... Ideally, a facilitator should moderate these sessions to ensure maximum impact. ... Given the... more ... Ideally, a facilitator should moderate these sessions to ensure maximum impact. ... Given the expense of these programs, action learning is best employed for the development of high ... If the objective is to instill a cross-cultural perspective, then team members should be drawn from ...
Human Resource Management International Digest, 2007
Despite the great sums of money companies dedicate to talent management systems, many still strug... more Despite the great sums of money companies dedicate to talent management systems, many still struggle to fill key positions - limiting their potential for growth in the process. Virtually all the human resource executives in the authors' 2005 survey of 40 companies around the world said that their pipeline of high-potential employees was insufficient to fill strategic management roles. The survey revealed two primary reasons for this. First, the formal procedures for identifying and developing next-generation leaders have fallen out of sync with what companies need to grow or expand into new markets. To save money, for example, some firms have eliminated positions that would expose high-potential employees to a broad range of problems, thus sacrificing future development opportunities that would far outweigh any initial savings from the job cuts. Second, HR executives often have trouble keeping top leaders' attention on talent issues, despite those leaders' vigorous assertions that obtaining and keeping the best people is a major priority. If passion for that objective doesn't start at the top and infuse the culture, say the authors, talent management can easily deteriorate into the management of bureaucratic routines. Yet there are companies that can face the future with confidence. These firms don't just manage talent, they build talent factories. The authors describe the experiences of two such corporations - consumer products icon Procter & Gamble and financial services giant HSBC Group -that figured out how to develop and retain key employees and fill positions quickly to meet evolving business needs. Though each company approached talent management from a different direction, they both maintained a twin focus on functionality (rigorous talent processes that support strategic and cultural objectives) and vitality (management's emotional commitment, which is reflected in daily actions).
Consulting Psychology Journal: Practice and Research, 2010
This article examines the theories and research on character and leadership by the authors in the... more This article examines the theories and research on character and leadership by the authors in the Special Issue on "Defining and Measuring Character in Leadership" (Thompson & Riggio, 2010). It explores the variety of definitions and frameworks and identifies similarities across them. We note that the dominant foundations of the frameworks are transformational leadership and positive psychology. This raises concerns
Why do so many newly minted leaders fail so spectacularly? Part of the problem is that in many co... more Why do so many newly minted leaders fail so spectacularly? Part of the problem is that in many companies, succession planning is little more than creating a list of high-potential employees and the slots they might fill. It's a mechanical process that's too narrow and hidebound to uncover and correct skill gaps that can derail promising young executives. And it's completely divorced from organizational efforts to transform managers into leaders. Some companies, however, do succeed in building a steady, reliable pipeline of leadership talent by marrying succession planning with leadership development. Eli Lilly, Dow Chemical, Bank of America, and Sonoco Products have created long-term processes for managing the talent roster throughout their organizations--a process Conger and Fulmer call succession management. Drawing on the experiences of these best-practice organizations, the authors outline five rules for establishing a healthy succession management system: Focus on o...
Rare is the company that does not periodically review the performance of its staff, business unit... more Rare is the company that does not periodically review the performance of its staff, business units, and suppliers. But rare, as well, is the company that does such a review of one of its most important contributors--its board of directors. Reviewing a board's performance is not an easy proposition: it has to be done by the members themselves, people who generally have many other responsibilities and whose time is always at a premium. But done properly, appraisals can help boards become more effective by clarifying individual and collective responsibilities. They can help improve the working relationship between a company's board and its senior management. They can help ensure a healthy balance of power between the board and the CEO. And, once in place, an appraisal process is difficult to dismantle, making it harder for a new CEO to dominate a board or avoid being held accountable for poor performance. Done properly is the key here, though. Done incorrectly, board appraisals...
ABSTRACT In this chapter, we propose a theory of perceptual distance and its implications for tea... more ABSTRACT In this chapter, we propose a theory of perceptual distance and its implications for team leadership and team outcomes. Perceptual distance is defined as the variance in the perceptions of the same social stimulus, which in this case, is either a team leader's behavior or the team's behavior. The general research question that we will address is, “What are the consequences of perceptual distance for team process and outcomes?” Our basic argument is that the relationship between perceptual distance and team processes and outcomes is moderated by two key cultural characteristics: power distance and collectivism. For example, depending upon the dynamics of power distance, large differences in perceptions of a team leader's behavior can negatively impact team productivity. Similarly, depending upon the dynamics of collectivism, significant variations in perceptions of team cohesion can negatively influence conflict resolution.
Executive education is changing. As we move into the 21st century, numerous forces are causing a ... more Executive education is changing. As we move into the 21st century, numerous forces are causing a transformation in not only its delivery but also its purpose. According to executives from 25 global firms, executive education will be more directly geared to making leadership and change management work. We describe shifts in six areas: learning needs, learning content, pedagogy, instructors, participant mixes, and organizational integrating mechanisms. Problem areas also are explored, particularly in the areas of program assessment and sponsorship. The concluding section describes what the authors feel must be the ultimate outcomes of these trends in terms of the transformation of executive education in the 21st century as a critical lever for facilitating strategic transitions.
