitative research design utilizing a participatory and interactive approach (Svensson et al. [<reflink idref="bib40" id="ref33">40</reflink>]) together with professionals working with leadership development. In total, 34 professionals from 17 municipalities and 10 regions in Sweden accepted the invitation delivered through SALAR. They represented areas with populations ranging from approximately 8700 to 2,500,000 inhabitants. Their personal experience in working with leadership development ranged from a few years to over 30 years (Table 1), and they held roles such as HR strategist, HR manager, development leader and leadership developer. An informed consent process was implemented to ensure that all participants were informed in compliance with Swedish regulations for research ethics, and we followed the International Standards for Authors (Wager and Kleinert [<reflink idref="bib46" id="ref34">46</reflink>]).</p> <p>1 Table Information about the participants and their organizations.</p> <p> <ephtml> <table><thead valign="bottom"><tr valign="bottom"><th /><th>Number of participants</th><th>Number of organizations</th><th>Number of years of professional experience in leadership development</th><th>Age (years)</th></tr></thead><tbody valign="top"><tr><td>Series 1> 300,000 inhabitants (at most 2,500,000)</td><td>16 (Groups 1–5)</td><td>3Municipalities10 Regions</td><td>0–2: 23–5: 36–10: 311–15: 216–20: 4> 21: 2</td><td>36–40: 241–45: 246–50: 251–55: 256–60: 561–65: 3</td></tr><tr><td>Series 2< 300,000 inhabitants (at least 8700)</td><td>18 (Groups 11–15)</td><td>14 Municipalities0 Regions</td><td>0–2: 23–5: 36–10: 611–15: 416–20: 0> 21: 3</td><td>36–40: 141–45: 446–50: 651–55: 456–60: 261–65: 1</td></tr><tr><td>Total</td><td>34 Participants</td><td>17 Municipalities10 Regions</td><td /><td /></tr></tbody></table> </ephtml> </p> <hd id="AN0187144489-7">Data Collection</hd> <p>To collect data, we hosted two parallel series of workshops (WS) that took place in 2021. Professionals from organizations serving a larger number of inhabitants (> 300,000) participated in one series and those who serviced a smaller number of inhabitants participated in another series of workshops. This division allowed us to examine potential differences between organizations serving larger and smaller populations. Each series comprised two workshops, lasting 3 h each, conducted through the digital meeting platform Zoom<sups>TM</sups>. The purpose of WS1 was to collect data, while WS2 served as a platform to review the preliminary results from the analysis of WS1. All workshops consisted of brief instructions to the entire group, followed by collaborative work in randomly assigned groups of 3–4 professionals. In total, there were 10 groups.</p> <p>During WS1, the discussion focused on questions about the purpose of leadership development and the factors that could enhance it. The workshops were inspired by the driver diagram method (Berman et al. [<reflink idref="bib5" id="ref35">5</reflink>]), identifying primary and secondary drivers considered essential to achieve the purpose. The questions were emailed to professionals in advance for their preparation. In the workshops, each question was preceded by a 3–5‐min period of individual reflection, allowing them to form their own opinions before engaging in group dialogues (Table 2). The dialogues were recorded, and the professionals had the option of taking notes and sharing them with the research team via email or via the confidential digital platform Padlet after the workshop. Out of 40 recordings, eight encountered technical difficulties, but these groups submitted their notes. In total, we received 16 notes. Information regarding the professionals' age and professional experience was collected through a confidential questionnaire administered in the esMaker system (Table 1).</p> <p>2 Table Questions during workshop 1, inspired by the driver diagram method.</p> <p> <ephtml> <table><thead valign="bottom"><tr valign="bottom"><th /><th>Questions addressed during workshop 1</th><th>Approximate time</th></tr><tr valign="bottom"><th>Preparation: Individual reflection</th><th>Dialogue in groups</th></tr></thead><tbody valign="top"><tr><td>Part 1</td><td>Let each person share their experiences and views on leadership: Identify your purpose for leadership development.</td><td>5 min</td><td>25 min</td></tr><tr><td>Part 2</td><td>Discuss how leadership is best developed: What are the primary drivers for successful leadership development? What aspects can the organization not afford to fail at?</td><td>3 min</td><td>20 min</td></tr><tr><td>Part 3</td><td>Continue to discuss: What activities should the organization undertake to organize leadership development practices? Lessons learned from negative experiences? Identify secondary drivers.</td><td>3 min</td><td>20 min</td></tr><tr><td>Part 4</td><td>What fundamental aspects of organizing for leadership development haven't you already discussed?Complete your driver diagram.</td><td>3 min</td><td>20 min</td></tr></tbody></table> </ephtml> </p> <hd id="AN0187144489-8">Data Analysis</hd> <p>All the data collected during WS1 were analyzed by using reflexive thematic analysis (Braun and Clarke [<reflink idref="bib11" id="ref36">11</reflink>]). Two researchers (A.F. and S.K.) carefully listened to the recordings, reviewed the notes and assigned data codes to capture various understandings and views regarding key principles for organizing leadership development practices. Collectively, understandings were treated as key concepts (Braun and Clarke [<reflink idref="bib11" id="ref37">11</reflink>]) and interpreted as key principles that guide well‐informed decisions when organizing leadership development practices, each encompassing a variety of views on how to achieve the principle. These views represented cognitively and socially constructed polarities, interpreted as paradoxical tensions (Lewis [<reflink idref="bib29" id="ref38">29</reflink>]), which are reflected in the codes (Table 3). To ensure comprehensive results and avoid overlooking important aspects, all recordings from WS1 were transcribed by an external service, and the analysis and coding of the data were also performed using the NVivo system. Throughout the analysis process, the key principles and their corresponding codes were progressively structured around themes, interpreted as key questions when organizing leadership development practices. To identify the generic aspects related to the key principles, a synthesis was conducted based on recurring themes across all key principles.