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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

1 would like to acknowledge the participation and the guidance provided by my project sponsors Tom Briscoe and Marjorie Black. Your impassioned vision of a leaming organization was inspirational.

I wish to extend my appreciation to my academic advisor Glenn Marshall Ph.D. who allowed me to chart my own direction with this study white ensuring that I did not drift off course. My leamings were immeasurable.

Finally, I wish to thank Marion and Grant Thompson whose support and belief in my abilities made the completion of this programme possible.

iii

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Acknowledgements

Table of Contents

Chapter One - Study Background

The Opportunity Impact of the Opportunity Potential Causes of the Opportunity

The Organization

Chapter Two - Literature Review

Review of Organizational Documents Review of Supporting Literature

Leadership Adult Learning Leaming Organization Leadership Development

Chapter Three - Conduct of Research Study

Research Methods Data Gathering Tools Study Conduct

Chapter Four - Research Study Findings

Overview Study Findings Study Conclusions

Leadership Development Leaming Disabilities

Study Recommendations

Chapter Five - Research Implications

Organizational lmpiementation Future Research

iii

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Chapter Six - Lessons Learned

Research Project Lessons Learned Programme Lessons Leamed

Reference List

Appendix A

Core International Inc. Manager Accountabilities

Appendix 8

Participant Letter of Consent

Appendix C

Existing ClBC and Visa Leaming Programmes

CHAPTER ONE

Study Background

Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day.

Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.

- Lao Tsu

The Opportunity

How can the ClBC Visa Custorner Service managers, operating within a

traditional and dynamic organization, chart their own individual and team

leadership learning experience?

The opportunity is to identify a strategy (process and content) that the ClBC Visa

Customer Service managers can utilize to enhance their own leaming. The

management group has raised the issue of not receiving adequate leadership

training. Resources, in the past, have been available to the group through ClBC

and Visa initiatives. These programmes have not met the current needs of the

management team, nor have they been sustainable within the work environment.

The purpose for this study is to discover where the "disconnect" has taken place

between the leaming that is offered and what is actually utilized. As well, it will

determine if self-managed leaming orchestrated by the Visa Customer Service

management team would better facilitate their leaming and leadership

development requirements.

Impact of the Opportunity

The Customer Service managers lack a leaming and development strategy. This

is a significant problem. The credit card industry is in a state of constant change.

It is an extremely competitive industry with new products being continually

marketed. As well, the escalating demands from customers for higher levels of

service and convenience must be met. In this environment, no leader can afford

to remain stagnant. A leader must be operating at their peak performance level

while ensuing that their abilities are continually growing to meet the requirements

of the future.

A learning and development strategy will enhance the Visa leaders' ability to

rneet the new demands of the job. Inefficient managers will negatively affect the

productivity of the cal1 centre and the business goals. Many factors go into the

creation of a good leader. A development strategy is only one factor. However. it

is a factor that can have a major impact. A development strategy is imperative for

a Company that wants to remain competitive in an increasingly aggressive

marketplace. Visa leaders need to leam how to constantly adapt to change and

how to progressively manage the business. They also require the skills to assist

their staff in meeting the demands of the cal1 centre environment.

Potential Causes Opportunity

+ Ta achieve optimal leadership performance during these increasingly change

laden times, the necessity for management development at ClBC is acutely

felt. The Visa cal1 centre is feeling the impact of an increasingly dynamic

industry. The credit card market in Canada has progressively become more

competitive with the recent influx of mono-lines from the United States. ClBC

Visa and its leaders must be able to adapt to change at an increasingly

accelerated pace. It is vital that intemal operations within the cal1 centre

mirror this dynamic environment in order to meet the challenge of this

constant transformation.

4 Visa supports the idea of being a leaming organization. In the past, however,

the resources and the time required to participate in various learning

endeavours have not materialized for the managers. This is due in large part

to other business demands that have taken precedence.

+ Visa, in conjunction with the Training and Performance Support department,

has not developed a comprehensive or successful leadership learning and

developrnent plan for its managers. Skill sets or accountabilities for cal1 centre

managers have only recently been established. In the past, not having well-

defined accountabilities resulted in little or no emphasis on training to achieve

specific leadership cornpetencies.

4 The role of the Visa Customer Service manager is to work collaboratively with

their fellow managers. The absence of a concentrated effort in team building

has hindered the development of a cohesive team leaming environment.

The Organization

ClBC Visa Card Product Division Vision and Values

The Vision:

We are the number one credit card Company in Canada. We are a major

contributor to CiBC profïfability and shareholder value. We achieve this by being

a high performing accountable organization. And we are extemally recognized for

consistently delivering customer service excellence. We are a great place to

work, leam and grow.

The Values:

lntegrify and Respect

Teamwork

FlexibiMy

Leaming and Selfsctualization

Stewardship

The Card Products division cleariy features leaming and development in both

their vision and values. This project will serve to enhance these criteria.

The primary participants in this project will be the Toronto ClBC Visa Customer

Service management team. The Customer Sewice managers operate within the

Customer Service and Operational business unit. This unit is part of the ClBC

Card Products Division.

Compliment of the ClBC Visa Customer Service Leadership Team

1 Director

2 Business Specialist

1 Manager - Help Desk and Administration Co-ordinator

1 Manager - Loyalty and Retention Group

10 Managers - Customer Service Call Centre

5 Administration Co-ordinator

Purpose of the Customer Service Manager Role

As a member of the Customer Service and Operations management team, work

collaterally to provide worid-class virtual Call Centre customer service through an

inspired worMorce with efficient processes and delivery .

CHAPTER TWO

Literature Review

Review of Organizational Documents

Core lnternational Inc.

In the fall of 1999, Visa Customer Service and Operations went through a

realignment of its structure. The consulting firm of Core International Inc. CO-

ordinated the design and irnplementation of this shift. Core International Inc.

utilized an organizational design model based on Elliott Jaques theory of

requisite organizations. Requisite organization refers to a systematic scientific

approach to the effective management of work systems, including structure.

leadership process and human resources. (Jaques and Clement. 1991 ) The

outcome of this realignment was the creation of a more horizontal hierarchy and

the developrnent of specific accountabilities established for each of the new

stratums. The impact of these changes on the managers and their developrnent

strategy will be examined in this study. Appendix A contains excerpts of a Core

lnternational Inc. workshop presentation made to ClBC Visa Cuçtomer Service

and Operations describing a manager's accountabilities within a requisite

organization.

CPD Managers Conference 2000

ClBC Card Product Division held a management conference in November of

2000. A document was produced from this conference entitled "Change

Management in CPD: Communication to Employees." Within this document

under the heading, T h e Themes from the Feedback - What CPD Could Do To

Improve" (Change Management in CPD: Communication to Employees, 2000, p.

4), five points were identified:

1. lmproved communications

2. Communicate clear expectations

3. Develop stronger leadership that is accountable for its actions

4. Ernpower employees

5. Improve focus on training and customer service

Point three and five highlight the ongoing desire by the leadership at Visa to

enhance their developrnent capabilities.

Em ployee Satisfaction Survey

The rnost recent Employee Satisfaction Suwey report (1 1/03/2000) indicates the

Customer Service management team is satisfied with the learning obtained at

Visa.

indicating agree or

Statement

strongly agree

% of respondents

1) I have the necessary skills and abilities to

do my job

2) 1 receive the right learning support I need to

do my job well

3) 1 accept responsibility for rny career & understand

how to do that

4) My manager supports my leaming and career

development

Certainly there seems to be a discrepancy around the need for increased

leaming and development at ClBC Visa. This study will explore this apparent

contradiction. It will also explore why the Customer Service management group

has not found existing management leaming interventions satisfactory.

Available ClBC Learning Interventions and Curriculum

Employees of ClBC have access to the ClBC Leaming Network. The Learning

Network group provides leaming support by making available: articles. videos,

CD-ROMs and access to cornputer based training modules. They are currently

piloting a managementlleadership curriculum entitled "Building High

Performance," this programme is expected to be available in the spring of 2001.

However, in the past, the Leaming Network's predecessor the Employee

Development Centre offered management programmes to al1 ClBC employees.

As well, the Visa Training and Performance Support department produced the

"Team Leader Cumculum" (05/18/99) which listed al1 leadership programmes

available through Visa and CIBC. A leadership curriculum has therefore been

present for Visa leaders for several years.

