Purpose – This paper seeks to conceptualise and assess the outcomes of management and leadership development (MLD) at individual, business and organisational levels.
Design/methodology/approach – Using the case study approach, the paper investigates the content and outcomes of three concurrent but different MLD interventions for middle-managers in an “excellent”-rated local authority adult social services department.
Findings – The paper demonstrates: how a traditional management development programme led to more effective compliance with prescribed objectives, yet made little contribution to strategic change; how an individualised leadership programme had individual benefits but negligible impact on the business; and how a collective and emergent approach to leadership development made a significant but unintended contribution to strategic change.
Research limitations/implications – The paper highlights the need for further contextualised research at the organisational level into the outcomes of MLD.
Practical implications – The paper demonstrates the limitations of “off-the-shelf” MLD interventions and the importance of designing and implementing development programmes with sufficient regard to professional and organisational context.
Originality/value – The paper provides an in-depth and contextualised insight into the conditions for success and failure in management development interventions.