</p> <p>3 Table The result: key questions, key principles and codes for different views.</p> <p> <ephtml> <table><thead valign="bottom"><tr valign="bottom"><th align="left">Key question</th><th>Key principle</th><th>Codes</th></tr></thead><tbody valign="top"><tr><td>Where? The local context with its conditions and beliefs</td><td>Why?The purpose of leadership development practices</td><td align="left">1. Support core operations, aligned with vision, business strategies and values</td><td>Leadership philosophy/strategy; Overall vision/business strategy</td></tr><tr><td>What?Key topics in leadership development practices</td><td align="left">2. Base leadership development practices on identified needs</td><td>Individual needs; Business and organizational needs; Rely on research</td></tr><tr><td align="left">3. Maintain the overall direction over time</td><td>Research provides stability; Research contributes to trends</td></tr><tr><td align="left">4. Include organizational development</td><td>Organizational development as a foundation; organizational development as an 'add on'</td></tr><tr><td>How and when?Methods to promote leadership development (i.e., practices, interventions, structures and arrangements)</td><td align="left">5. Utilize mixed methodsa. Enable experiences and utilize existing structuresb. Organize practices for reflection and learning from othersc. Incorporate various theoretical inputs</td><td>Learning in everyday work (a + b); Formal development practices (b + c)a) Ordinary meetings; governance and support systems; support functions; immediate managers, change job tasks; train in everyday life; apply test thinking and test working; crises and difficult situations; feedback; working environment; employee‐to‐manager ratiob) Reflection; mentorship; supervision; coaching; networks; forums for peer learningc) Lectures; programmes; courses; films; panel discussions; tools; theories; models</td></tr><tr><td align="left">6. Build internally and complement externally</td><td>Internal expertize;conditions for professionals working with leadership development; external resources department‐specific leadership development; system‐wide leadership development</td></tr><tr><td>Who?Stakeholders in leadership development practices</td><td align="left">7. Engage all individuals expected to take leadership roles</td><td>Managers; Politicians; other leadership roles and support functions; employees interested in leadership positions; all employeesMandatory; voluntaryIndividuals; groups</td></tr><tr><td align="left">8. Foster ownership among top managers</td><td>Being an expert; rely on the expertize of professionals</td></tr><tr><td>What works? Positive and negative effects of leadership development practices</td><td align="left">9. Follow up with mixed techniques</td><td>Clear goal to capture effects at individual, group and organizational levels; Effects cannot be measured—they are experienced</td></tr><tr><td>Generic aspects related to all key principles</td><td align="left">Systematic deliberation</td><td>Integration</td><td>Continuous improvement</td><td /></tr></tbody></table> </ephtml> </p> <p>The results were similar in both workshop series, leading us to merge the results and present them as a unified outcome. In WS2, the professionals were asked to review the preliminary key principles, discuss them and contribute with additional insights. They had the opportunity to review the preliminary key principles internally within their organizations after the workshop. Seven of the organizations provided their perspectives via email, which further confirmed and enriched the results (Figure 1). Finally, to offer practical value to professionals involved in organizing leadership development practices, we developed practical tools based on the findings from both research questions.</p> <p> <img src="https://imageserver.ebscohost.com/img/embimages/rdk/BPU/01sep25/ijtd12369-fig-0001.jpg?ephost1=dGJyMNXb4kSepq84yOvqOLCmsE6epq5Srqa4SK6WxWXS" alt="ijtd12369-fig-0001.jpg" title="1 Data collection and data analysis. [Color figure can be viewed at wileyonlinelibrary.com]" /> </p> <p></p> <hd id="AN0187144489-10">Results</hd> <p>The findings revealed nine key principles that guide well‐informed decisions when organizing leadership development practices. In all the principles, we identified different views based on professionals' experiences and views on how to manage them, which were interpreted as paradoxical tensions. Although these diverse views comprise polarities, they should not always be seen as 'either/or' but rather as complementary; all professionals sometimes advocated for a 'both/and' approach. The key principles were structured around key questions: Why? What? How and when? Who? and What works?, always related to Where—the local context with its conditions and beliefs (Table 3).</p> <hd id="AN0187144489-11">Key Question: Why?</hd> <p></p> <hd id="AN0187144489-12">Key Principle 1: Support Core Operations, Aligned With Vision, Business Strategies and Values</hd> <p>All professionals in the study agreed on the overall, long‐term purpose of leadership development: to promote the advancement of organizational objectives. The leadership development practices are understood as supporting the core operations, aligned with the organization's vision, business strategies and values.