Developing Managers in Europe: Policies, Practices, and Impact

The problem and the solution. It is believed that management capability is a key to competitive performance at firm level and that this feeds through to economic effectiveness at a national level. Yet comparatively little is known about the policies, practices, and impact of management training and development activities undertaken by organizations in a cross-national context. This article introduces a research project designed to address these questions. Results are reported and compared for seven European countries. Although practice and priorities differ widely, certain approaches to management development are found to significantly improve organizational performance, irrespective of national setting.