In a document that was generated last year by the Customer Senrice

management team. the "Manager's Learning Plan," there were 25 offerings of

managementlleadership classes indicated as available. Within the document,

each manager identified which of the programmes they attended. This document

revealed that less than 40% of the programmes offered had been attended.

There is, therefore, awareness within the management group of the leadership

development programmes that are available to ClBC employees. This study will

explore why these programmes have not met the developmental needs of the

CIBC Visa managers.

Review of Supporting Literature

Leadership

"Becoming a leader isn't easy. just as becoming a doctor or a poet isn't easy, and

anyone who daims otherwise is fooling himself. But learning to lead is a lot

easier than most of us think it is. because each of us contains the capacity for

leadership." (Bennis, 1989. p. 3) We may each contain the capacity for

leadership, but what exactly is leadership? The concept of leadership has been a

ceaseless topic of study. Modem day scholars still study Plato and Machiavelli's

treatises on this subject. There are probably as many definitions for leadership

as there are leaders in the world. Generally, definitions of leadership contain the

concept of influence being exercised over others to guide, motivate and develop

relationships within an organization. (Kouzes & Posner, 1995) However. there is

little consistency amongst leadership theorist beyond this point.

It certainly appears that no one clear definition of leadership will ever be adopted.

It is, however, beneficial in understanding the concept of leadership to examine

the interpretations of current day proponents of leadership theory. Peter Drucker

writes that, "Above all, leaders are doers - and they do one thing that they can

do with excellence to make a difference." (as cited by Shelton, 1997, p. 173)

D ~ c k e r conveys the idea that leaders are defined more by their actions than

what they Say. They are admired because they lead through example. These

ideas reflect the theories that exist around the leadership concept referred to as

"hero leadership." Jaques & Clement (1991) echo this point, that leadership is not

an abstract role. They view leadership not as a titled position, though it could be,

but as a situational occurrence. The proposition we shall pursue is that

everyone is capable of exercising effective leadership in roles that carry

leadership accountability, so long as they value the role and are competent to

carry the basic requirements of that role, and so long as that role is properly

structured and the organization has properly instituted practices." (Jaques &

Clement, 1991, p. 7) This definition of leadership is important because ClBC Visa

has realigned itself as a requisite organization, a theory Elliot Jaques has been

researching for the past 50 years.

Max DePree (1989) refers to leadership as an art. Where Jaques 8 Clernent

focus on the fact a leader is defined by their role, DePree describes a leader as

sirnply a servant to the organization and people they lead. "The art of leadership

requires us to think about the leader-as-steward in terms of relationships: of

assets and legacy, of momenturn and effectiveness, of civility and values."

(DePree, 1989, p. 12) This blurs the lines of both leading by example and

leadership accounta bilities. Servant leadership refers to participatory leaders hi p.

where the leader does not necessarily have to be in front. DePree (1 989) refers

to this as abandoning oneself to the strength of others.

Are leaders defined by their actions? Are they created by their position in the

organization or by the role they play with their followers? For each author

mentioned here, there are a hundred others who have researched and written a

different definition of leadership. Two important considerations need to be

realized to go fonvard with this study. There is no one defining construct for

leadership and also it is not the purpose of this study to locate one. It is,

however, important if ClBC leaders are to advance their development to be

aware of the prevailing thought on this topic. For this study, we will look at

leadership as possessing the knowledge and behaviours that rnotivate oneself

and others within an organization.

Does every individual have the capacity to lead as Bennis suggests? No study of

leadership would be complete without acknowledging the wntroversy as to

whether individuals are bom to be leaders or whether they are able to leam to

lead. Tom Peters states that, "leaders are more or less bom, not made.

Leadership training can lead to awareness, but some folks have the touch, a lot

don't." (as cited by Shelton, 1997, p. 74) This belief is not widely supported in

current literature. Certainly some individuals may have natural attributes for

leadership, however. it is more broadly accepted that leadership awareness and

skill can be developed.

Many authors label the contention that leaders are born and not made as a

leadership myth. "Leadership is certainly not conveyed in a gene, and it's most

definitely not a secret code or some mystical or ethereal quality that can't be

understood by ordinary people. Our research shows that leadership is an

obsewable, leamable set of practices." (Shelton, 1997, p. 11 1) Peter Drucker

states, ". . .that there may be 'born leaders', but there surely are too few to

depend on them. Leadership must be learned and can be learned." (Shelton,

1997, p. 173) Looking at leadership as being a quality that individuals are born

with has the potential to negatively affect organizations. "By viewing leadership

as a non learnable set of character traits, we've created a self-fulfilling prophecy

that dooms society to having only a few good leaders. It's far healthier and more

productive for us to start with the assumption that it's possible for everyone to

lead." (Kouzes and Posner, 1995. p.323)

If it is possible to leam to be a leader, then what are the basic concepts,

knowledge and behaviours that one needs to motivate oneself and others within

an organization? Certainly. it has been recognized that leaders must possess a

strong vision. "Leadership behaviour that is not infused with vision is not truly

leadership." (Vaill. 1998, p. 65) As well, much has been written about value-

driven leadership. James O'Toole (1 995) states that value-based leaders

possess integrity, trust, listening and respect for followers. Great leaders may

have been seen to exemplify these values, however, values are inherently

personal and cannot necessarily be imposed or evaluated. If established values

are central to leadership, then a process of self-discovery must take place before

leaders are able to increase their knowledge and skill in motivating others.

'Leadership is a meta phor for centeredness, congruity, and balance in one's life."

(Bennis 8 Goldsmith, 1997. P. 7)

Kouzes and Posner state that, 'The quest for leadership is first an inner one to

discover who you are and what you stand for." (Shelton, p. 114) They assert that

a leader is exemplified by their credibility. Credibility is defined by taking certain

actions. The six actions identified are challenging the process, inspiring a shared

vision, enabling others to act, rnodeling the way, and encouraging the heart.

(Kouzes & Posner. 1995, p. 9) Certainly, any individual is able to partake in a

reflective joumey to examine their values and then take the appropriate actions

directed at rnaintaining leadership credibility. Stephen Covey (1 989) also

pu rports that it is essential that leaders have knowledg e of themselves. The level

to which we know ourselves is essential to how successfully we will relate to

others and how effective we will be as leaders. Covey (1 992) defines seven

characteristics of effective principle-centered leaders. Leaders are continually

leaming, are service oriented. radiate positive energy, believe in other people,

see life as an adventure, are synergistic, and they exercise self-renewal. These

authors stress the inner voyage of a leader as the foundation or first step to good

leadership. They also identify specific sets of criteria and knowledge that a leader

should strive to possess. This criterion is both actionable and measurable. Being

able to mark ones progress towards a goal supports the premise that leadership

can be learned.

Leadership can be a perplexing topic. The closer one cornes to defining

leadership the more one realizes the paradoxical nature of the topic. Certainly

leadership is about knowing oneself, about individual values and about enabling

oneself and others to succeed. How can a dynamic and traditional organization

like ClBC Visa establish an environment that enables its managers to develop

their abilities to lead?

Adult Leaming

When addressing how organizations can effectively assist ernployees in the

learning process, it is important to examine both how adults learn and how

organizations can create an environment that supports leaming. Any

development programme must incorporate proven adult educational factors.

Karakowsky and McBey (1 999) wnsider "the workplace as an important element

in adult development with the power to foster or impede development of its

members." (Karakowsky and McBey. 1999, p. 196) The workplace is an ideal

environment for continuous leaming because it presents employees with the

challenge of adopting new skill sets, receiving feedback based on the employee's

performance and the opportunity for critical reflection. Figure 1. "presents the

framework which summarizes the factors posited to affect adult leaming and

development." (Karakowsky and McBey, 1999. p. 194)

Leaming

Psychological Presence

Scripts and Schema

Potential for

1 Adult Leaming \

b Development

Capacity for

Figure 1: Adapted frorn Karakowsky and McBey: The effect of individual-level and

organizational-level factors on adult learning and development (1999, p. 194)

Especially important in Figure 1 is that the leaming flows through the critical

evaluation process. Within this process, the individual evaluates themselves

against the required behaviours that are demanded in the workplace. "The

questioning of previously accepted assumptions comprise the process of critical

reflection, and when an individual questions his or her assumptions. it is critical

self-refiection." (Cranton, 1 992, p. 1 49) This process will result in the recognition

of a required change or the validation of maintaining the curent actions. This is

referred to as transfomative learning. The adult leamer enters the workplace

with certain assumptions, expectations and values. When the organization is

aligned with these beliefs. the leaming process is facilitated. However. when

these assumptions are in conflict. the leaming can be inhibited. Transfonative

leaming and the critical reflection process become imperative when surmounting

leaming barriers.