</p> <p> <emph>It would be like throwing money down the drain if our efforts in leadership and management development didn't somehow ultimately reach the citizens</emph>. (Group 12, part 2)</p> <p>In Principle 1, the identified paradoxical tension involves balancing the focus between good leadership itself and the overall business strategies. The first view suggests the need to establish a separate leadership strategy or philosophy that defines what constitutes 'good' leadership by outlining desired leadership behaviours. The development of 'good' leaders is assumed to impact employee engagement and the work environment, ultimately leading to improved organizational outcomes. The second view emphasizes that leadership development should directly align with the organization's business strategies and vision. Focusing on subordinate goals such as specific leadership behaviours is considered counterproductive, as no behaviour can always be universally correct. Instead, by attempting to influence the organization's outcomes, leadership development practices are assumed to improve leadership, employee engagement and work environment simultaneously.</p> <p> <emph>I believe that for some, having a leadership philosophy is crucial. In my region, we don't have one. I was tasked with developing one. As I started working on it, I noticed that we in HR are actually the ones who feel the absence of a philosophy. The managers do not miss it as much. (Group 3, part 2)</emph> </p> <hd id="AN0187144489-13">Key Question: What?</hd> <p></p> <hd id="AN0187144489-14">Key Principle 2: Base Leadership Development Practices on Identified Needs</hd> <p>All professionals advocated using systematic frameworks to assess leadership development needs at different levels. They emphasized that it is important to ensure that the leadership development practices are relevant to the individuals and groups involved, but also to the organization and its operations.</p> <p> <emph>There must be a need. How many times has HR come up with activities that are really fun but haven't actually led to anything. (Group 15, part 2)</emph> </p> <p>Even though everyone agreed on the importance of taking needs as a starting point, there were different views on how these needs were identified. One view was to focus primarily on individual needs, which were captured through, for example, conversations, interviews, surveys or 360‐degree assessments.</p> <p> <emph>We ask our managers to assess their own competence, and the manager's manager assesses the manager's competence. We implement development measures to reduce competence gaps. (Group 5, part 2)</emph> </p> <p>Another view was to focus on the organization's development needs, captured through the results of operations, customer surveys and conversations within the organization.</p> <p> <emph>We have cross‐functional forums with representatives from the divisions, both centrally and in the support organization</emph> [to capture the needs of the business], <emph>and they have been excellent. (Group 4, part 4)</emph></p> <p>A third view was to focus on selected parts of the available research and define the needs based on those. Two fields of research were commonly used: organizational development with quality improvement and leadership frameworks.</p> <p> <emph>We have transformational leadership that we look at. (Group 15, part 4)</emph> </p> <hd id="AN0187144489-15">Key Principle 3: Maintain the Overall Direction Over Time</hd> <p>The third key principle emphasizes the importance of adopting lasting frameworks by consistently adhering to the same overall direction and key topics over time. This was believed to foster continuity and help counteract drastic shifts driven by individuals' strong beliefs about how to develop the 'good' leadership or by incorporating the latest trends. Such drastic changes were experienced as disruptive and counterproductive to positive outcomes.</p> <p> <emph>A few years ago, we had the theme of "values" at this huge leadership day with all 450 managers. Then, when you can't sustain it over time, it becomes such a significant fall. (Group 15, part 2)</emph> </p> <p>The understanding of the contribution of research played a crucial role in determining how best to achieve continuity, where two polarities emerged: Some relied on research on a specific leadership framework or theory, arguing that this specific research provides a clear and sustainable answer on what yields the greatest impact. Others argued that research itself contributes to trends and yielded diverse and conflicting findings. They incorporated various new frameworks but adapted them to align with the organization's way of working.</p> <p> <emph>I think it's important that if we believe in transformative leadership, then it's transformative leadership that we're talking about. We're not discussing suddenly bringing in something else. (Group 1, part 3)</emph> </p> <hd id="AN0187144489-16">Key Principle 4: Include Organizational Development</hd> <p>All professionals expressed that leadership development must incorporate organizational development and quality improvement. Some added quality improvement into leadership strategies and leadership development practices as complementary behaviours and courses, particularly those who argued for a separate leadership strategy.</p> <p> <emph>There are additional efforts, like now we might need to invest a lot in change management because we're in the midst of a transition, and then you can have such interventions. (Group 4, part 1)</emph> </p> <p>Others, particularly those who argued that leadership development needs to align directly with the business strategies, viewed organizational development as the foundation for all leadership development. They considered other leadership frameworks and theories as supplementary.</p> <p> <emph>Quality improvement and system thinking among our managers and in the organization. We think that is the foundation. (Group 2, part 2)</emph> </p> <hd id="AN0187144489-17">Key Question: How and When?