This qualitative case study sought to better understand the complexity of developing executives to lead in a landscape of disruption and uncertainty, and how to evaluate the effectiveness of the development intervention in a world that is constantly changing. The purpose of this study was to explore how executives make meaning from what they learned in a development program, how these executives transferred the learning to lead their teams in today’s dynamic world, and how their organization benefitted (if at all) from having leaders with increased capabilities in leading through change. The researcher chose a single-case study design to evaluate the long-term impact of an executive development program within a bounded organization by looking at three key areas for the research questions: individual development, facilitators and barriers to learning transfer, and organizational outcomes.
The 13 study participants were a subset of a cohort from an Executive Development Program (EDP), designed to harness the power of disruption to prepare leaders to navigate their teams through a constantly changing landscape with care, curiosity, and courage. The EDP took place at Global Financial Analytics & Insights (GFAI,), a pseudonym, which is a firm providing essential information to the global financial markets to inform decision-making.
The data collection methods leveraged to conduct this case study were semi-structured interviews with the 13 participants and program architect, and a review of archival program documentation. The data were coded and organized according to the research questions and conceptual framework. Analysis, interpretation and synthesis of the findings were organized into four analytic categories: (1) individual shifts in mindsets or behavior; (2) enabling factors of learning transfer; (3) barriers to learning transfer; and (4) tangible or intangible benefits for the organization.
This study revealed that all 13 leaders in EDP experienced a shift in their leadership style in at least one of the three lenses of care, curiosity, or courage. It also revealed that all participants encountered facilitators and barriers to learning transfer, which were grouped into the themes of individual motivation, work environment, and program design. All leaders were able to describe at least one way that GFAI benefitted from the investment in the EDP, with the top benefit being an engaged and committed network of leaders who could rely on each other to solve problems across the firm.
Recommendations are offered to practitioners who aspire to build highly capable leaders prepared to navigate a dynamic and disruptive world, including: (1) leverage measurement tools to understand a leader’s ability to adapt to complexity; (2) design learning experiences that provoke new perspectives to enable transformation; (3) evaluate programs over time to allow for participants to apply their learning and for others in the organization to recognize the shifts the leader is making; and (4) engage the Executive Team (the level of leadership that reports directly to the CEO) as program sponsors and champions early in the design process and clearly articulate what is expected of them as organizational leaders and role models. Recommendations for future research are also included.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:columbia.edu/oai:academiccommons.columbia.edu:10.7916/r70e-cg43 |
| Date | January 2023 |
| Creators | Fritz, Stephanie |
| Source Sets | Columbia University |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Theses |
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