Developing People and High Performance Organizations: Leadership Essay

This essay delves into the critical aspects of leadership development within the context of Human Resource Development (HRD) and adult workplace learning. It begins by defining HRD as the process of training employees to enhance their skills and contribute to organizational growth, with leadership development being a key component. The essay explores the significance of leadership development, emphasizing that leadership is best developed through practical workplace experiences rather than solely through theoretical concepts. It reviews various literature sources and evaluates different authors' perspectives on leadership development, highlighting the importance of employee behavior and the opportunities organizations provide for skill enhancement. The essay discusses structured leadership development programs, including individual skill development, socialization of company values, strategic leadership initiatives, and action learning. It also critically evaluates the challenges of implementing these programs, such as employee resistance to change and the need for effective management practices. The essay concludes by stressing the importance of adult workplace learning in HRD to develop leadership skills, enhance employee efficiency, and ultimately contribute to organizational success and profitability. The essay provides a comprehensive overview of the benefits and challenges associated with leadership development programs in the workplace.

RUNNING HEAD: Developing People and High Performance Organizations
Developing People and High Performance Organizations
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Developing People and High Performance Organizations 1
“Leadership Development in HRD and Adult workplace learning”
Human resource development refers to the process of training an employee after they are being
hired in the organization. This process provides opportunities to the employees to learn and
develop their skills during the job only. Under the process of human resources development,
organization train, develop and mold the employees in such a way that the adequately work for
the growth of the organization. Subsequently with the growth of organization, the employees
also grow in their job. Leadership development is also a type of adult learning in the process of
human resource development (Wang, & Ellinger 2011). Every employee in an organization get
chances to lead some employees under them, however it depends on employees how they take
the opportunity. The purpose of the essay is to provide information about the leadership
development in the process of human resource development and adult workplace learning. It
explains the review of different literatures on the topic of leadership development of employees
in an organization. The essay also critically evaluates instances given by different authors.
Further, the thesis statement of the essay is mentioned below:
What is the significance of leadership development of the employees on the course of job and
how it is initiated in an organization?
Firstly, it should be noted that leadership is not something that can be taught to people, as it more
of a practical approach than just a theoretical concept. Leadership cannot be learned through
books and papers; however the best way to learn and develop leadership skills is by working at
workplace. Leo Tolstoy stated a phrase that is, ‘a leader is a way pushed ahead by the ship’. This
phrase explained that the activities of leadership are directly or indirectly influenced by the
activities of organization; these activities influences the leaders to initiate activities in such a way
that they learn from the organization and develop their skills to control workplace in a better
way. According to Van Velsor, McCauley, and Ruderman, 2010, the main purpose of the
leadership development is to improve the efficiency of organization. They also stated that several
methods and practices are being used to improve the leadership behavior of employees. Talking
about behavior, it should be noted that behavior is regarded as one of the most important aspect

Developing People and High Performance Organizations 2
that takes lead role in the process of adult learning at workplace. In workplace culture, after
spending quantum time with organization, the employees start becoming stiff and reduces their
development efficiency at workplace. So, it should be noted that the employees of the company
can learn at workplace by having positive approach towards certain activities of company
(Dalakoura 2010).
An organization provides various opportunities to the employees to learn and develop
themselves, but it depends upon the mindset and behavior of employees towards certain
situations. Also, it should be noted that it is the need of the employees along with the
organization to initiate the leadership program as workplace activities are becoming complex and
very few competent people are left to manage the human resource along with the activities of the
company. In response to which, the adult workplace learning in human resource development
activities are initiate to motivate the employees to learn on course of job and grow as well (Volz-
Peacock, Carson, and Marquardt 2016).
Further, it should also be noted that it is easy to grow the leadership skills at workplace, as the
workplace activities provide various opportunities to employees to grow and expand their skills
set at workplace. The workplace can also be seen as a place where the employees are being paid
to learn. Furthermore, leadership development involves a wide range of practices identified as
essential for maximizing potential human capital and growth opportunities. In response to
develop the leadership program, the companies need to initiate formal programs along with
policies in order to develop the quality (Cumberland, Herd, Alagaraja, and Kerrick 2016).
Companies in the current era strictly focus on leadership development program because it
provides them better opportunities to work in external market. Leadership pipeline allow the
companies to identify high potential of the employees that can become a successful leader in
near future and develop them into leaders through structured as well as experiential training. The
structured training program helps in improving the potential leader’s skills and capabilities that
can be further segregated in four aspects that are, individual skill development, socialization of
company’s vision and values, strategic leadership initiative and lastly, action learning initiative
(McCleskey 2014).