</hd> <p></p> <hd id="AN0187144489-18">Key Principle 5: Utilize Mixed Methods</hd> <p>All professionals emphasized the importance of using different kinds of leadership development methods to both challenge and confirm understandings and behaviours. All methods involve aspects of <emph>When</emph>: the timing of the method, its extent, duration and frequency. These methods can be categorized into three types and implemented in both virtual and physical settings:</p> <p> <bold>a) Enable Experiences and Utilize Existing Structures</bold>. The professionals all agreed that leadership development was promoted through experiences in daily work, which can be enhanced by consciously assigning diverse tasks, challenges and action learning projects. Existing structures such as regular meetings and daily dialogues were seen as development opportunities. Many emphasized the importance of support and feedback from immediate managers, support professionals (e.g., HR, controllers, and process and development leaders) and administrative systems.</p> <p> <emph>The template for employee discussions connects to the employee policy, our value guidelines, to our manager policy, and leadership philosophy. It's set up for having that dialogue. (Group 4, part 1)</emph> </p> <p>This category also underscores the need to be aware of and improve the organization's internal and external conditions that hinder and/or enable leadership development, such as the work environment for both managers and employees, the employee‐to‐manager ratio and the organizational culture.</p> <p> <emph>Professionals can create structures, reward systems, and other measures to strengthen the conditions. (Group 12, part 3)</emph> </p> <p> <bold>b) Organize Practices for Reflection and Learning From Others.</bold> It was considered important to encourage individuals to engage with each other's experiences and understandings and to share their own experiences, for example, through networks, mentorship or study visits.</p> <p> <emph>There need to be networks and arenas for the exchange of experiences. (Group 3, part 2)</emph> </p> <p> <bold>c) Incorporate Various Theoretical Inputs.</bold> It was deemed crucial to encourage individuals and groups to access a variety of theoretical input, theories and facts. This type of information was often delivered through lectures, literature or movies or organized into inspiration days or programmes tailored for different groups, also providing opportunities for reflection and learning from others.</p> <p> <emph>We have programmes, the Strategic Leadership Program and Today's Leader Program. (Group 3, part 4)</emph> </p> <p>In this principle, the tensions involve balancing the focus between emergent and prescribed learning processes and between learning in everyday work and formal learning interventions. All agreed that using multiple and mixed methods was a success factor, but since time and resources are limited, tensions arise when priorities need to be set, and there were various views about the optimal combination of different types of methods.</p> <hd id="AN0187144489-19">Key Principle 6: Build Internally and Complement Externally</hd> <p>All considered it important to develop internal expertize in leadership development and to view leadership development practices as a cohesive support system. The conditions under which professionals worked to organize leadership development practices were also seen as influential, such as their opportunities for professional development. Everyone stressed the importance of cultivating collaborations with external consultants, universities and/or other organizations in cases where internal resources lacked the required expertize or to challenge existing working methods and understandings.</p> <p> <emph>We have fewer external resources, but we do utilize them to complement our established beliefs on leadership. (Group 15, part 1)</emph> </p> <p>The balance between internal and external resources was in itself a contradiction, with differing views on what constituted an appropriate mix. There were also different views regarding the appropriate scale of a cohesive leadership development system. For some, it was deemed more appropriate to build such a system within each department of an organization, tailored to their specific needs. Some agreed that coordinating the entire organization was more successful, even if it led to more, and different, perceived needs (Key Principle 2). Some also emphasized the importance of expanding the system by collaborating with other organizations within the same welfare system to achieve better outcomes for residents.</p> <p> <emph>We have five departments, each with the desire to profile its operations. Their intention is to create individual sub‐brands and their own leadership development based on their own conditions, which I find a bit tricky. It's a question of finding a balance. What needs to be unified for a region, and what can be done within each department? (Group 4, part 4)</emph> </p> <hd id="AN0187144489-20">Key Question: Who?</hd> <p></p> <hd id="AN0187144489-21">Key Principle 7: Engage All Individuals Expected to Take Leadership Roles</hd> <p>A consensus emerged on the importance of organizing leadership development practices for everyone expected to enhance leadership capacity, promoting both individual and collective aspects of leadership. This involved participants at all levels, from newcomers to seasoned individuals. Many also emphasized the importance of making careful choices when hiring individuals.</p> <p> <emph>I'm thinking about how we recruit. It's a crucial part because if we hire the wrong person, it won't be good no matter how many development interventions we implement. (Group 2, part 2)</emph> </p> <p>There were various views about who needed to enhance leadership capacity and, consequently, benefit from leadership development practices. The tensions involved balancing the leadership development of managers and the leadership development of all employees. Those who argued for having managers as the sole target group believed that they played a crucial role and should also be responsible for disseminating valuable messages to the employees.</p> <p> <emph>I think it's the managers, from the executive team and downwards. Then, it's the managers who are supposed to address this with their employees. (Group 4, part 1)</emph> </p> <p>Others emphasized the importance of offering targeted leadership development practices to employees with explicit leadership functions, such as HR, controllers, and process and development leaders. Some believed that all employees were expected to assume leadership roles in various contexts and that practices for managers and employees should convey the same messages, even though practices targeting employees were not always explicitly labelled as leadership development.