The literature reviewed stressed the role of the individual in the leaming process

as being integral to providing successful adult education. "The best information

we have suggests that adults leam best when they take charge of their own

leaming. Taking charge of your own leaming is part of taking charge of your life,

which is a sine qua non in becoming an integrated person." (Bennis, 1989, p. 6)

Adult learners also want to see the value of their learning. Peter Vaill (1 998)

postulates several paradigrn shifts that are required when dealing with the adult

leamer. These include the concept that the education must be learner centred

and the inter relatedness or relevance of the material must be paramount. Adult

leamers want to understand the value of the leaming they are receiving to their

job before they will fully commit. "Leaming should not add to an adult leamer's

sense of meaninglessnessn (Vaill, 1996, p. 45) Finally, it is important for the

organization to understand that the adult leamer will grapple with the idea of

becoming a beginner al1 over again. As adults, we adopt the notion of being "al1

knowing." A life long leamer realizes there is no end and no beginning to the

leaming process. A leamer must leam how to be a beginner. (Vaill 1998. p. 123)

This becomes especially important when adult leamers need to unleam previous

assumed concepts and beliefs. (Senge, 1990) Adult leamers in the work place

need to control and evaluate their own leaming, need to see the relevance of the

leaming and need to be conscious of leaming as a lifelong process.

Learning Organization

ClBC Visa is a traditional Company operating in a dynamic industry. Innovation

and changes in technology, products and relationships are constant. What

actions can be taken by an organization in these or any circumstances to help

perpetuate the leaming of its employees and their need to cope and grow with

the business and culture?

"A Learning Company is an organization that facilitates the learning of al1 its

mem bers and consciously transforms itself and its context." (Pedler, Burgoyne,

and Boydell, 1991, p.3) The authors purposefully used the word consciously.

"Consciously transforrns itself," describes change as intended, as opposed to

continuous transformation, which has the inflection of randomness, and not of

planned change. Organizations move foward with purpose, change occurs to

meet established business objectives. Vaill (1 996) describes this state of

intended organizational transformation as permanent white water. He stresses

that this way of being is not a temporal occurrence. We must accept and deal

with the upheaval of constant change, and not wait until things get back to

normal. White water is normal. "This means that beyond al1 of the other new

skills and attitudes that permanent white water requires, people have to be or

become extremely effective leamers." (Vaill. 1996, p. 20) How do dynamic

organizations promote this leaming from within?

Argyris and Schon (1987) addressed the leaming needs of an organization

through a systems perspective. They described most companies as operating in

a single-loop leaming model. This model is simply a representation of problem

identification and solution. These authors suggest a better method is the double-

loop theory. This approach adds reflection and inquiry to the model. Reflection is

the key to learning in an organization. The double-loop theory means that an

organization has leamed from resolving a problem and put factors in place to

ensure it will not occur again. With the single-loop theory. the Company is

perpetually focused on "putting out fires."

Pedler et al. (1991) also advocate a more holistic and systematic approach to

creating and sustaining a learning company. They suggest a three-stage

evolution:

Stage One: Surviving - Basically, this means al1 the company's energies

are utilized fig hting fires.

Stage Two: Adapting - After forecasting has occurred, the company is

able to accurately adapt to the changes identified.

Stage Three: Sustaining - At this stage. companies create their context

as much as they also are created by these same contexts.

The aim of the leaming organization is to progress to stage three, which is the

development of a systems approach to a company's leaming strategy.

Organizations must undertake a transformation that instills leaming in an

increased holistic capacity. The result is organizations that structure themselves

and operate in a way that allows al1 process to be filtered though a lens of

leaming. (Senge 1990) This perspective allows the organization to assess where

it is and where it wants to bel while recognizing the barriers to achieving those

goals. An organization as a collective, not only the individual leader, can develop

this system to meet its needs and propel its people foward to meet future

challenges while monitoring the progress. Senge proposes five disciplines that

an organization is required to practice in order to be considered a leaming

organization:

Personal mastery involves self-developrnent, deepening Our personal vision

and seeing reality objectively.

Shahng mental models refers to the understanding of ones own and others

view of the world and understanding how this fits with the organization.

Sometimes it is a matter of unlearning mental models to succeed.

Shared vision to provide a common picture of the future and ensure

commitment. Commitment through enrolment and not compliance ensures

the desire to learn.

Team ieaming is the fundamental leaming unit in an organization

Systems thinking meaning that the organization must work and leam

holistically by focusing on patterns and relationships and not just the parts.

Senge reasons that when organizations cannot operate holistically they are

suffering from several or al1 of the following leaming disabilities:

I am rny position

The enemy is out there

The illusion of taking charge

The fixation upon events

The parable of the boiled frog

The delusion of leaming from experience

The rnyth of the management team

"In a leaming organization, leaders are designers, stewards, and teachers. They

are responsible for building organizations where people continually expand their

capabilities to understand complexity, clanfy vision, and improve shared mental

models - that is, they are responsible for leaming." (Senge, 1990, p. 340)

Watkins and Marsick (1993) identified six "action imperatives" for a leaming

organization that reflect the requirement for a systems perspective:

1. Creating continuous learning opportunities

2. Promoting inquiry and dialogue

3. Encouraging collaboration and team learning

4. Establishing systems to capture and share learning

5. Ernpowering people to have a collective vision

6. Connecting the organization to the environment

These imperatives provide the framework for building a leaming organization.

Watkins and Marsick view individual leaming as a means to enhance the

organization's capacity to adapt to environmental pressures. Like Senge,

Watkins and Marsick emphasize that in order to build a leaming organization a

method of shared leaming must be developed and orchestrated from a systems

perspective.

The impression left by the above authors is that organizations should be

transforming thernselves into leaming organizations, that a learning organization

is a goal. A learning organization is achieved through a development process

and not an evolutionary process. ClBC is a leaming organization. It could be

argued that every organization is one, since as individuals or communities, we

cannot escape leaming, we only tend not to recognize our leaming at times. How

Organizations Leam (DiBella and Nevis. 1998) reflects this notion while

supporting the action-reflection models put forth by authors like Senge (1 990)

and Kouzes and Posner (1995). DiBella and Nevis write about the different

learning theories, including the normative views of the other authors. however

they also suggest the capability perspective. "According to the capability

perspective, organizations do not become learning organizations because

leaming is an ongoing process. The focus is not on some future vision of

becoming a leaming organization but on the leaming process that already

exists." (DiBella and Nevis, 1998, p.12)

The environment has a direct effect on the amount and the quality of leaming

that takes place for mangers within the workplace. The involvement and

commitment of the leader, as an aduit leamer, and the organization are required

to create and support a systematic approach ta leaming in the workplace.

The leaming organization in contemporary vision has achieved a new kind of intemal structure and process marked by imaginative flexibility of style in its leadership and by empowered contributions from its membership. It is constituted to leam and grow and change - as opposed to traditional bureaucratic models constituted to be stable and predictable in their operation, to hold the line and not to change. (Vaill, 1996. p. 53)

Leadership Development

ClBC is described as a learning organization and certainly has made strides

towards fostering a climate for managers to leam within. (Smith, 1999) It has also

been stated that leaming to lead is a lot easier than most of us think. (Bennis

1989) If both these statements are true, then why has a permanent leadership

developrnent strategy not been sustained at ClBC Visa? What steps can Visa

take to assist in the development of its managers?

