Human resource management Management Essay Research

HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT
Student’s Name
Course
Professor’s Name
Institution
Location
Date
Human Resource Management
Introduction
Leadership development programmes are integral to improving the abilities and skills of organisational members to boost performance and compete effectively. In today’s business environment that is characterised by turbulences as a result of rapid technological advancement, leaders at different levels of an organisation must possess relevant abilities and skills that can help address modern challenges. One of the most significant challenges that have hampered and continue to hamper the different organisations in the current business environment is the COVID-19 pandemic. The outbreak of the pandemic in the last months of 2019 disarrayed the operations of many organisations, and the uncertainty it brought continues to be a challenge for leadership development programmes. At times of crisis such as the COVID-19 pandemic, the role of leaders in ensuring organisational continuity cannot be underestimated. This paper examines why leadership development programmes fail to meet their intended effects and how the incorporation of psychological effects can improve them.
Why Leadership Programmes Fail
One of the key reasons for the failure of leadership development programmes is a mismatch with the needs of the environment. When there is a mismatch between the leadership development programme and the purpose it is supposed to serve, then it is bound to fail. According to Atef (2017), the classroom methods used by some leadership development programmes do not meet the needs of the organisations and the public. Therefore, if the curriculum of the development programme does not meet the needs of the organisation, it is no doubt that it will fail. As noted by Holt, Hall, and Gilley (2018), leadership development involves identifying the needs of the learners, their current and desired level of skills, and the behaviour change that can drive success. As can be seen, there is more focus on the individual as opposed to the needs of the organisation. The concentration on the individual may mean that other important organisational needs such as employees’ well-being and changes in the external environment are neglected. Holt, Hall, and Gilley (2018) further assert that a one-size-fits-all programme is not sufficient to develop leaders that can effectively address the challenges in the modern business environment. In the wake of disasters such as the COVID-19, leaders at different levels must possess the necessary leadership skills to guide the organisation and its employees forward. However, when development programmes focus more on the individual rather than organisational needs, the ability of leaders to successfully guide the organisations in times of crisis is limited. According to Turner et al. (2018), leaders in the modern complex environment need to possess the ability to operate in different types of environmental variation. The authors assert that linear development programmes can negatively affect human resource development efforts. Therefore, the mismatch of development programmes with the needs of the organisation is a key reason for their failure to achieve the intended effects.
Another major reason for the failure of leadership development programmes to meet their intended effects is the lack of evaluation (Arnulf, Glasø, Andreassen, & Martinsen, 2016). As noted by Arnulf, Glasø, Andreassen, and Martinsen (2016), while it is possible to evaluate leadership development programmes properly, the process is methodologically challenging. Furthermore, the authors note that even if the leadership development programmes are evaluated, the methods used are likely to measure only participant participation while neglecting organisation benefit or learning outcomes. When an investment is made towards leadership development by an organisation, it does make sense to put in place relevant evaluation criteria of the outcomes. Without the evaluation of the programmes, it is likely that they will not be taken seriously and this can mean their failure. According to Holt, Hall, and Gilley (2018), it is essential for organisations to continually evaluate the impact of their development programmes in order to successfully implement changes that are integral for success in a competitive business environment. As such, when there is a lack of proper evaluation of the leadership development programmes, their success is limited.
Leadership development programmes also fail to attain their intended effects because of a lack of development process elements (Ghose, 2017). As noted by Ghose (2017), the leadership development programmes try to facilitate learning by the leader through design and with the aim to replicate what might happen by discovery or accident. As such, through reflection, the learner experiences change and learns from it. However, leadership development programmes are often taken as a one-off activity as opposed to a continuing journey (Ghose, 2017). Furthermore, leadership programmes are taken as an event and often considered a way of fixing certain undesired behaviour. As explained by Ghose (2017), little attention is paid to ensuring that the leader understands how the programme is going to help them. Besides, there is little discussion on how the programme fits the current and future role of the leader. The lack of reflection and the fact that the programmes are not holistic limit their attainment of intended effects.
Improvement through Incorporation of Psychological Factors
Incorporation of psychological factors will be integral in improving the effectiveness of leadership development programmes, more so in the current business environment that is characterised by myriad challenges, one of them being the COVID-19 pandemic. It is important to recognise that people are at the centre of almost all organisational operations and addressing issues surrounding their well-being is vital for success. The incorporation of psychological factors including self-affirmation interventions, relationship skills, emotional stability and employee well-being, and decisive and accountable leadership practices can go a long way in helping leadership development programmes attain their purposes.
Incorporating self-affirmation interventions will boost significantly the effectiveness of leadership development programmes. In a year like 2020 when the COVID-19 pandemic has turned upside down the lives of many people, leaders are supposed at the forefront in addressing the worries and fears of employees. According to Carnevale and Hatak (2020), self-affirmation interventions in altered environments have shown efficacy. The COVID-19 pandemic has brought about signific...