Developing Executives Through Work Experiences

Abstract

Executive development, although usually thought of in terms of educational programs, actually occurs primarily through on-the-job experience. Very little research has been conducted to determine what kinds of experiences make a difference in the development of executives. A study examined 616 descriptions of experiences that made a lasting developmental difference to 191 successful executives in 6 corporations. Analysis of the experiences identified 8 fundamental challenges: 1. bosses, 2. incompetent subordinates, 3. dealing with new kinds of people, 4. high status, 5. business adversity, 6. scope and scale, 7. missing trumps, and 8. degree of change. A number of conclusions have implications for using experience as a way of strategically developing executive talent. Among them are: 1. Different types of experience can provide opportunities to learn different kinds of things. 2. A job that is developmental for one person can be largely redundant for another. 3. There is no guarantee that a person will learn from an experience.