In order for leadership development to occur and be rnaintained, it is irnperative

that it becomes an integral piece in the process of achieving organizational

objectives. And, that it is also infused into the basic infrastructure that supports

decision making, reward and recognition and change initiatives. (Doyle. 2000)

When leadership development obtains the position as part of the process in

achieving business goals and is maintained through an organization's

infrastructure, it becornes embedded in a more systematic framework. A

systematic perspective allows for an increased holistic approach to leaming

within the organization. "Systems thinking is a language and process by which

people understand the relationships of the different parts of a system and act

upon them as a whole system, rather than in isolation." (Gibbons, 1999, p. 28)

A lack of congruency between the individual and the organization can negatively

affect the development and leaming that takes place for managers. (Vamey,

1976) lncreased awareness and support at ail levels will assist in making this

transition towards a partnership between the organization and the leader. "The

good news is leaders can redesign organizations to become more receptive to

leaming. They can do this by designing open organizations that are participative

and anticipative." (Bennis and Nanus, 1985, p. 195) Kahle suggests that to,

"rnake leaming a strategic initiative, manage it like any other strategic issue. Give

it lots of conversation." (Kahle, 2000, p. 148)

Leadership leaming, like organizational leaming, happens naturally to a certain

extent within the workplace. Managers are leaming when they encounter a new

challenge or take on more responsibility. Developrnent occurs both on an

ongoing basis and as result of a specific situation. It is progressive. But it is not

inevitable. (McGill and Beaty, 1992) There is no guarantee that managers are

achieving maximum or even moderate levels of growth in their leadership

abilities. As with al1 adult leaming, the critical evaluation elernent needs to be

present to propel and mark the growth and development of each leader.

At the centre of leadership development is leaming about oneself. "The mastery

of the art of leadership cornes with the mastery of self. Ultimately, leadership

development is a process of self development." (Kouzes and Posner, 1995, p.

336) Bennis and Goldsmith (1997) identify four steps to leaming to lead through

self-knowledge:

1. Self-refiection is the first key to becoming a leader. When you reflect on your

experiences, include everything from reviewing last week's calendar to

looking at critical incidents in which you have been involved - both the

successes and the failures.

2. Interacting with others who tell us about ourselves.

3. Being wntinually open to learning means being able to re-evaluate things and

let go to move on io better ways.

4. Knowing ourselves so well that we maintain the integrity between what we

believe and what we Say and do.

Developing an awareness of self allows for an outer appearance of consistency

and integrity. "While scholars may disagree on the origins of leadership, there's a

strong consensus that leaders must be interpersonally competent. Deeds and

words must be the same, to have this you must be in tune internally." (Kouzes

and Posner, 1995, p. 337) Learning about oneself is an ongoing process.

"Managerial leadership in this view is never really leamed; it is ongoing leaming."

(Vaill, 1996, p. 122) It is a process of life long learning and continuous

improvement. Gaining knowledge of oneself allows individuals to discover how

they can grow, including methods they specifically require to promote their own

learning. Leadership development requires a manager to first develop self-

knowledge and then utilize a method of critical refiection to enhance their

learning.

In a 2000 study completed by Linkage Inc. on leadership development best

practice, 100% of the companies participating stated the involvement of senior

management was critical to successful leadership development. The majority of

companies also took a systematic approach to leaming by going beyond regular

ciassroom training to that of coaching, mentoring and on the job leaming. The

study revealed that the fastest and most lasting impact to development is when

people are focused on real problems. The Linkage Inc. study revealed that the

top five 'impactual features" of a best practice leadership development strategy

are:

1. Action Leaming

2. Cross functional rotation

3. 360-feedback

4. Exposure to senior Executives

5. External coaching

Kouzes and Posner (1 995) through their research identified the following three

broad categories where organizational leadership development takes place.

Trial and error

Jobexperience

Job assignment

Hardship

Observation

Relationships

Role models (exemplars)

Bad examples

Education

Formal Education

Formal Training

Both research studies revealed that formal methods of education were still being

utilized and were regarded as beneficial. Where formal training fails, according to

the literature, is when the transfer of knowledge or skill is riot relevant to the

leamers requirements and when leaming is not being offered in a "just in time"

format. Classroom programmes needed to be tied to job functions in order to be

rneaningful. (Vaill, 1996)

Coaching and mentoring were identified as effective parts of a leadership

development strategy. Coaching also has the potential to support the refiective

leaming process. Coaching creates a situation where ideas can be shared and

feedback provided to enhance or assess performance. Effective coaching can

22

result in benefits to both the individual leader and the organization. Caldwell and

Carter (1 993) list eight such benefits:

lncreased productivity in both partners

Better assessrnent gained by both partners

Management and technical skills improved

Latent talent discovered

Leadership qualities refined

Performance improvement

Rusting managers challenged to grow

Better recruitment and retention of skilled staff

Trial and error or learning through experience is another method where

leadership learning occurs outside of the classroom. Most of us have

traditionally, through the educational process, corne to believe that the best way

for people to grow and develop is through exposure to some sort of classroorn

fonat. The necessity for and value of classroom education is not in question

only the fact that it has limitations, and that as people mature they learn more

from practical experience and from what they teach themselves. (Varney, 1976)

"Leaders leam by doing. and they learn best by leading in the face of obstacles.

As weather shapes mountains, so problems make leaders." (Bennis, 1989, p.

146) Leaming by doing can be accomplished when a manager works on new and

challenging tasks, by experirnentation and innovation and leaming from

mistakes. What is important in this process is reflection. "Reflection can take you

to the heart of the matter, the tmth of things. Often after appropriate reflection,

the meaning of the past is known and resolution of an incomplete experience

becornes clear." (Bennis and Goldsmith, 1997, p. 26) Kouzes and Posner (1995)

postulate that organizational leaming is best obtained by leaders in the act of

doing their job. "There is no suitable substitute for leaming by doing." (Kouzes. p.

326) These authors also add that it is simply not enough to incorporate leaming

with doing, but that a pivotal ingredient to this process is reflection and analysis.

Watkins and Marsick (1 993) also describe the working, learning and refiection

model. The authors label this continuous leaming and stress that an organization

or work team needs to define what continuous learning means to them before

they adopt a process for leadership development. lmportantly in relation to the

Visa Customer Service managers, Watkins also addresses the significance of

team leaming in relation to any organizational development that occurs. Visa

managers operate as both individual leaders and as members of a management

team. This dual role will influence any leaming strategy that is developed.

How can an organization add rigor to informal leaming while maintaining a sense

of relevancy and "just in time" leaming for managers? How can they also

encourage independent control and allow for refiection? The review of the

literature indicated two methods that were widely accepted by most authors as a

positive intervention in leadership development. These two learning

interventions are action leaming and self-directed learning.

"Action leaming is a process which adds structure to our experience by giving a

set amount of time to reflection." (McGill and Beaty, 1992. p. 29) Action leaming

is an informa1 leaming that takes place within the working environment. lt is

woven into the day to day job functions of a manager and is incorporated into

times of change. "Leaming is a continuous, strategically used process -

integrated with, and running parallel to, work." (Watkins, 1993, p.8)

CARRY OUT M U R ROLE

\

ENAe-ms- 1 COUABORATIVE I IACTION) LEARNING

1 THINKABOUT THE RESULTS

SEE M E RESULTS

Figure 2: Adapted from Smith: Collaborative Learning (1999, p. 7)

Figure 2 depicts the collaborative or action leaming process. This model contains

the aspects of action taken, then reflection, critical thought and then re-action. It

is the thinking and developing parts of this model that make it a learning

paradigm. Action learning is carried out within teams. Team members present

leamings and challenge each other in a developmental process. An action

leaming team's main function is to support individuals in reflecting on their past

actions in order to leam from the experience; and to explore their current issue,

concern or problem in order to help in the construction of the next action. Action

team members are working on real organizational issues or problems. "The

justification for using action leaming as a significant process contributing to

manager and organizational development is based upon the effectiveness of

action learning as a developmental process." (McGill and Beaty, 1992. p. 163)

'Managers could be the creators of their own sense making by focusing on their

own experiences of reality." (Vamey, 1976, p.153) Selfdirected or self-managed

leadership leaming refers to the idea that managers would have responsibility for

orchestrating their own leaming and development plan. This process

acknowledges that managers, as adult leamers, leam through different methods

and have individual requirements. "Effective development outcornes may

therefore depend on the extent to which a pluralist arena with its diversity of

perspective can be accommodated. One solution lies in a strategy for

development that is both negotiated and inclusive rather than imposed from

above." (Doyle. 2000, p. 583) This means that a manager would agree upon a

development plan with his employer utilizing the various learning intewentions

that are available and selecting the ones that are best suited for his specific

learning requirements and goals. Basic programmes critical to job performance

may be mandatory. However, beyond these a manager would assess his own

needs against the requirements of the organization and select a plan and method

to close the gap, including formal or informal methods of leadership

development. "We have to find more ways to help leamers engage in self-

directed leaderly leaming. We have to stop simply telling them what they need to

know, and find more ways to help them experience what they need to know and

lead themselves in a leaming process relevant to what they have discovered."