... Ideally, a facilitator should moderate these sessions to ensure maximum impact. ... Given the... more ... Ideally, a facilitator should moderate these sessions to ensure maximum impact. ... Given the expense of these programs, action learning is best employed for the development of high ... If the objective is to instill a cross-cultural perspective, then team members should be drawn from ...
Human Resource Management International Digest, 2007
Despite the great sums of money companies dedicate to talent management systems, many still strug... more Despite the great sums of money companies dedicate to talent management systems, many still struggle to fill key positions - limiting their potential for growth in the process. Virtually all the human resource executives in the authors' 2005 survey of 40 companies around the world said that their pipeline of high-potential employees was insufficient to fill strategic management roles. The survey revealed two primary reasons for this. First, the formal procedures for identifying and developing next-generation leaders have fallen out of sync with what companies need to grow or expand into new markets. To save money, for example, some firms have eliminated positions that would expose high-potential employees to a broad range of problems, thus sacrificing future development opportunities that would far outweigh any initial savings from the job cuts. Second, HR executives often have trouble keeping top leaders' attention on talent issues, despite those leaders' vigorous assertions that obtaining and keeping the best people is a major priority. If passion for that objective doesn't start at the top and infuse the culture, say the authors, talent management can easily deteriorate into the management of bureaucratic routines. Yet there are companies that can face the future with confidence. These firms don't just manage talent, they build talent factories. The authors describe the experiences of two such corporations - consumer products icon Procter & Gamble and financial services giant HSBC Group -that figured out how to develop and retain key employees and fill positions quickly to meet evolving business needs. Though each company approached talent management from a different direction, they both maintained a twin focus on functionality (rigorous talent processes that support strategic and cultural objectives) and vitality (management's emotional commitment, which is reflected in daily actions).
Consulting Psychology Journal: Practice and Research, 2010
This article examines the theories and research on character and leadership by the authors in the... more This article examines the theories and research on character and leadership by the authors in the Special Issue on "Defining and Measuring Character in Leadership" (Thompson & Riggio, 2010). It explores the variety of definitions and frameworks and identifies similarities across them. We note that the dominant foundations of the frameworks are transformational leadership and positive psychology. This raises concerns
Why do so many newly minted leaders fail so spectacularly? Part of the problem is that in many co... more Why do so many newly minted leaders fail so spectacularly? Part of the problem is that in many companies, succession planning is little more than creating a list of high-potential employees and the slots they might fill. It's a mechanical process that's too narrow and hidebound to uncover and correct skill gaps that can derail promising young executives. And it's completely divorced from organizational efforts to transform managers into leaders. Some companies, however, do succeed in building a steady, reliable pipeline of leadership talent by marrying succession planning with leadership development. Eli Lilly, Dow Chemical, Bank of America, and Sonoco Products have created long-term processes for managing the talent roster throughout their organizations--a process Conger and Fulmer call succession management. Drawing on the experiences of these best-practice organizations, the authors outline five rules for establishing a healthy succession management system: Focus on o...
Rare is the company that does not periodically review the performance of its staff, business unit... more Rare is the company that does not periodically review the performance of its staff, business units, and suppliers. But rare, as well, is the company that does such a review of one of its most important contributors--its board of directors. Reviewing a board's performance is not an easy proposition: it has to be done by the members themselves, people who generally have many other responsibilities and whose time is always at a premium. But done properly, appraisals can help boards become more effective by clarifying individual and collective responsibilities. They can help improve the working relationship between a company's board and its senior management. They can help ensure a healthy balance of power between the board and the CEO. And, once in place, an appraisal process is difficult to dismantle, making it harder for a new CEO to dominate a board or avoid being held accountable for poor performance. Done properly is the key here, though. Done incorrectly, board appraisals...
ABSTRACT In this chapter, we propose a theory of perceptual distance and its implications for tea... more ABSTRACT In this chapter, we propose a theory of perceptual distance and its implications for team leadership and team outcomes. Perceptual distance is defined as the variance in the perceptions of the same social stimulus, which in this case, is either a team leader's behavior or the team's behavior. The general research question that we will address is, “What are the consequences of perceptual distance for team process and outcomes?” Our basic argument is that the relationship between perceptual distance and team processes and outcomes is moderated by two key cultural characteristics: power distance and collectivism. For example, depending upon the dynamics of power distance, large differences in perceptions of a team leader's behavior can negatively impact team productivity. Similarly, depending upon the dynamics of collectivism, significant variations in perceptions of team cohesion can negatively influence conflict resolution.
Executive education is changing. As we move into the 21st century, numerous forces are causing a ... more Executive education is changing. As we move into the 21st century, numerous forces are causing a transformation in not only its delivery but also its purpose. According to executives from 25 global firms, executive education will be more directly geared to making leadership and change management work. We describe shifts in six areas: learning needs, learning content, pedagogy, instructors, participant mixes, and organizational integrating mechanisms. Problem areas also are explored, particularly in the areas of program assessment and sponsorship. The concluding section describes what the authors feel must be the ultimate outcomes of these trends in terms of the transformation of executive education in the 21st century as a critical lever for facilitating strategic transitions.
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Papers by Jay Conger