A significant consequence of today's dynamic, complex, and uncertain business environments is that leadership skills are subject to continual obsolescence and displacement. To be effective, leaders must demonstrate the flexibility and agility to adapt their behaviors as situations change. The willingness and capability to learn from experience and subsequently to apply that learning to perform successfully under new or first-time conditions becomes one of the most critical success factors for managers and executives. This article introduces and defines the concept of learning agility, reviews and discusses its theoretical and empirical background, and presents selected research findings related to the assessment of learning agility. Several areas for future research are also identified.

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We read the DeRue, Ashford, and Myers (2012) article with much interest. As a company, Lominger (purchased by Korn/Ferry in 2006) has conducted research on learning agility for nearly 20 years. Although much of this research has been internal in the form of technical reports and whitepapers, we also have published and presented our findings in a number of venues (De

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“Learning Agility and the Changing Nature of Leadership: Implications for Theory, Research, and Practice” explores the theoretical foundation and reviews the conceptual evolution of learning agility. Learning agility assessment has been closely connected to high-potential identification and development. It is asserted that the definition of high potential should expand beyond upward mobility to reflect what is needed for leadership effectiveness in today’s volatile and dynamic business environment. Combining the learning agility literature with the findings from recent research on adaptability, the chapter proposes a theory-based model of learning agility to enhance its conceptual clarity. This model appears to encompass existing learning agility assessment tools quite well. Subsequently, the chapter reviews the empirical findings from several learning agility studies, especially its incremental validity in explaining leader success, and examines its relationship with other constructs. The chapter closes with a discussion of theoretical and practical implications.