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Developing leaders via experience: the role of developmental challenge, learning orientation, and feedback
1University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA. dsderue@umich.edu
The Journal of Applied Psychology
|July 15, 2009
Summary
Challenging work experiences boost leadership skills, but benefits diminish. Feedback availability can enhance skill development, even with high challenges.
Area of Science:
- Organizational Behavior
- Management Science
- Human Resource Development
Background:
- Limited understanding of how work experiences foster leadership skills.
- Need to explore the influence of individual and contextual factors on leadership development.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the link between work experience features and leadership skill development.
- To examine the moderating roles of individual learning orientation and contextual feedback availability.
Main Methods:
- Hypothesis development based on prior research.
- Data collected from 60 managers on 225 on-the-job experiences.
- Statistical analysis to test the proposed relationships.
Main Results:
- Developmental challenge shows diminishing returns for leadership skill development.
- Feedback availability moderates the relationship, offsetting diminishing returns at high challenge levels.
Conclusions:
- The developmental value of challenging experiences is contingent on feedback.
- Optimizing leadership development requires considering experience, individual, and context.
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