Investments in Leadership and Management Succession Planning at a Department of Defense Organization: A Review of Strategic Implications

Description

With the impending aging workforce retirement tidal wave, targeted investments are needed in leadership and management skills for new leader growth. Some organizations currently invest in leadership and management skill development. However, the impacts of the investments remain unknown in the organizations. A Department of Defense Organization in the Southeast United States (DODSE) serves as a scientific knowledge generating organization that supports the Department of Defense. At the DODSE, investments in leadership and management skills training began in 2007 with little understanding of how an increased investment in leadership and management training would be utilized within the organization. To create the leadership development program at the DODSE, a group of middle managers established learning objectives personally desirable before assuming their first leadership role. The resulting leadership and management training produced numerous trained personnel between 2007 and 2010. This study investigates whether the DODSE leadership and management training investments align with DODSE‟s strategic plan and DODSE‟s utilization of the trained personnel in leadership and management positions.