(Vaill, 1996, p.134)

According to many of the authors examined here an individual can learn to be a

leader. The literature describes the importance that the individual plays in this

learning process including self-leaming and self-education. The organization can

support and encourage leadership development by providing an environment that

ties leaming into the organization's infrastructure.

CHAPTER THREE

Conduct of Research Study

Research Methods

In order to examine how the ClBC Visa Customer Service managers can chart

their own individual and team leadership leaming experience, a research

methodology was adopted that would answer certain operationalized questions.

These questions shaped the framework for the approach used in this study and

the specific data gathering tools identified. It is important to state that it is not the

purpose of this study to identify if ClBC Visa requires a leadership development

programme. This fact has already been recognized and is supported both by

Visa personnel and resources. The focus of this study is to examine why a

leadership strategy has not been adopted and maintained at Visa considering the

leaming interventions that are available currently for the management group.

Leading Questions:

1. Why have current leaming and development interventions not met the needs

of the Visa Customer Service management?

2. What were the circumstances involved in each leaders best leadership

development experience?

3. What forces are acting in support of or against a managefs ability to obtain

leadership leaming?

4. Who is or should be the driving force behind leadership development at Visa?

The most suitable methodology to discover the answers to these overriding

questions is qualitative action research. Action research will enable those

involved in the research to systematically investigate issues or problems of

concem to them, to form useful accounts of their situation, and to create plans to

deal with their problems. (Stringer, 1999) This technique will yield data that is

cornprised of the participant's experiences, thoughts and feelings. The data that

is gathered will reveal patterns and themes. These themes will then guide the

recommendations to answer the operationalized questions that frame this study.

This approach is congruent with the philosop hical approach of phenomenology.

which refers to the fact that an individual's perception becomes their reality. Palys

states that "any effort to understand human behaviour rnust take into account

that humans are cognitive beings who actively perceive and make senses of the

worid around them, have the capacity to abstract from their experience. ascribe

meanings to their behaviours and the world around them, and are affected by

those meanings." (Palys. 1997, p.16)

Data Gathering Tools

The tools utilized in this study to collect the qualitative data were one-on-one

interviews and focus groups involving questions based on the principles of

appreciative inquiry. It was felt these methods would best address the leading

questions.

Interviews were selected because they "tend to be longer and more detailed,

tend to seek greater depth of response. and tend to be more open-ended in their

construction to allow for phenomenological input from respondents." (Palys,

1997, p. 155) Interviews were conducted with individuals from the executive. Al1

members of Visa Customer Sewice and Operations executive were approached

to participate. This group included, at the time of the research, the VP and five

directors. Of this group, 66% participated. The data gathering process began with

this group and questions were designed to provide a robust glimpse at what

leadership is, and is not, at ClBC Visa from their perspective.

A second set of intenriews took place with selected members of the Visa

Operations management group who work in centres located in other geographic

regions. These wete handled as phone intewiews, utilizing the focus group

questions.

Focus groups were selected as a data gathering tool because it is a method that

". . .taps into human tendencies. Attitudes and perceptions relating to concepts,

products. services, or programs are developed in part by interaction with other

people. We are a product of Our environment and are influenced by people

around us." (Knieger, 1994, p. I O ) Focus groups allowed for the ideas and

perceptions shared to be built and expanded upon by other members of the

group. This allowed for richer data both in breadth and depth. A secondary intent

in utilizing focus groups was to provide the Visa management group with an open

environment in which to share, gain awareness and interact with each other.

The focus groups involved members of the ClBC Visa Customer Service

management team and a select few from other Visa operational business units.

The Visa Customer Service management team, who is the primary participants in

this study, was asked to take part on a voluntary basis. All agreed to participate

in the focus groups, however, due to scheduling confiicts the resultant

participation from this group was 85%. On average there was 10% participation

from managers representing other Visa departments. These individuals were

approached based on their, tenure and the assumption they would have a

greater knowledge of their respective departments past and present.

Participation for these individuals was voluntary, and not al1 those approached

participated.

Study Conduct

Literature on the rnethodology and execution of both interviews and focus

groups was reviewed. Questions were built around the principles of

appreciative inquiry to best address the studies operationalized questions.

"The major assumption of appreciative inquiry is that in every organization

something works and change can be managed through the identification of

what works, and the analysis of how to do more of what works." (Hammond,

1996, p.3) This method was utilized to better ascertain what concepts of the

ClBC leaming environment are working, and how the focus group participants

feel this could be built upon.

An initial meeting was held with the Toronto Customer Service management

team to discuss the project and the research process. Ethical considerations

were also addressed, including an explanation of free and informed consent.

Detailed letters (See Appendix B) asking for free and infoned consent were

reviewed individually with each participant and signed. This also allowed for

those participating, who were not members of the Toronto Customer Service

management team, to be infoned about the focus group process.

Eight interviews and three focus groups were held.

All interviews and focus groups were recorded with the participant's prior

consent. Each focus group session had a moderator and an

observer/recorder present. Taped data was then transcribed.

Data was reviewed by identifying patterns and themes, and by comparing and

contrasting interview and focus group transcripts.

CHAPTER FOUR

Research Study Results

Overview

The sections that foilow discuss the results of this study. The study fîndings

section presents a condensed version of the actual raw data. The information in

this section has been segregated to reflect the participant's responses to the

operationalized questions of this study. The section entitled study conclusion

identifies and examines the dominant themes recognized in the data and the

literature. The last section offers several recommendations based on the

research study results.

Study Findings

Intentiews

The interview questions were designed to help establish the overall context and

environment in which leadership development exists at ClBC Visa.

The structural questions were as follows:

What is your own view of leadership?

What are the expected leadership characteristics of a Visa manage0

Describe a situation where you have observed a manager develop and grow

as a leader.

What factors need to be present to continually establish and reinforce quality

leaders at Visa?

What hurdles exist for the process of developing Visa leaders?

How are you continuing to foster the growth of your own leadership

capa bilities?

The prevalent view of leadership from the executive at Visa Customer Service

and Operations is value-based. In response to the question of how would you

define your leadership style? All respondents replied either by directly stating

their style resonated around values or principles. or they acknowledged the

individual values by which they lead. A value-based leadership style was

supported with comrnents as follows:

". . .my leadership style is founded on my value system.. .it is that simple."

"1 think you've always got to bring something from outside the organization, to

the organization, you've got to bring your own values."

'...what transcends that is a set of core values and principles that I live

by.. .you may have a tendency to do a certain thing; when you think about it

and run it through a value system. you usually land very soundly, others

understand it, you can explain it, you can defend it, because it is based on

sound principles."

The actual values and principles that were referred to by several, if not al1 the

respondents were:

Communication

Courage

Leading by example

Open and honest / full disclosure

In response to questions regarding what leadership characteristics the executive

expected from the managerial staff. the interviewees indicated managers require

the ability to develop people:

". . .they need to be strong coaches and developers of people as an attribute,

that's got to be something that is demonstrated as part of their behaviours."

"1 see managing very much as an issue of teaching and that the more one

can impart by their teaching, the more the other individual can operate on

their own.. ." ".. .motivating their staff in ternis of showing what can be done, what should

be done, how they can do it."

Each participant was asked to describe a situation, they either participated in or

observed, where one of their managers developed or enhanced their leadership

capabilities. This initial question was probed with further inquiries to confimi

what exactly transpired to create the actual transfer of learning. A variation on the

concept of leaming by challenging oneself was the prominent answer. The

interviewees observed leadership development from managers who had been

put into new situations where they had adapted and learned by trial and error. In

contrast. one respondent provided an example where learning had emerged

through the act of coaching and encouraging potential.

