Professional managers have existed in the workplace for only a little more than a century, and the last 25 years have seen an increase in an emphasis not on developing effective managers. This emphasis on management is found not only at the highest levels of the organizations, where it might naturally be expected, but throughout the organization. Team leaders, group leaders, division leaders and other types of leaders have become nearly commonplace, and the term "manager" is viewed--in some organizations--as derogatory and old-fashioned at the same time that "management leadership" is recognized as having increased importance in organizations. This research considers various types of management training techniques, and evaluates those that are likely to succeed.
CAN MANAGEMENT LEADERSHIP BE TAUGHT?
While many Americans believe that leaders are born, not made, or that circumstances may cause a particular individual to assume a leadership role that otherwise would escape him or her, many executives believe that management leadership can be taught. In a study from the early 2000s, 81 percent of chief information officers surveyed were of the opinion that leadership can be taught, and 47 percent have participated in management leadership programs at their current employer ("Research," 2003). It is this belief that management leadership can be taught that has given rise to corporate management training as well as degrees in leadership and management at the college level.
Organizations are willing to spend a considerable amount of their resources in an effort to train their managers to become leaders. In 2000, it was estimated that more than $50 billion was spend on corporate management leadership development programs (Ready & Conger, 2003). If organizations did not believe that they were receiving an appropriate return on this investment, they would not be committing these levels of resources. However, it is difficult to ...