Leadership development through workplace learning in Malaysia organizations

Abstract

This paper focuses on leadership development of successful leaders via informal workplace learning in several Malaysia organizations. Leadership development which involves a life-long process of learning beginning from one's childhood and educational experiences often continues with experiential learning in the workplace. Though many previous studies have explored on leadership development via formal programmes in workplaces, there have been very limited studies which thoroughly narrated the contribution of informal learning in work places. Hence, the researchers of this study have conducted in-depth interviews with five top management team members (TMT) of organizations in the higher education, banking and service industries to understand their leadership development experiences. The results included the overarching theme that leadership development should never be separated from organizational priorities, as leaders are the ones who define an organization's future. The three sub-themes which emerged in relation to leadership development in the context of workplace learning were: (A) the role of informal mentoring in leadership development; (b) observation and reflection during leadership development; and (c) developmental, challenging assignments in leadership development. The findings are presented along with implications for leadership development research and practices in organizations.