When answering questions regarding what organizational infrastructures are in

place to assist managers in their leadership development. responses in support

of Visa Customer Service and Operations transition towards a requisite

organization were offered. The established accountabilities that now define many

of the managerial positions were universally lauded as a positive step forward for

the managers and their development. Accountabilities were deemed responsible

for providing Visa with a clear focus. providing the freedom of knowing individual

expectations, and with ensuring less repetition.

This group identified several other factors relating to infrastructure relatively

consistently. These factors are not currently in place, however, participants felt

they would be beneficial when implemented.

lmproved communication between al1 levels:

"...leadership absoiutely requires to make sure there's communication back

and forth between al1 levels."

An apprenticeship programme:

"...the specifics are that they will leam about that particular part of the

business and keep moving so they leam al1 these areas. ..so the idea is to

grow our people."

"1 also think there could be a better programme to develop individuals from

below the management ranks to move into the management ranks. and I

think that's where we fall down a lot at VISA. We don't do a good job at that.

Support from the top:

"So unless it's part of an organizational curriculum, strategy, endorsed by the

executive or the organization . . .then I would Say [learning initiatives] have

sustainability."

"It's got to be embraced at every level of the organization, so that it isn't a

programme for somebody else, it is a programme for everybody."

"lt's almost the executive team's decision to put things in place to satisfy the

need of the managers, I don7 think we have done it. I think we are working on

it."

When questioned about whether current leadership and leaming interventions

have met the developmental needs of the managers. the overwhelming response

was no. However, exploring this fu rther. the interviewees too k different

perspectives on where the gaps have transpired and what was required to close

them:

"1 think it is competencies coming into the role. Getting the right people with

the right attributes to propel themselves forward."

"Everybody is so busy, the challenge is always trying to balance your tirne

between doing things, managing things. everybody is just full throttle doing

what ever, reacting to what needs to be done ..."

"I'm not sure what the solution to that is other than staffmg appropriately and

building, structuring the organization in the appropriate way."

The interviewees were asked how they would benchmark and sustain the

process of leadership development at ClBC Visa. Replies varied. There was no

clear concrete response on the ideal method of benchmarking the progress:

"[benchmarking] cannot be articulated as a model, but based on experience

and recognition.

"...centred on a more individual recognition that progress had occurred."

The sustainability of a leadership development strategy fell to support from upper

management. organizational checks and balances, and the individuals right to

run with their own development:

". . .I think it is really up to the next level up to make sure they keep reinforcing

it. In terrns of learning through something like coaching it is just

reinforcement, I guess. of the principles."

"So they've developed it to such an extent, where it's wanted, it's recognized

by employees as something that is needed and desired."

"[The organizations] got to make the link between the people and the

opportu nityn

"You don't see the payoff in developing people necessarily in a matter of

months or a year or two, it's longer than that, often ... and that does not seem

to be very popular these days."

"Give them enough opportunity to make it or break it."

When questioned as to what learning the interviewees felt their managers

required, there was a recognized need for the managers to develop stronger

interpersonal skills like communication and coaching:

"...the ability to speak to individuals about certain types of situations." ". . .so

being able to deal with people one-on-one in their group is really important.

So it would be for al1 of us in our organization to have that kind of training."

"... they need to be very strong inter-personally, they need to be strong

coaches and developers of people as an attribute, that's got to be something

that's demonstrated as part of their behaviours."

The participants were asked where or how this leaming should take place:

'Personal learning, the experience of new challenges."

"It's got to be self directed in that people [or they] will walk out with nothing,

they will not learn a thing."

". ..there are some very good courses around to help you get to know

yourself, so you can then [ begin to grow]"

'Lencouraging employees to take accountability for what they're doing, and

then to take the next leap into the unknown to develop thernselves from a

management perspective. and encouraging them to move around. to leam, to

grow, show them it is important that they do that to develop themselves."

"And I think that whatever you learn. you've got to be able to practice,

otherwise you can't do it. And when you practice it. you're teaching it. and

when you're teaching it, you leam it better."

'But everybody's got something to bring to the table; that's the absolute

wonder of diversity in this group, or any group, is that everybody's got an

incredible strength that they bring, and they also have developmental gaps

that they can learn from each other."

Finally, the interview participants were asked how they each continue to foster

the growth of their own leadership capabilities. Responses ranged from the

creation of very strategic and purposeful plans, to comments about not

consciously taking any action to increase leadership ability or recognize results.

Focus Groups

The majority of the Toronto Customer Service management group and

representative rnembers from other Visa Operations departments attended the

focus group sessions. Data was gathered pertaining to four operational

questions. These questions were designed to provide a picture of what is andior

ought to be the leadership development strategy at Visa Customer Service and

Operations, and how this is achieved by Visa. The primary research questions

were as follows:

What were the circumstances involved in each leaders best leadership

development experience?

Why have current leaming and development interventions met or not met the

needs of the Visa Customer Service management?

What forces are acting for and against management attempts or success in

obtaining leadership leaming?

Who is or should be the driving force behind leadership development at Visa?

The participating managers were asked how much time they had spent in the last

year on their own leadership development. This question generated some

confusion over the recognition of what constituted leadership development in the

workplace. The responses ranged from none, to a couple of days a year, to

developing as a leader on a daily basis. Those that felt there was learning on a

daily basis gave much credit to newly obtained positions or project work.

The groups were asked which activities, experiences or interactions they valued

the most in helping develop their own leadership abilities. The prominent themes

were learning while doing, by being coached and from supportive peers.

Leaming while doing:

"Personally, I think that I leam better from practical, frorn living it, than from

the theoretical in class training."

"... it's been more trial by fire and where I've gained my experience is sort of

being thrown into a project or whatever and being asked to represent the area

on it. so it is more leaming from experience and trial and error."

"1 tend to do a lot of things personally."

"Every great leader makes mistakes and you have to build on those mistakes

and I think it's how you build on it that makes you someone who is going to be

successful or not. So as far as my own development, I just do my own and

leam from everyone else."

"You need a sense of mentorship, you always need that, that sort of direct

validation of the work you do."

"...y ou sort of need someone to Say you're doing a good job, keep doing it

this way, or to Say no this isn't working, try another way. You definiteiy need

that. And you need it often."

"... talk about being a mentor, I have the utrnost respect for this person. By the

way, 1 wasn't crazy about working for this individual at the beginning.. .But

what I learned frorn this individual over the years, I mean she's made an

indelible impression on my life and l'II never lose that. I'm hoping I can take

soma of that and impart it to someone else."

A distinction was made that some of the coaching received was really just

feedback on certain job functions. Coaching. with a focus on development,

needed to occur in order to improve one's leadership capabilities. This point

received some acknowledgement.

"But that is just feedback on how we are doing Our job, development wise

that's not there."

Leaming from peerslteam:

"1 think with the team you work with, there's always the opportunity to grow.

especially if you are doing differmt functions, like cross training, so that

you're not limited to the same thing every day, there's learning that you can

do."

"The interaction I value most is the meetings that we have, like the

management team meeting. I get to absorb and see a lot of different

techniques and management styles and I think that is something that I value

because you leam from that.. ." "...learning from other leaders is what I have found."

"1 know what's prepared me for dealing with al1 the challenges we have and

that's a supportive team environment."

"If it is a competency I need, I may not have it. so I can fix it. I can try but you

can get help from somebody else that has the competency that I'm looking

for."

The managers were asked what they considered the essential competencies of a

ClBC Visa managedleader. The following attributes were agreed upon or

mentioned with greater than one frequency:

Communication/Listener

Visionary

InterpersonaVdealing with peoples' differences

Change agent

Team BuilderlMotivator

Coaching

Creativity/innovative

Participants were asked to define Visa Customer Service and Operations

leadership strategy based on where they saw learning taking place and the

support they received. The response basically indicated that the groups felt no

such strategy existed: .

"1 don7 know what it is."

"Yeah, I don? know what it is."

"1s there one?"

"We were developing the people and we did have a strategy but now it seems

that we've gone the other way, where we've taken al1 that away. so you're

taking it away from the individuals but you want more from everyone. but

there isn't anything out there for the management or the leaders. so that's

why I Say is there a strategy because I think we've taken a step back in that.

where ît was a big factor in Our development and now it's not there any more."

The focus group participants strongly indicated that time was a major factor in

prohibiting leadership learning at Visa:

"I think everyone is so super busy that you are worried about disturbing

them.. .go to my director to talk about my problerns or I need assistance and

they're not availabie, so I think it happens at al1 levels right now."

