Managers’ perceptions of the strategic role of management development

Purpose – Companies are increasingly using management development (MD) initiatives as a means of enhancing their capability to realise their business goals. Therefore, the linkage between MD and strategic management should be better understood. Aims to examine this situation. Design/methodology/approach – By utilising quantitative statistical methods, the paper studies the linkage from the perspective of individual managers, and analyses how the various forms of the linkage relate to managers’ strategic awareness and perceived value of MD. Findings – Empirical evidence from Finnish managers implies that the perceived effectiveness of MD and the level of strategic awareness of managers are highly inter‐related. Originality/value – The paper helps researchers and practitioners to better understand the dynamic and holistic nature of MD and highlights the need to study strategic management and organisational learning increasingly from the perspective of individuals rather than from that of the whole organisation.