The document outlines four principles of effective management development identified from research interviews with 28 faculty members: 1. Communities - The importance of facilitating discussions tactfully and adding value without undermining others. 2. Contracts - Ensuring clear expectations are set between all stakeholders to avoid problems. 3. Content - Including engaging experiences outside comfort zones to generate creative tension. 4. Contexts - Programs must be relevant to participants' industries and organizations through some contextual knowledge.

1. HOLY GRAIL
FOUR PRINCIPLES OF EFFECTIVE MANAGEMENT DEVELOPMENT
Patricia Hind & Viki Holton

2. What proportion of the management development interventions
you have been involved in have delivered the intended
learning outcomes?
20% 40%
60% 80%
QUESTION

3. The objective was to identify
the key features of
management development
programmes that deliver
success
THE RESEARCH

4. What does management development success
look like in your organisation?
Pick the one you think is most important
Organisations retain
talented individuals
Organisations increase
their profits
Increased organisational
effectiveness?
Organisations close ‘skill
gaps’
Individuals enjoy
themselves?
Individuals learn new
skills e.g. leadership
Individuals acquire new
knowledge e.g. about
managing change
Individuals change their
behaviour at work e.g.
becoming more team
focussed?

5. “The difficulties of sifting through
proposals and making the decisions
about which development partner will
deliver tangible impact in their
organisations.”
“The need to improve organisational
capability – rather than individual
development. Often to do with the
cadre of leadership in place to take the
business forward – having a pipeline of
talent ready.”
The importance of
selecting learning
partners who will
‘meet them where
they are’ and work
with them.
WHAT WE’VE HEARD FROM CLIENTS

6. Identify the key features of effective management
development or executive education.
Look at what aspects of design and delivery ensure
success, and what contributes to failure
Inform the design of the new Ashridge programme
‘DELD’ (Delivering Excellence in Learning and
Development)
OUR OBJECTIVES

7. Semi structured interviews
28 faculty members – all
experienced in the design
and delivery of
programmes but also with
significant individual
managerial experience
WHAT WE DID

8. Type an answer – we’ll look at them later.
WHAT WOULD YOU EXPECT OUR FINDINGS TO BE?

9. THE FOUR PRINCIPLES

11. “So literally, when you are co-facilitating, how
do you come in if you’re picking up something
that they’re missing? If they’re just handling a
question completely wrong and have gone off
on the wrong tack – or if you’ve actually got
something that you think would be useful to
add into the discussion, just how you do that
tactfully without them losing their power – so I
think that in itself is a skill.”
Pam Jones
COMMUNITIES

13. “Almost everything that goes wrong in a programme is a
problem of contracting.
I mean legal contracting and I also mean the psychological
contracting. So we turn up in the room trying to do something
that actually can’t be done.”
“I think it is critical to help the client articulate very clearly
what it is they are looking for and our job starts way before the
first participant turns up in a classroom.”
Chris Nichols
Narendra Laljani
CONTRACTS

15. “So there have to be
engaging experiences where
people are taken out of their
comfort zone. I think that’s
crucial, to have the adrenaline
pumping and get some creative
tension in the room.”
Narendra Laljani
CONTENT

17. “So relevance and credibility
I think are important there.
Having some knowledge and
understanding of their industry,
their organisation, without
necessarily being an expert, but
knowing enough.”
James Moncrieff
CONTEXTS

18. • Relevance! Relevance!
Relevance!
• Be strategic and coherent
• Have a red thread throughout
the programme
• Ensure active involvement of
senior management
• Manage clear and realistic
expectations between all
stakeholder groups
• Do not skimp on diagnostics
• Protect personal reflection
space
• Offer useable tools and
techniques
• Create a safe yet challenging
environment for learning
• Leverage motivations to learn
• Continually challenge
assumptions about design and
delivery
• Leverage the value of a good
faculty team
KEY INSIGHTS