"IVm going to put aside taking a course because the time is just not there and I

have al1 these deadlines that I have to meet, sa that's going to be the last

thing on my priority list. So it's just the support and the obstacles."

"Whereas I find that even if we had something in place, something's always

happening that prevents you from following through with that, the other things

are always more important ... the business is first. the front line is first, we're

always stretched for time."

In response to being questioned regarding a solution to the dilemma of not

having enough time for leadership development. the participants stressed the

fact that leadership development has to be a priority for Visa Customer Sewice

and Operation managers. Solutions offered included; development being made a

manager's accountability, support frorn above and the requirement for increased

manpower:

"We calculate [developrnental time] into the scheduling for staff and rnaybe

we could do that for managers as well, so that there is time and it's a priority

and every manager would get some kind of development."

Everyone puts in more than a full day, either every day or at least on a weekly

basis, and it's not built in."

"1 think there has to be a commitment in terms of we will spend this amount of

time on personal development for our managers and build that into capacity

planning so that managers do have the time to spend x number of hours a

day or week doing personal developrnent at some point, whether formal or

informal."

"Unless you set objectives though. that never happens. Although if you are

going to be measured for it, you're going to get it done."

"1 see the solution in giving more priority to personal development, for

everyone at every level."

"...people development comes low on the priority list and while it is important

and we talk about succession planning, i fs generally not there, it becomes

low on the pole."

'1 think it's got to be done business wide, it cornes from the top that this has

been recognized as a deficiency within the organization and so it's something

that we al1 begin doing more of."

"When you assess how many people you may need to get the job done that

you don't always think about time for personal development, do we have

enough people to get the basic things done or do we have enough to allow for

someone to be off on a course, here or there, and to develop themselves?"

'[More managers] is a good solution. lessen the work load per day."

"And assuming that. if we had implemented it, we made the adjustments in

terms of staffhg so that you have the time to do it."

"Someone else would help her out with that and she would be strictly focused

on taking that course and developing herself. But we don't have that."

The participants were asked how the Visa Customer Service and Operations

curent structure and interrelationships (including the changes brought about with

Core Intemational Inc.) help or hinder their leadership development opportunities.

The responses gravitated towards the entrenchment of accountabilities. Having

accountabilities was viewed. for the most part, as a plus, however clearly

departments were at different levels of evolution within the requisite process. The

hindrances that were mentioned revolved around lack of time built in for

development and lack of opportunity for developing through outside projects:

"1 think it is good in terms of the accountabilities became more clear and there

was less overlap there."

" . ..my accountability now is not just for me and this tearn but it's also for my

immediate team's management team, their performance.. .not just one

individual team but made up of a whole bunch of teams.. ." "Senior managers left and now decisions had to be reached by al1 team

members, this was a challenge, but also empowering to make decisions and

rely on peers."

"...the one thing we missed through [the transition to Core stratums] is the

time for personal development and career development individually, that's not

built in."

Participants listened to a list of leadership leaming components or interventions

and they were asked which had provided the greatest impact on their own

leadership development. A balanced menu was observed to be the preference.

Comments regarding relevancy and identified need were also suggested by the

groups. Generally there was an acknowledgement from the groups that al1

leaming interventions needed to be relevant to the actual role of the manager:

"1 think the formal is part and then there's so much informal."

"1 probably look at the mentoring and coaching as probably a first priority.. ."

0 'What you may not get from one, you'll get from another."

7 guess definitely a balance."

"Given that a leaming strategy encompasses so many different aspects, I

think it's more infused, most of it is infused. I think the only thing that's really

an addition might be the formal extemal.. ." "1 think for me personally, day to day, hands on, the reason being because

with the environment that we are in now."

"You do get to find out what other areas are doing and you can feed off that,

or leam to never do those things as well."

". ..we give out surveys that they have to compile and give back to us so I

think we develop and enhance our skills through the feedback we get back

frorn the representatives."

"Sort of identifying where the problems are first before throwing courses at us

or anything like that of that nature. They need to see where certain people are

lacking or what the most common issue is and address that before setting up

any sort of strategy.. .that's what I would think."

The groups were asked who is responsible for leadership development at Visa.

The response indicated it was a mutual responsibility between the individual

manager and the organization.

The responsibility lies with the leamer:

"Basically we need more time for it and you've got to make it part of your

objectives.. .if you just sit back and when I get the time. itII do it, ittll never

happen, so I think it should be part of Our objectives."

"1 think it aiso lies with ourselves."

"1 think there's a stnictured side that shoutd be somewhat consistent and then

there's another side where we personally are accountable for Our own

development and direction.. ."

"So ultimately the accountability is our own, whatever it cornes down to, we

are accountable for our own performance and our own success, we need

support and growth in that but ultirnately it's up to me."

"...y ou have to analyse yourself and see what skills you have and what skills

are lacking and it's great, you turn to the business and the business helps

you, it's great."

"We set targets for Our representatives and help them improve themselves to

reach those targets, so we should probably be doing the same things for

ourselves. 1s setting those targets. saying this is what we're going to do to

improve ourselves. Because it is important."

"If you want to lead by example, then you have to meet your own goals first,

then people see that."

uThere should be things that you need to take or you have to take five

courses throughout the year, here's a list, pick your five, or something like

that, because it's your own self and you know best yourself what you need

development on."

The responsibility of the organization:

"1 think it should also be part of the bank's objectives, not only your own.

Their responsibility, developing their people as well."

'1 guess that would be the accountability of the each player, whether it would

be up to the director to see that the managers in the area receive it and at

least seeing to it that the director of the team receives it."

"1 think it has to be supported at the VP level and that the VPs and directors

have to create the strategy ..." "1 think everybody is willing, wants to develop people and even succession

planning, but you just don't see it and it does fall to yourself to do it but you

still want some kind of guidance but right now with resources the way they are

stretched so thin across the board."

"...people development cornes low on the pnority list and while it is important

and we talk about succession planning, iPs generally not there. it becomes

low on the pole."

"Without [the executive] support it wouid not happen."

"1 just think the business couid make it easier."

Similarly to the initial interviews, the focus groups were asked how they

envisioned benchmarking the progress of a leadership development strategy.

Again no clear model emerged, however there were some suggestions around

assessrnent tools that might be utilized:

"1 think you bench mark within yourself."

"1 donPt think [developrnent] is necessarily something you can measure."

'It can be somewhat measured through feedback from your team. from your

peers. from your supervisor, whether it be your director or manager."

"What comes to mind is a 360 feedback survey and the outcomes of that."

"Measured by the amount of cross-training completed."

As the discussions within the groups progressed. participants were questioned

as to the relationship they see that existed between organizational leaming

strategies and business objectives or change initiatives. Reponses indicated that

there was certainly room to strengthen this relationship:

"1 would have liked a little bit more guidance and understanding of the Visa

business, I had to figure things out on my own and I didn't understand this

part of the business."

"If we had one, yes. I think the development strategy would certainly

contribute to business objectives.

Comments also identified a need to strengthen the connection between

managers and what is happening in the industry at large:

"1 think it is readily available, it's just finding the time."

". . .it would be nice to have something at Our level where we can just

exchange ideas with our competitors and share some of what we do."

"It's really going to things like that where you meet other people but we don't

have that information, you've got to go find it yourself."

"There's also a lot of web pages you can go on. like cal1 centre web pages,

and it really gives you an understanding of how they handle situations and

best practices and things like that."

During the focus groups. the managers equated the process of being a new

manager to that of a "baptism by fire" process. They emphasized the need for

more or a better structure around training and supporting new managers.

"[lt was like] survival of the fittest almost."

"If you survive that it'll make you, but then it can also break you."

"...good line of structure of learning and training when you first become a

manager, better leadership, better ability to work with people."

". . .because everybody was overwhelmed with their own work and if you were

doing something wrong, I didn't have the support at the time to have

somebody tell me on a constructive criticism basis or feedback on what I was

doing.. ."

Study Conclusions

How can the CIBC Visa Customer Service managers, operating within a

traditional and dynamic organization, chart their own individual and team

leadership learning experience?