</p> <p> <emph>You have many more employees than managers. So, who should really be trained and developed? In my opinion, the answer is everyone. (Group 14, part 1)</emph> </p> <p>Another tension emerged between the need for voluntary participation in leadership development practices and the advocacy for mandatory practices to harness the power of the collective and ensure it reaches everyone. There were also differing views on whether the focus should be on individuals or groups, though many believed they would emphasize more collective practices in the future.</p> <hd id="AN0187144489-22">Key Principle 8: Foster Ownership Among Top Managers</hd> <p>A close and constructive collaboration between top management and the professionals responsible for leadership development practices was considered necessary. The professionals agreed that the CEO and other top managers have to take responsibility for leadership development practices by establishing the overall direction (Key Principle 3), deciding which identified needs to address (Key Principle 2), determining overall business strategies (Key Principle 1) and inquiring about the learnings and effects (Key Principle 9). Many believed that a crucial aspect for top managers was to serve as role models in their daily actions.</p> <p> <emph>The management team owns the vision and decides on the activities and the type of leadership, that is important. (Group 13, part 3)</emph> </p> <p>There were varying views on how top management should best demonstrate ownership. Some argued that they need to be knowledgeable in the area, acting as experts themselves, with an understanding of how to develop the 'good' leadership. Others believed that top managers should rely on the expertize of professionals in the field. Top managers acting as sole experts with strong personal beliefs could be counterproductive and generate disruptive changes (Key Principle 3). Similarly, top managers need to consider whether they should participate in the same leadership development practices as everyone else or if they should rather demonstrate their support to other leaders by acting as lecturers or strategic dialogue partners.</p> <hd id="AN0187144489-23">Key Question: What Works?</hd> <p></p> <hd id="AN0187144489-24">Key Principle 9: Follow Up With Mixed Techniques</hd> <p>There was a consensus to strive for ongoing evaluation to improve working methods related to all key principles. Everyone preferred using mixed techniques for evaluation, both qualitative and quantitative, but agreed that measuring effects was challenging.</p> <p>There were varying views regarding the feasibility of measuring the actual impact of leadership development practices. Some emphasized the importance of having clear goals for leadership development that needed to be followed up with measurements. To assess effects at the individual level, they favoured tools such as 360‐degree assessments.</p> <p> <emph>My ambition was to capture the impact of a program 3 months later, with some kind of 360‐degree impact measurement. But the participants saw this as being judged, instead of as an opportunity to develop. (Group 5, part 2)</emph> </p> <p>On the other hand, some argued that a strong focus on measurement can shift attention towards what is measurable instead of what is important. They posited that effects and outcomes are influenced by various factors beyond the specific leadership development practices. They often advocated for a higher degree of qualitative evaluations, but they also placed trust in their own and others' experiences, asserting that systematic engagement with leadership development over time brings about tangible changes. The impact becomes evident in the language used within the organization, the shared understanding of the vision, business strategies, and values, and the organization's overall results.</p> <p> <emph>There is a tendency to measure everything. We should trust proven experience and rely on the competence that this has an effect. (Group 5, part 2)</emph> </p> <hd id="AN0187144489-25">Key Question: Where?</hd> <p> <emph>Where</emph> refers to the local context with its specific conditions and beliefs, which all participants identified as essential. However, since all actions aimed at changing these conditions—and thereby enhancing leadership development—are discussed under the other key questions, primarily under <emph>How</emph>, this question serves more as a starting point for aligning the responses to Why?, What?, How and when?, Who?, and What works?</p> <p> <emph>I just want to answer that it depends on the situation and the conditions. Then it depends on what you want to achieve and which group you are leading</emph>. (Group 14, Part 1)</p> <p>Taken together, the key questions and key principles reveal their interdependency when guiding well‐informed decisions to enhance leadership development in organizations. Addressing choices within one of the key principles had ripple effects on the others. For example, a purpose of leadership development, expressed in specific, desirable leadership behaviours (Key Principle 1), implies that needs assessments have been used with a focus on leaders' individual skills (Key Principle 2). The methods in the leadership practices were then chosen to train these behaviours (Key Principle 5), expecting to be able to measure the effect through, for instance, 360° assessments (Key Principle 9). The map presented in Figure 2 serves as a tool to illustrate how these crucial aspects need to interact when organizing leadership development as a cohesive support system within a specific context (where).