TY - JOUR

T1 - Leadership development evaluation (LDE)

T2 - reflections on a collaboratory approach

AU - Smith, Simon

AU - Edwards, Gareth

AU - Palmer, Adam

AU - Bolden, Richard

AU - Watton, Emma

N1 - This article is (c) Emerald Group Publishing and permission has been granted for this version to appear here. Emerald does not grant permission for this article to be further copied/distributed or hosted elsewhere without the express permission from Emerald Group Publishing Limited.

PY - 2023/11/7

Y1 - 2023/11/7

N2 - Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to report on the experience of attempting a “collaboratory” approach in sharing knowledge about leadership development evaluation (LDE). A collaboratory intertwines “collaboration” and “laboratory”to create innovation networks for all sorts of social and technological problems.Design/methodology/approach – The authors, alongside a variety of public and private sector organisations, created the collaboratory. Within the process, the authors collected various forms of qualitative data (including interviews, observations, letter writing and postcards).Findings – The findings show key areas of resonance, namely, the ability for participants to network, a creation of a dynamic shift in thinking and practice and the effective blending of theory and practice.Importantly, there are some critiques of the collaboratory approach discussed, including complications around: a lack of “laboratory” (hence bringing into question the idea of collaboratory itself), and the need to further develop the facilitation of such events.Originality/value – The originality is to ultimately question whether the network actually achieved the collaboratory in reality. This study concludes, however, that there were some distinct benefits within our collaborations, especially around issues associated with LDE, and this study provides recommendations foracademics and practitioners in terms of trying similar initiatives.

AB - Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to report on the experience of attempting a “collaboratory” approach in sharing knowledge about leadership development evaluation (LDE). A collaboratory intertwines “collaboration” and “laboratory”to create innovation networks for all sorts of social and technological problems.Design/methodology/approach – The authors, alongside a variety of public and private sector organisations, created the collaboratory. Within the process, the authors collected various forms of qualitative data (including interviews, observations, letter writing and postcards).Findings – The findings show key areas of resonance, namely, the ability for participants to network, a creation of a dynamic shift in thinking and practice and the effective blending of theory and practice.Importantly, there are some critiques of the collaboratory approach discussed, including complications around: a lack of “laboratory” (hence bringing into question the idea of collaboratory itself), and the need to further develop the facilitation of such events.Originality/value – The originality is to ultimately question whether the network actually achieved the collaboratory in reality. This study concludes, however, that there were some distinct benefits within our collaborations, especially around issues associated with LDE, and this study provides recommendations foracademics and practitioners in terms of trying similar initiatives.

KW - Leadership development evaluation (LDE)

KW - Collaboratory

KW - Tensions

KW - Culture

KW - Context

U2 - 10.1108/IJOA-11-2021-3056

DO - 10.1108/IJOA-11-2021-3056

M3 - Journal article

VL - 31

JO - International Journal of Organizational Analysis

JF - International Journal of Organizational Analysis

SN - 1934-8835

IS - 6

ER -