Rethinking Leadership Development: Contributions from Theory and Research

Leadership and leadership development in numerous contexts (e.g., healthcare, organizations, and sport) have received a particularly large amount of interest from scholars and practitioners around the world. More recent approaches (e.g., ethical leadership, servant leadership, and empowering leadership) have continuously highlighted the critical role that leaders play in the success (or failure) of their organizations. 'Good' and effective leaders can enhance team members' well-being, performance and commitment to the organization, while 'bad' leaders may increase members' stress, dissatisfaction and turnover intentions. These impacts are even recognized in the field, with billions of dollars being spent annually on developing leadership across different organizational levels. In this reprint, readers will find theoretical and empirical contributions regarding leadership development, and specific guidelines for developing leaders responding to current challenges.