Using Constructive Developmental Theory and Biodata to Bridge the Gap Between Personnel Selection and Leadership

This article proposes a strategy for integrating the research on a powerful selection tool (biographical data) with a promising approach to leader development (constructiveldevelopmental theory) in an attempt to bridge the gap between personnel selection and leadership theory. Building on previous calls for integrative approaches to the study of leader effectiveness, the strategy suggests that biodata be gathered in a manner that allows us to (a) understand the meaning that leaders derive from their life experiences and (b) assess leaders' developmental stages. It is expected that this strategy will help to explain the predictive validity consistently exhibited by biodata instruments and will help to better predict leadership effectiveness. The implications of this strategy for both managerial selection and leadership development are discussed.