A typology of management development

Abstract

Management development (MD) is defined as the system of personnel practices intended to ensure that an organization can rely on timely availability of qualified and motivated employees. The article reports on a survey of 92 Dutch companies concerning their MD policy and practice. Results identify four types of MD: administrative MD, found in lifetime employment environments; derived MD, where in``up or out'' environments MD is strictly planned and linked closely to company strategy; partner MD, primarily found in innovative and IT environments where it is imperative to combine business development with human development; and leading MD, in turbulent market situations. In particular the link between MD and organization strategy, and systematic evaluation of MD practices, should receive more attention. The article compares the results with those of earlier empirical studies on MD.Management development (MD) is defined as the system of personnel practices by which an organization tries to guarantee the timely availability of qualified and motivated employees for its key positions. The aim of MD is to have at its disposal the right type of managers and specialists at the right moment. In The Netherlands, interest in MD during the past decade has shown evident growth. Under the auspices of the Netherlands Foundation for Management Development (NFMD), which celebrated its 25th anniversary in 1999, three books appeared, containing research findings and practical experiences in MD (Wattel, 1993;Von Grumbkow and Jansen, 1996;Paauwe, 1999). In addition, upon the occasion of the tenth anniversary of the Netherlands Society for Personnel Management, Van de Burgt et al. edited a collection of MD ideas and practices (Van de Burgt et al., 1998).Until now however a large-scale empirical study of the practice of MD in Dutch organizations has been lacking. In the present contribution we report on a study of this kind.We start with a brief review of previous research in The Netherlands. Next we discuss the relationship between MD and organization strategy and MD differences between profit and non-profit sectors and branches. Finally, we introduce a new typology of MD. MD appears clearly dependent on the specific combination of the state of affairs in both the organization's commercial and labor markets. Previous empirical research on MD in The NetherlandsEmpirical research into MD is scarce. Also, different definitions of MD are in use. Huijgen and De Nijs (1993) use a rather limited definition of MD:``Developing employees in a prudent and structural way in order to guarantee the future The research register for this journal is available at

International Business Research, Vol.1, No.4, October 2008

“…Boyatzis (1982) shared a similar view and defined competency as the underlying qualities of a manager that ensures job success and performance. This emphasis on the emerging role of competency-based approach is in line with the current development in the field of MD (Jansen & van der Velve, 2001;Paauwe & Williams, 2001;Taylor & Gordon, 1984;).…”

Management development – a model for retail business

“…According to Jansen et al (2001) there are four general types of management development education: 1 Administrative management development whereby the primary focus of management development is on supervising and stabilising. 2 Derived management development, which stems from the company strategy and is utilised to help fulfil strategic choices by enabling participants to develop necessary skills.…”

“…3 Partner management development, which refers to the relationship between company strategy and management development whereby they work in symbiosis to attain business development. 4 Leading management development, whereby the focus of development centres on the unique knowledge and skills of employees and staff members and it is these skills that are used to attain what is strategically desirable for the company (Jansen et al, 2001).…”

A Strategic Competitive Advantage Perspective on Management Development

“…Jansen, van der Velve and Mul (2001) classified MD into four types which are (1) administrative MD which emphasizes lifetime employment for managers, including promotional opportunity based on the length of service and age; (2) dependent MD, which is dependent on organizational chosen strategy; (3) leading MD which concentrates on prior adequate selection than on latter training and development; and (4) partnership MD, which stresses filling key positions within an organization. These four types of MD suggest the importance of context in trying to understand the different definitions of MD.…”