Retrospective Review of Leadership Development Programs: Alumni Perceptions of Value, Influence, and Organizational Outcomes

Abstract

As formal leadership development programs grow in scale and scope, there is a need for further research that extends beyond the focus on short-term outcomes for individual program participants. This study explored alumni perceptions of the longer-term outcomes associated with participation in leadership development programs, focusing specifically on their retrospective analysis of organizational-level outcomes and perceptions of program value and influence. This qualitative study consisted of semi-structured interviews with alumni who participated in an academic leadership development program at Rutgers University within the last five years. The findings from this study highlight alumni perceptions of the value and influence of program participation, including an emphasis on organizational outcomes related to bridging social capital, translating theory to practice, enabling systems thinking, and promoting strategic alignment that were all made possible as a result of their participation in these leadership development programs. The article concludes with a call to action for additional research on the relationship between leadership development program participation and organizational outcomes, focusing specifically on the value of retrospective sensemaking and considerations of influence across multiple levels of analysis.