</p> <p> <img src="https://imageserver.ebscohost.com/img/embimages/rdk/BPU/01sep25/ijtd12369-fig-0002.jpg?ephost1=dGJyMNXb4kSepq84yOvqOLCmsE6epq5Srqa4SK6WxWXS" alt="ijtd12369-fig-0002.jpg" title="2 Key questions and key principles presented as a tool to illustrate how crucial aspects need to interact when organizing leadership development practices. [Color figure can be viewed at wileyonlinelibrary.com]" /> </p> <p></p> <hd id="AN0187144489-27">Generic Aspects</hd> <p>We found three recurring aspects in all key principles, which emerged as three generic aspects central to managing polarities and tensions within each principle, and thus to enhancing leadership development practices in organizations: <emph>deliberate systematic choices</emph> of working methods, <emph>integration</emph> with business strategies and HR activities and <emph>continuous improvement</emph> of working methods. These findings can be visually represented in a diagram (Figure 3), with <emph>deliberate systematic choices</emph> and <emph>integration</emph> forming the axes. By placing an organization's working methods on the diagram according to how deliberately chosen and integrated they are and drawing circles around the methods that are followed up and continuously improved, the diagram serves as a tool to illustrate the current state and facilitate well‐informed decisions when organizing leadership development practices. By repeatedly mapping the practices, the organization can get a picture of how their leadership development system evolves over time in relation to the aspects of deliberate systematic choices, integration and continuous improvement.</p> <p> <img src="https://imageserver.ebscohost.com/img/embimages/rdk/BPU/01sep25/ijtd12369-fig-0003.jpg?ephost1=dGJyMNXb4kSepq84yOvqOLCmsE6epq5Srqa4SK6WxWXS" alt="ijtd12369-fig-0003.jpg" title="3 Three generic aspects to enhance leadership development in organizations: deliberate systematic choices (x‐axis), integration with business strategies and hr activities (y‐axis), and continuous improvement (add circles) presented as a tool to illustrate the current state and facilitate well‐informed decisions." /> </p> <p></p> <hd id="AN0187144489-29">Discussion</hd> <p>Based on critical factors that professionals collectively identify as crucial for enhancing leadership development practices, this study makes three main contributions. First, the identification of nine key principles that guide well‐informed decisions when organizing leadership development practices as a cohesive support system. Second, we found that these key principles were structured around key questions that go beyond various perspectives on the best ways to develop leadership, addressing inevitable paradoxical tensions. Rather than seeking a single best curriculum or framework, we propose that professionals can be supported by aligning the responses to Why?, What?, How and when?, Who?, and What works?, always related to Where? Third, the study identifies three generic aspects related to all the key principles: <emph>deliberate systematic choices</emph>, <emph>integration</emph> with business strategies and HR activities and <emph>continuous improvement</emph> (Table 3, Figure 3).</p> <hd id="AN0187144489-30">Organizing Different Leadership Development Systems</hd> <p>Our findings provide empirically grounded support for viewing and designing leadership development practices as a cohesive support system, mutually interdependent with other actions, processes and systems within and outside the organization (Day and Dannhaeuser [<reflink idref="bib17" id="ref39">17</reflink>]). Thus, we propose a renewal of the previous description of a leader development system (McCauley et al. [<reflink idref="bib33" id="ref40">33</reflink>]), suggesting that a leadership development system encompasses all practices (i.e., interventions, activities, methods, structures and arrangements) offered by an organization, in which individuals engage with the purpose of enhancing leadership capacity to advance organizational objectives. Our definition adds three important aspects: First, we employ the term leadership (Day [<reflink idref="bib16" id="ref41">16</reflink>]) to include both individual and collective aspects (Key Principle 7). Second, we narrow down the scope of the leadership development system to include only deliberately chosen practices, thereby contrasting it with the broader realms of informal learning, which can emerge in any activity (Avby [<reflink idref="bib2" id="ref42">2</reflink>]; Smith and Smith [<reflink idref="bib39" id="ref43">39</reflink>]). We propose that professionals organizing leadership development practices need to deliberately engage with all the key questions, considering the key principles, to sustain and enhance the leadership development system. Moreover, deliberately chosen practices can aim to foster spontaneous leadership development in everyday work. Third, we emphasize that the overall purpose of leadership development practices offered by organizations is to advance organizational objectives, and thus they need to be integrated with business strategies (Avolio and Drummey [<reflink idref="bib3" id="ref44">3</reflink>]; Bolden [<reflink idref="bib9" id="ref45">9</reflink>]), HR activities and other ongoing organizational activities (Nilsson [<reflink idref="bib36" id="ref46">36</reflink>]). This requires alignment with the organization's vision and values (Key Principle 1) based on identified needs (Key Principle 2) and the inclusion of organizational development to manage change (Key Principle 4). A leadership development system can be integrated into other organizational systems, such as HR (Leroy et al. [<reflink idref="bib28" id="ref47">28</reflink>]) and organizational improvement (Bolden [<reflink idref="bib9" id="ref48">9</reflink>]; Fabisch et al. [<reflink idref="bib19" id="ref49">19</reflink>]), using techniques from these fields (Turner et al. [<reflink idref="bib41" id="ref50">41</reflink>]). What sets the leadership development system apart is its focus on enhancing leadership capacity.</p> <p>Our findings are drawn from Swedish municipalities and regions but are supported by studies from other contexts (Bitton and Barnes [<reflink idref="bib6" id="ref51">6</reflink>]; Burgoyne and James [<reflink idref="bib13" id="ref52">13</reflink>]; Davis [<reflink idref="bib15" id="ref53">15</reflink>]). The key questions align with the didactic questions commonly considered in developmental and learning activities (Karlström and Hamza [<reflink idref="bib21" id="ref54">21</reflink>]), which are also applied within leadership development to varying degrees (Killian [<reflink idref="bib22" id="ref55">22</reflink>]; Kroll et al. [<reflink idref="bib24" id="ref56">24</reflink>]).