Developmental Relationships That Encourage Generativity

Abstract

Early leader and leadership development experiences that develop generativity and therefore social responsibility will become increasingly imperative in preparing a young workforce to shoulder the burden of a substantial leadership transfer in the wake of Baby Boomer retirements. While generativity is considered a midlife construct, recent and emergent research is documenting an association between developmental relationships, such as mentoring, coaching, and advising, and generativity in young adults. The current article highlights the recent research and addresses its implications for leadership practitioners, scholars, and educators. The article concludes with a discourse on future research directions that considers the nuances of particular methodological approaches that will be needed to understand how developmental relationships encourage generativity over time.