Concepts in leadership development that determine the leadership failure in an organization

The paper “ Concepts in Leadership Development that Determine the Leadership Failure in an Organization” is an informative example of a research proposal on management. According to Knippenberg and Sitkin, leadership development as practiced and theorized has been equated too often with leadership development, which has resulted in an added focus on persons rather than attending to the collective, political, social, and other contexts of meaning and action. As a result, this has resulted in a misallocation of resources as organizations try to develop a capacity for leadership. In this case, Barnes et al. (2013: p753) insist on the importance of distinguishing between leadership and leaders on one hand and leadership development and leader development on another. Indeed, there is limited literature and critical studies in leadership development approaches in spite of the heightened interest in this phenomenon over the past few years. Essentially, leadership development can be defined as leadership process development within the organizational context and the development of individual leaders (Raelin, 2011: p201). On the other hand, leader development is referent to the enhancement of employee and human capital, whereas leadership development is about creating social capital. Therefore, leadership development involves the extension of people’s collective ability to undertake leadership processes and roles effectively and mainly involve helping these people comprehend how to establish and sustain social networks, access resources, and develop commitments (Bucolo et al., 2012: p23).

Men and Stacks (2013: p180) note that leadership development enhances leadership quality and has traditionally focused on the development of individual attitudes and abilities, while also arguing that different personality characteristics and traits may either hinder or help leadership development and effectiveness. In addition, Day et al. (2014: p70) link leadership development the nature and quality of leadership development programs, individual learning characteristics, and genuine support for change in behavior from supervisors. Moreover, personal characteristics like high achievement drive, motivation to learn, and personality traits have been associated with successful leadership development. Lowe et al. (2013: p74) identify these personality traits as self-monitoring, internal locus of control, and openness to experience. Among some of the essential concepts identified in leadership development include experiential learning, self-efficacy, visioning, and attitude, which are critical for roles across different organizations (Hurd, 2014: p236). This paper will seek to investigate different concepts of leadership development, including leadership styles and behaviors, cultural influences in leadership development, the process of selecting and developing potential leaders. In essence, the paper will explore the different aspects involved in the process of leadership development.

Research Question: What are the most important concepts in leadership development that determine leadership failure in an organization?

2. Methodology
The proposed research study seeks to investigate the aspects and concepts of leadership development in organizations. To do this, the study will use a qualitative approach, which involves the exploration of issues, comprehension of phenomena, and making sense of unstructured information and data to draw theories on specific phenomena. The qualitative approach is a good fit for this study because it provides details about personality characteristics and human behavior, which are essential in understanding leadership and leadership development (DeRue et al., 2011: p18). Further, the study will use a descriptive research design in seeking to solve the research problem. Descriptive research is also a good fit for this study because it provides information regarding a phenomenon’s current status while describing what exists in relation to the conditions or variables of leadership and leadership development. Moreover, the rich data provided by descriptive research is an equally rich source of important recommendations in practice about phenomena, such as how to develop leadership. Descriptive research is also important for this study due to its capacity to increase knowledge about what happens in organizations in relation to leadership development, in turn providing the basis for crafting a theory on leadership development (Hoch & Kozlowski, 2014: p390).

The study will use two main methods to collect descriptive data for this study, which are qualitative interviews and a review of previous research. The study will interview (n= 5) executives of small and medium enterprises in the locality, seeking to collect information on their reflections upon and experience of working as organizational leaders, the learning that has occurred, transferring of this learning to the organization and its employees, and the presence of leadership development programs. Conducting interviews is advantageous for the study because it allows for the collection of detailed data on personal perceptions and opinions, which are important for understanding the important aspects of leadership that organizations seek to, develop. In using a  review of previous research, the study will seek to explore various studies conducted on leadership development with the aim of distilling the concepts considered most important to leadership development in organizations. Some of the previous research to be analyzed includes studies on leadership, leadership development, and organizational leadership.

3. Data Collection
Primary Sources
Interviews with several executives of local SMEs.
Direct observation of employees in the workplace as they interact with supervisors and managers.

Secondary Information
The literature on literature styles and behavior.
The literature on cultural influences on leadership styles.
The literature on the development of potential leaders in organizations. 4. Aspects of MBA syllabus used
5. Proposed Chapter Headings
Introduction
Literature Review
Background of the Study
Methodology
Results and Findings
Discussion
Conclusion
Appendices