Developing People and High Performance Organizations 3
Under this approach of leadership development, the management of the company combines the
goals and objectives of the leaders with organizational goal. In the process of individual skill
development, the employees are initially helped to identify their potential, behavior and values.
The management provides them a 360o feedback to identify their strengths and weaknesses. The
mentors frequently help employees to identify the leadership skills present within them and
nurture it gain satisfaction for the company. In the next step of this process, that is socialization
program; in this program, the mentor makes newly promoted leaders more inclined towards the
vision and values of the company (Hezlett 2016). Aim of this program is to match up the
activities of the leaders to internal as well as external requirements of the company. Mentoring
relationship will helps the leaders to gain better understanding of goals and operations of the
company. The next step of active strategic change strategies evaluates the internal and external
conditions related to company and aim to assess the leadership aspects to overcome the
challenges. This phase of leadership learning helps the company in evaluating aspects to
overcome the challenges faced by company. Lastly, the action-learning step involves the leaders
to work in teams to address the strategic issues while building strong self-awareness and learning
using individuals and group reflection. The aim of this process to guide and promote leaders in
using their skills to successfully create a holistic approach to solve issues for the organization
(Boekhorst 2015).
The above mentioned is a successful full-proof plan with the help of which management can
create leadership development among the new employees of the organization. However,
critically evaluating the above mentioned all the good aspects of adult workplace learning in
human resource development, it should be noted that there are various issues faced by the
employees along with the company in implementing these concepts (Cummings, and Worley
2014). Initially talking about adult learning, it should be noted that the organization aims to
develop the leadership capabilities of all the employees recruiting in their organization, however
sometimes the employees are smart enough to understand the concept and some might not
completely focus on this practice. As ultimately the core activity for which employees are hired
to do is not entirely based on the leadership learning program organized by the company.
Resulting to which, the employees do not focus on such programs of the company due to which
the adult learning concept gets nullified in the company (Hargreaves 2007). Further, it should

Developing People and High Performance Organizations 4
also be noted that many times the experienced employees coming in the organization deny
making change in their nature according to the activities of the company. After working for a
certain time in the industry, the employees get rigid in their actions due to which they fail to
learn new concepts in the company; and this aspect ultimately hampers their personal growth in
an organization and organizational growth as well (Amagoh 2009). It is very difficult for the
employees to make changes in their nature after attain experience in the industry. Apart from
this, the management also many times fails to meet the adequate process need of adult learning
in an organization. The main purpose of adult learning is to develop the skills and efficiency of
employees and align them with the activities of the organization, however companies now a days
try to train the employees and not develop them to which their interest level reduces. The
leadership development program organized by the company should hamper the integrity of
workplace; it should infact increase the unity of employees. But these programs increase the
conflicts among the employees as it makes them competitive with each other only (Hargreaves,
and Fink 2004).
Thus, in the limelight of above mentioned events, the fact that should be noted is that it is
important for the organizations to understand the crucial need of the adult workplace learning
process in human resource development so as to develop leadership skills in the employees. This
process has many positive aspects that increases skills and efficiency of the employees to work
more effectively. However, the companies need to understand the adequate ways in which they
can implement this process for the success of the program along with increment in the
profitability of the company as well.

Developing People and High Performance Organizations 5
References
Amagoh, F., 2009. Leadership development and leadership effectiveness. Management
Decision, 47(6), pp.989-999.
Boekhorst, J.A., 2015. The role of authentic leadership in fostering workplace inclusion: A social
information processing perspective. Human Resource Management, 54(2), pp.241-264.
Cumberland, D.M., Herd, A., Alagaraja, M. and Kerrick, S.A., 2016. Assessment and
development of global leadership competencies in the workplace: A review of
literature. Advances in Developing Human Resources, 18(3), pp.301-317.
Cummings, T.G. and Worley, C.G., 2014. Organization development and change. US: Cengage
learning. pp: 447-781.
Dalakoura, A. 2010. Differentiating leader and leadership development. Journal of Management
Development. Vol. 29 Iss 5 pp.432-441.
Hargreaves, A. and Fink, D., 2004. The seven principles of sustainable leadership. Educational
leadership, 61(7), pp.8-13.
Hargreaves, A., 2007. Sustainable leadership and development in education: Creating the future,
conserving the past. European Journal of Education, 42(2), pp.223-233.
Hezlett, S.A., 2016. Enhancing experience-driven leadership development. Advances in
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McCleskey, J.A., 2014. Situational, transformational, and transactional leadership and leadership
development. Journal of Business Studies Quarterly, 5(4), p.117.

Developing People and High Performance Organizations 6
Van Velsor, E; McCauley, C.D & Ruderman, M.N 2010. The center for creative leadership
handbook of leadership development. 3rd ed. San Fransisco: Jossey-Bass, a Wiley Imprint.
Volz-Peacock, M., Carson, B. and Marquardt, M., 2016. Action learning and leadership
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Wang, Y-L. & Ellinger, A. D. 2011. Organizational learning Perception of external environment
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