| While organizations are investing heavily in leadership development initiatives to nurture individuals for effective leadership, the theoretical and empirical foundations for leadership development are minimal. This study examines the relationship of leadership development to effective leadership practices. The dependent variable for this study is Kouzes and Posner's (1995) Five Practices of Exemplary Leaders: (a) challenging the process, (b) inspiring a shared vision, (c) enabling others to act, (d) modeling the way, and (e) encouraging the heart. The independent variable is defined as five types of leadership development experiences: (a) developmental job assignments, (b) multirater feedback, (c) skill-based training, (d) feedback-intensive programs, and (e) developmental relationships. This study uses the self-typing paragraph approach to determine the leadership development experiences of Trans World Radio (TWR) executives, directors, officers, and managers. This study also uses the Leadership Practices Inventory (Kouzes & Posner, 2001) to collect data regarding the leadership practices of these TWR leaders. This study compares TWR managers who have experienced leadership development and TWR managers who have not experienced leadership development across Kouzes and Posner's Five Practices of Exemplary Leaders. This study also compares the various types of leadership development experiences to determine whether one type or combination of types is more positively related to Kouzes and Posner's Five Practices of Exemplary Leaders. |