</p> <hd id="AN0187144489-31">Deliberate Systematic Decisions, Integration and Continuous Improvement</hd> <p>Paradoxes found within each principle have the potential to affect the development of different types of leadership development systems. Given the knowledge that different leadership development frameworks are beneficial in diverse situations (Burgoyne et al. [<reflink idref="bib12" id="ref57">12</reflink>]), we argue that professionals must make judgements in a manner that is sensitive to and relevant for their specific contextual settings, their 'Where' (Avby [<reflink idref="bib2" id="ref58">2</reflink>]; March [<reflink idref="bib32" id="ref59">32</reflink>]).</p> <p>We found three generic aspects related to all key principles that seem central to managing paradoxes and enhancing leadership development: <emph>deliberate systematic choices</emph> of working methods, <emph>integration</emph> with business strategies and HR activities, and <emph>continuous improvement</emph> of working methods. The significance of each aspect is well‐known. For example, deliberate systematic choices are a significant aspect of a reflective and professional practice (Avby [<reflink idref="bib2" id="ref60">2</reflink>]). The integration of leadership development practices is important both horizontally with HR and strategically with the organization's overall strategies (Nilsson [<reflink idref="bib36" id="ref61">36</reflink>]). Continuous improvement is crucial for organizational learning (Babich et al. [<reflink idref="bib4" id="ref62">4</reflink>]) and for ensuring that leadership development practices are consistently integrated, address current needs and incorporate new research and frameworks. It is noteworthy that both the professionals in our study and existing research and reports (Gilani et al. [<reflink idref="bib20" id="ref63">20</reflink>]; Kirwan [<reflink idref="bib23" id="ref64">23</reflink>]; Vogel et al. [<reflink idref="bib45" id="ref65">45</reflink>]) emphasize the difficulty of evaluating specific effects of leadership development practices. Instead, internal engagement in improving existing working methods, using various methods of evaluation, appears to be a crucial aspect of enhancing leadership development. These three aspects align with those identified in assessments of systematic organizational quality and management practices (SIQ [<reflink idref="bib38" id="ref66">38</reflink>]), which underscores their significance in constructing sustainable organizational systems.</p> <hd id="AN0187144489-32">Conclusions</hd> <p>Rather than seeking a single best curriculum or framework, professionals can be supported by aligning the responses to Why? What? How and when? Who? and What works?, always in relation to Where?—the local context—and by continuously applying systematic deliberation, integrating leadership development with business strategies and HR activities and pursuing continuous improvement.</p> <hd id="AN0187144489-33">Practical Implications</hd> <p>This paper presents nine key principles that guide well‐informed decisions in organizing leadership development practices. Principles support professionals in reflecting on their organization's current and desired states (Burgoyne and James [<reflink idref="bib13" id="ref67">13</reflink>]). Beyond the key principles, this study goes further by addressing key questions and identifying three generic aspects that appear to be crucial for managing polarities and tensions. To support professionals' reflection, we introduce two practical tools developed based on the findings of this study (Figures 2 and 3), which are currently being evaluated in collaboration with public organizations and private companies. These tools aim to support professionals in designing cohesive, sustainable leadership development systems tailored to their organizational context.</p> <hd id="AN0187144489-34">Strengths and Limitations</hd> <p>The result in the form of key principles was co‐produced with researchers and practitioners using an interactive approach (Svensson et al. [<reflink idref="bib40" id="ref68">40</reflink>]) and based on both scientific and practical knowledge. Co‐producing research on key principles for leadership development has proven to be successful (Burgoyne and James [<reflink idref="bib13" id="ref69">13</reflink>]). The research group possesses both practical and theoretical knowledge of leadership development and has experiences from various research fields. By analyzing the results both with professionals and within a broader research group, we minimized the risk of bias from partial views. We reproduced quotes from the data to enable the reader to understand the data underlying the results and to enhance transferability.</p> <p>The fact that the data collection was conducted through discussions may have influenced what was said, potentially omitting critical perspectives. Furthermore, the study's context in Swedish municipalities and regions must be considered, as it may affect the generalizability of the findings. We do not provide evidence of the key principles' effects on organizational outcomes, whether positive or negative.</p> <hd id="AN0187144489-35">Future Research</hd> <p>We propose future research to study leadership development practices as a system that incorporates both individual and collective aspects. Research that supports each individual key principle is ongoing, but studies need to explore how different aspects of these principles and key questions relate to each other and interact within an organization. A key area for further research is to examine whether a leadership development system characterized by high systematicity, high levels of integration and continuous improvement indicates a more effective and mature system and to uncover any potential correlations with organizational outcomes.</p> <hd id="AN0187144489-36">Acknowledgements</hd> <p>The authors thank all participants who contributed to the study. 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  Group: Ti
