Gaining Power and Viability in Management Development Programmes

The history of a management development programme in the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) is presented. The programme was developed in response to two problems which handicapped internal consultants in the IDF, their low power position and the inappropriateness of organisation development as a paradigm for applying behavioural sciences in this organisation. Both problems were alleviated by institutionalising a management development programme in the curriculum of two officer schools of the IDF, and by changing behavioural scientists′ roles from consultants to instructors.