CONCLUSION The principal objective of the Australian The principal research findings are that Executive Development Trends 2007 Australian organisations believe that research project, has been to identify, over the next 2 to 3 years: explain and contextualise the important trends in Australian executive Business strategy, collaboration and development, such that the insights reinforcing or changing corporate produced could inform and guide culture will be the most influential improvements in organisational practice factors shaping executive development; and in turn in organisational performance. The key objectives of executive The general conclusions of this study - development strategy will be highlighting the factors and trends shaping developing high potential managers, Australian executive development leadership capability, executing vision - can stand alone as guidance for top and strategy and managing human managers within large Australian performance; and companies. the pressures that impact on senior learning methodologies used in executives who are working within executive development would be Bennis and “Warren Australian organisations that operate in Action Learning and external James O’Toole ...argue an increasingly globalised and rapidly executive coaching. that business schools are changing world. The findings provide If we were to summarise the overall in a self-defeating Australian organisations with high level theme of the Australian Executive feedback loop that has insight Development Trends 2007 research resulted in a model of into the challenges and trends shaping findings it would unquestionably centre education in which Australian executive development within on the emergence of executive research and practice have an international context, thereby development as a much become increasingly establishing the opportunity to understand more strategic organisational concern disconnected and that better these challenges and to compare that it perhaps has been in the recent most of the research them to the challenges faced by both US past. It appear from respondent conducted in business based and feedback that questions around schools is irrelevant to non-US based organisations. It is hoped executive development are more often managers. Relevance that these insights will assist organisations today being framed strategically by .....applies both to the in developing more contemporary and organisational practical implementation effective executive development strategies leaders charged with generating adequate of and to insight into and practices that can meaningfully investment returns on their firm’s capital. the underlying forces that contribute That is, there is an emerging imperative shape business, markets to sustainable improvements for executive development activities to and in organisational more closely and directly support the behaviours.” 16 performance. execution of an organisation’s business This report provides strategy. The most commonly utilised significant insight into
CONCLUSION The principal objective of the Australian Executive Development Trends 2007 research project, has been to identify, explain and contextualise the important trends in Australian executive development, such that the insights produced could inform and guide improvements in organisational practice and in turn in organisational performance. The general conclusions of this study - highlighting the factors and trends shaping Australian executive development - can stand alone as guidance for top managers within large Australian companies. The principal research findings are that Australian organisations believe that over the next 2 to 3 years: Business strategy, collaboration and reinforcing or changing corporate culture will be the most influential factors shaping executive development; The key objectives of executive development strategy will be developing high potential managers, leadership capability, executing vision and strategy and managing human performance; and “Warren Bennis and James O’Toole ...argue that business schools are in a self-defeating feedback loop that has resulted in a model of education in which research and practice have become increasingly disconnected and that most of the research conducted in business schools is irrelevant to managers. Relevance .....applies both to the practical implementation of and to insight into the underlying forces that shape business, markets and behaviours.” 16 This report provides significant insight into the pressures that impact on senior executives who are working within Australian organisations that operate in an increasingly globalised and rapidly changing world. The findings provide Australian organisations with high level insight into the challenges and trends shaping Australian executive development within an international context, thereby establishing the opportunity to understand better these challenges and to compare them to the challenges faced by both US based and non-US based organisations. It is hoped that these insights will assist organisations in developing more contemporary and effective executive development strategies and practices that can meaningfully contribute to sustainable improvements in organisational performance. The most commonly utilised learning methodologies used in executive development would be Action Learning and external executive coaching. If we were to summarise the overall theme of the Australian Executive Development Trends 2007 research findings it would unquestionably centre on the emergence of executive development as a much more strategic organisational concern that it perhaps has been in the recent past. It appear from respondent feedback that questions around executive development are more often today being framed strategically by organisational leaders charged with generating adequate investment returns on their firm’s capital. That is, there is an emerging imperative for executive development activities to more closely and directly support the execution of an organisation’s business strategy.
AusExecTrendsReport_2007_Final.docx