  Data: Nine Principles for Enhancing Leadership Development Practices in Organizations
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  Label: Language
  Group: Lang
  Data: English
– Name: Author
  Label: Authors
  Group: Au
  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Anna+Fabisch%22">Anna Fabisch</searchLink> (ORCID <externalLink term="http://orcid.org/0000-0002-2764-5808">0000-0002-2764-5808</externalLink>)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Sofia+Kjellström%22">Sofia Kjellström</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Marlene+Ockander%22">Marlene Ockander</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Gunilla+Avby%22">Gunilla Avby</searchLink>
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="SO" term="%22International+Journal+of+Training+and+Development%22"><i>International Journal of Training and Development</i></searchLink>. 2025 29(3):388-400.
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  Data: Wiley. Available from: John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030. Tel: 800-835-6770; e-mail: cs-journals@wiley.com; Web site: https://www.wiley.com/en-us
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  Label: Peer Reviewed
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  Data: Y
– Name: Pages
  Label: Page Count
  Group: Src
  Data: 13
– Name: DatePubCY
  Label: Publication Date
  Group: Date
  Data: 2025
– Name: TypeDocument
  Label: Document Type
  Group: TypDoc
  Data: Journal Articles<br />Reports - Research
– Name: Subject
  Label: Descriptors
  Group: Su
  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Educational+Principles%22">Educational Principles</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Leadership+Training%22">Leadership Training</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Decision+Making%22">Decision Making</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Organizational+Development%22">Organizational Development</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Foreign+Countries%22">Foreign Countries</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Human+Resources%22">Human Resources</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Organizational+Learning%22">Organizational Learning</searchLink>
– Name: Subject
  Label: Geographic Terms
  Group: Su
  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Sweden%22">Sweden</searchLink>
– Name: DOI
  Label: DOI
  Group: ID
  Data: 10.1111/ijtd.12369
– Name: ISSN
  Label: ISSN
  Group: ISSN
  Data: 1360-3736<br />1468-2419
– Name: Abstract
  Label: Abstract
  Group: Ab
  Data: The significance of leadership for organizational success is widely recognized; however, there are numerous perspectives on the best way to develop leadership. The aim of this study was to explore the factors that professionals collectively identify as crucial for enhancing leadership development in organizations. The research questions addressed are: What key principles guide well-informed decisions in organizing leadership development practices? What generic aspects are related to these principles? Employing a participatory research approach, we collected and analyzed data in collaboration with professionals working with leadership development in 17 municipalities and 10 regions in Sweden. The data were gathered by recording collaborative work during workshops, analyzed using reflexive thematic analysis and interpreted using paradox theory. Our main theoretical contribution consists of nine key principles that guide well-informed decisions in organizing leadership development practices. These principles are structured within key questions that go beyond perspectives on the best way to develop leadership, addressing inevitable paradoxical tensions. Additionally, we identify three generic aspects for managing these tensions and enhancing leadership development practices in organizations: systematic deliberation, integration and continuous improvement. Based on these findings, we present two practical tools to help professionals strengthen leadership development as a cohesive support system. Rather than seeking a single best curriculum or framework, professionals can be supported by aligning the responses to Why? What? How and when? Who? and What works?, always related to Where? and by continuously applying systematic deliberation, integrating leadership development with business strategies and HR activities and pursuing continuous improvement.
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  Data: 2025
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  Data: EJ1479214
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        Value: 10.1111/ijtd.12369
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      – Text: English
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      Pagination:
        PageCount: 13
        StartPage: 388
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      – SubjectFull: Educational Principles
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Leadership Training
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      – SubjectFull: Decision Making
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      – SubjectFull: Organizational Development
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      – SubjectFull: Foreign Countries
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      – SubjectFull: Human Resources
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      – SubjectFull: Organizational Learning
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      – SubjectFull: Sweden
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      – TitleFull: Nine Principles for Enhancing Leadership Development Practices in Organizations
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              M: 09
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              Y: 2025
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