Enhancing Experience-Driven Leadership Development

The Problem The notion that a high proportion of leadership development should be the result of learning from experience has become popular, increasing the need for human resource development (HRD) professionals to understand experience-driven leadership development in order to design systems and processes that facilitate it. Relevant research on the topic has been increasing. Although this has improved the opportunity to build evidence-based practice, it also has created the challenge of identifying and digesting key concepts and findings. In addition, there are important misunderstandings regarding experience-driven development and core areas where additional information is needed. The Solution This article synthesizes recent research related to the emerging practice of experience-driven leadership development, using a question and answer format. As a result, key concepts and relevant research results about experience-driven leadership development are summarized in an action-oriented framework. Gaps in knowledge are highlighted and recommendations for future research are offered. The Stakeholders This article will be of particular relevance to scientists pursuing research on experience-driven development and HRD practitioners responsible for improving leadership development, particularly those interested in driving learning through experience.