External Consistency: The Key to Success in Management Development Programmes?

Abstract

This paper focuses on factors influencing the effectiveness of corporate education programmes-those seeking to achieve a positive impact on organizational as well as individual learning. The authors report on two recent studies. They examine the first-covering 31 educational programmes in The Netherlands-to identify factors influencing the design, quality and effects of corporate education. They apply the conceptual framework thus derived to the second-a development programme for clinical directors working in the UK National Health Service-in order to explore initial propositions. Their findings suggest that `external consistency' (shared and coherent perceptions between key stakeholders as to the goals and interventions appropriate for a programme) is the primary determinant of success for formal programmes; that a relational and systematic approach in curriculum development has a major part to play in achieving such consistency; and that external consistency is of particular importance in developmental programmes for managers whose roles have a significant strategic component. The paper offers a conceptual framework and empirical data related to the effectiveness of an integrated systematic and relational approach in the design of formal programmes. Its conclusions offer encouragement for the further development of validated prescriptive theories about corporate education.