(Solution) 5OS06 (AC1.2) Explain the meanings of ‘leadership development’ and ‘management development’ making a clear distinction between these two functions

Solution

Leadership Development

Howlett (2020) defines leadership development as a process of improving individual capacity to mobilise and direct others towards the achievement of some common purpose or objective. It balances and concentrates on a strategic thinking, emotional intelligence and communication skills. Leadership is not about being in charge of day-to-day operations but about setting up the teams for success for the long- run.

How to Develop a Leader

To develop a leader, I would provide opportunities to leading cross functional teams, inclusion in leadership conferences and engaging them in decision-making exercises that enrich their roles of strategic leadership. In addition, involvement in other departments would enrich their organisational perspective, whereas, the company hierarchical interactions would create mentor-mentee bonds. This approach ensures that leaders get to develop practical experience and are guided hence emerging as strong strategic leaders.

Difference to Developing a Manager

Developing a manager, however, tends to concentrate on increasing an individual’s ability to handle tasks, processes, and resources efficiently. Operational excellence, performance management and problem solving are the focus areas of development programs for managers (Kotter, 2013). In contrast to leadership development, developing a manager would for example entail employees’ technical expertise, project management skills, and organisational efficiency, the most important qualities for meeting daily operational demands.

Management Development

Management development is defined in CIPD (2023) as a process of improving an individual’s skills to lead tasks, resources, and teams. It entails how to build skills in organising, planning and executing operational strategies with a view to achieve organisational objectives. Managers keep control, ensuring that resources are used efficiently, and they solve the immediate problems.

How to Develop a Manager

To develop a manager, I would provide extensive training into project management, resource optimisation, and performance monitoring in order to help him better handle the operation of the company. That would include workshops on subject matter such as conflict resolution, good communication, and delegation techniques for team management and problem solving.

Difference to Developing a Leader

Leadership and management differ in function. Leaders inspire, motivate, and set a vision, but it is managers who are responsible for implementing strategies and executing initiatives, making processes work (Schramm et al., 2014). The difference between leadership development and management development is that leadership management is about building influence and guiding teams to achieve long term goals, as compared leadership management which focuses on operational excellence and achieving short term targets.

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