Leadership development

Leadership is an important factor in fostering connections and guiding change. In development processes it can play a key role in governance, accountability and effectiveness of specific programmes. Given its pivotal role, practitioners need to pay attention to leadership as a critical aspect in capacity-development strategies and work. Fortunately, there are a growing number of development organizations that offer diverse leadership support services, ranging from short-term training, on-the-job coaching and peer-reviews.

Building on Issue 28 (July 2006) of Capacity.org journal, this section aims to highlight a range of initiatives around the world that offer fresh insights on how to build capacity for effective and innovative leadership. We also welcome additional input from our readers on recent case studies, methodological approaches, communities of practice and upcoming events in this area. Please click here to send a message to the web editor.

Featured Article

Women Leading Change: Experiences promoting women's empowerment, leadership, and gender justice

cover_womenleadingchange Published in March 2012, this publication features, four case studies describing experiences from Cambodia, the Philippines, Sri Lanka and Indonesia in promoting women's political and economic empowerment and leadership. The case studies describe the context in which women live, what leadership means and how to achieve it. Attention is given to working within existing institutions and cultural norms, and also to creating new institutions. The final section summarizes common lessons and considerations for future policy and practice aiming to promote women's empowerment and leadership.

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Recent Articles

In and above Conflict - A study on Leadership in the United Nations

27 October 2011

UNAMID-NorthDarfur-489640Peace is seldom concluded when a peace deal is signed. The principal external role in consolidating peace frequently falls to United Nations (UN) missions and agencies. Their ability to achieve this task is contingent on many factors including resources and cohesive international political support. It depends most critically on effective leadership. What are the unique, defining challenges to UN leadership in conflict and post conflict environments? How have effective UN leaders approached these challenges?

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Interview: Moins d’enseignement, plus d’apprentissage

12 September 2011

CAP43_SombathSomphoneSombath Somphone, Directeur du Centre de formation au développement participatif du Laos

Innovations dans l’éducation au Laos

Le Centre de formation au développement participatif (PADECT) applique des approches actives de l’apprentissage au Laos, où l’éducation est encore fondée sur le principe traditionnel de la transmission unidirectionnelle des connaissances des enseignants aux apprenants, ces derniers ayant un rôle passif.

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Ethics and integrity in developmental leadership

14 April 2011

Many developmental problems are attributed to the failure of leadership, and in particular to the absence of either ' ethical leadership'  or 'integrity. But what is ‘ethical leadership’? What is ‘developmental integrity’? How is it achieved? And what are the conditions for sustaining it? This is the focus of a new study by  the Development Leadership Programme, published in March 2011.

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About "Theory U": Resources from the Society of Organizational Learning

15 January 2011

Screen shot TheoryU bookIn Theory U: Leading from the future as it emerges (SoL, 2007), C. Otto Scharmer expounds on the theoretical foundations of what he calls "the social technology of precensing". Presencing is a blend of the words "presence" and "sensing", and is defined as "the ability to sense and bring into the present one's highest future potential—as an individual and as a group".

Theory U is presented as a new territory of scientific research and personal leadership, one that is grounded in real life experience and shared practices. Otto Scharmer invites us to see the world in new ways by learning to become aware of our "blind spot", by sharing from his own personal and professional development. The final chapters lay out principles and practices that allow everyone to "participate fully in co-creating and bringing forth the desired future that is working to emerge through us".

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Puissance et amour

22 December 2010

Pour nos problèmes réfractaires, des solutions non classiques

Les approches classiques s’avèrent inopérantes devant les crises sociales dont la complexité ne fait que croître. Nos efforts visant à résoudre les problèmes difficiles selon de telles approches débouchent souvent sur un accroissement de la confusion et de la polarisation et mènent à des impasses.  

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Ce qu'il faut

13 December 2010

Narmada-dam-indiaQuelles compétences pour les processus plurilatéraux?

Les processus plurilatéraux voient leur importance croître dans le développement durable. Leur conception et leur facilitation exigent un ensemble de compétences distinctes.

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Other Topics

Essential Readings

  • Rick James (2006) Changing from the inside out, Capacity.org # 28, July 2006

  • Dia, B. and J.W.Eggink (2010) Leadership, the hidden factor in capacity development: A West African experience, in Ubels, J., N. Acquaye-Baddoo and A. Fowler (eds) Capacity Development in Practice, Earthscan, pp. 208-224

  • Hannum, K.M, J.W. Martineau and C. Reinelt (2007) The Handbook of Leadership Development Evaluation - Centre for Creative Leadership, Jossey-Bass

  • UNDP Capacity Development Group (2006) Leadership Development: Leading transformations at the local level

Go to annotated bibliography

Featured Community

The Leadership Learning Community

LLC-logoThe Leadership Learning Community (LLC) is a US-based nonprofit organization that seeks to transform the way leadership development work is conceived, conducted and evaluated, primarily within the non-profit sector. LLC hosts several "Learning Circles", providing a collective space where leadership development practitioners can share experiences and seek support on a number of leadership topics. While most of these community initiatives are US-based, the LLC website also offers access to an extensive collection of research outputs and other resources, as well as links to learning communities and social networks in the leadership development field.

Communities of practice in leadership development