Middle managers play a pivotal role in effectively accomplishing organizational

goals. In an increasingly complex work environment, how can managers be

successful while adapting to escalating responsibilities and demands on their

abilities? More traditional methods of fonnal learning (teacher led) may no longer

be the sole answer in meeting developmental needs. Other methods or

strategies may be required to address a manager's progressively intricate role

requirements. Is this true for Visa Customer Service managers? The evidence

from this study suggests yes.

This conclusion will highlight prevalent themes from the research findings. The

raw data from the interviews and focus groups gathered for this study was first

reviewed for patterns. These patterns were labeled and coded. The participant

discussions from the three focus groups were then correlated. This investigation

yielded the common themes that were expressed overall. These points were then

compared and contrasted with the data from the interviews. The final themes

identified are presented here and linked to the literature reviewed in Chapter Two

of this study.

The thernes identified from the raw data have been divided under Wo headings.

The first is leadership development. The information provided under this heading

represents both the literature and the participants' viewpoint of what managerial

learning should look like at ClBC Visa. The second heading is leaming

disabilities. This section highlights the "road biocks" for leadership development

as indicated by the study findings.

Leadership Development

Leadership Learning Content

Self-Managed Learning

Vamey (1976) looks to a manager's pragmatic nature as a disability in sustaining

leadership development. He refers to the fact that managers look at their

development as something that someone else can do for them. This was not the

finding of this study. However. the Visa managers concurred that a leadership

development strategy must be compelling to the leamer and beneficial to the

business. That means, according to the literature reviewed for this study. that the

leamings must be relevant to job requirernents. offered just in time and not

imposed. (Vaill. 1996; Pedler et al. 1991; and Bennis, 1989)

The literature advocated that adult leamers need to be in charge of their own

leaming. Learning should be meaningful and specific to each learner's

requirements. The focus groups recognized the individual's role in their work

related leadership development. The groups emphasized that the final

responsibility for maintaining a leadership development strategy at Visa rested

with the individual manager. "I think if is self developed, if l don Y do it, l'm not

going to get it, so 1 have to go out and find out what 1 need to leam and leam it on

rny own, whatever it is a course or read a book, then tha t's what 1 have to do. l

don? think there is training for us right now. " There was evidence in the data

gathered for this study that the managers aspired to manage their own leaming

experience. Interestingly, there was very little indication that any of the

participants were currently taking charge of their own leadership development.

This last fact may indicate a need to institutionalize a self-directed leaming

format. The concept of self-managed leaming was mentioned in the interviews

from the perspective that this style of leaming would support the active transfer of

leaming and its sustainability.

The participants, however, were equaily as adamant that the organization played

a congruent role in enabling an environment where learning can occur.

Participants indicated that it was definitely the organization's responsibility to

assist in removing the obstacles to development. 7 think it should also be part of

the bank's objectives, not onlyyourown. Theirresponsibility, developing their

people as weli." Organizational support was generally discussed in reference to

upper management. Very little was discussed about the role of interna1 training

departments under the heading of responsibility or elsewhere.

Leaming Content

Effective development outcomes depend on the extent to which various learning

interventions can accommodate the diversity of the manager's perspectives of

what they require to develop. One solution lies in a strategy for development that

is both negotiated and inclusive. (Doyle. 2000) The focus groups of this study

were asked what leaming process or content had been or would be of value to

them. They responded that a balanced approach, depending on the individual,

would be most valuable. There is support for this premise in the literature. "In a

more positive vein. by giving people alternatives. you set in motion a self-fulfilling

process of cornmitment: 'This was my choice and l'II make it work!'" (Kouzes and

Posner. 1995, p. 86)

The primary leaming interventions suggested, in no specific order were:

360 Feedback

Interpersonal Skill Classes

Mentoring

Experience and Challenge

The idea of learning by new challenges was the development process most

endorsed in the interviews. Other methods, such as 360 feedback was supported

when mentioned, but did not enter the conversation initially.

In order to meet this recognized requirement for balanced iearning interventions,

the organization would have to adopt a method of leadership leaming where the

leamer and the organization mutually agree on the learning interventions used by

the managers in their individual development. This does not take away the

obligation of leadership development from the organization; in fact it could be

argued that it increases the responsibility. With a formal approach to training,

there is minimal obligation to the business after the purchase of the programmes,

aside from supporting management time away from the job. ln an individualist

approach, the organization would be required to be a full participant in the

ongoing negotiation, support, evaluation and the reward and recognition of its

leaders. This partnership would ensure compliance and progress for both the

learner and the organization. Certain skill or knowledge development may need

to be imposed by the organization for the benefit of business operations,

however, there is room to look at how that new knowledge is obtained and this

process may be negotiated. This situation is characterised by Senge (1990) and

his concept of "creative tensions." Creative tensions refer to the relationship

between the vision of what could be and the reality of what currently exists.

Leadership Self-knowledge and VisionNalues

Interestingly the concept of self-knowledge expressed so heavily in the literature

(Senge, I W O ; Bennis, 1997; Covey, 1992; Kouzes and Posner, 1995;

0tToole,1995) was only faintly referred to in both the intewiews and the focus

groups. Only one interview participant mentioned the power of understanding

oneself and one's own values. Several focus group members referred to

attending the Franklin Covey programme "Seven Habits of Highly Effective

People." These participants valued the fact that this programme had offered thern

insights into themselves both on a persona1 level and at work.

Leaders are often described as visionaries. The only reference to leadership

vision came in one focus group where the participants agreed it was a leadership

competency. Certainly the strength or power of the individuals or the

organization's vision were never discussed in either the interviews or focus

groups. Also value-based leadership was discussed by the intewiew participants

while defining their leadership style, however, no mention was made of the

importance of values in relation to leadership development. This aspect of

leadership development mig ht have been discussed if participants had been

probed for their thoughts regarding vision and values. However. with al1 the

available literature linking leadership with vision and values it is interesting that it

was not a natural link for the participants as part of their desired development.

Leamina Process

According to the study participants, the leadership development that is occurring

at ClBC Visa is happening while managers are actively doing their jobs and by

adapting to new challenges. Also indicated as current leadership leaming

interventions were coaching and peer support.

Learning By Experience

The participants in this study indicated overwhelmingly that hands on experience

was not only how leadership development was occurring at Visa, but also that it

is a desired method for leaming as well. "1 think for me personally, day to day,

hands on, the reason being because with the environment that we are in now."

The concept of leaming while doing was advocated in both the interviews and the

focus groups. Leaming by experience was an intervention supported in the

literature. It was mentioned as a meaningful method of development and was

shown to be a success factor in existing organizational leadership development

strateg ies.

Learning by experience, however, can have its limitations based on the varieties

or complexities of the experience and the amount of reflection time dedicated to

turning experience into a true leaming. (Vamey, 1976) Leaming from experience,

as examined through the literature, needs to be a conscious process where the

event or action is examined and refiected upon. The literature emphasized action

learning as a technique to combine learning with reflection and actual hands on

business experience. "Leaming is a continuous, strategically used process - integrated with, and running parallel to, work." (Watkins and Marsick, 1993, p.8)

Mentoring for Leadership

T h e best [mentors] are those who challenge us, trust us, are willing to spend

time with us, and are consistent in their behaviours. ..must be creditable to us if

we are to leam and develop." (Kouzes and Posner, 1997, p. 330) The data

gathered from the focus groups supported this conclusion. Discussion revolved

around the importance of having a mentor and coach with the skill or attributes to

enhance leadership development. Participants had examples of positive and

detrimental mentoring experiences. The focus groups indicated mentoring "done

well" would be a powerful tool in their leadership development. ". . .talk about

being a mentor, 1 have the utmost respect for this person. By the way 1 wasnY

crazy about working for this individual at the beginning.. .But what 1 leamed from

this individual over the years, 1 mean she's made an indelible impression on my

life and 1'11 never /ose that. I'm hoping 1 can take some of that and impart it to

someone else. "

An additional point worthy of note is that the directors indicated they were looking

for managers that had the ability to developmentally coach their staff, this was

not, however, the same criteria used by the directors for the development of their

own managers. When the directors were asked to speak of a time when they

participated in or observed one of their managers developing their leadership

skills, the emphasis, for the most part. involved the managers experiencing

hands on or trial and error leaming. This is not to Say that given the opportunity

other examples might have indicated situations where coaching was utilized. It is

of note because the directors signified people development and coaching as a

leading characteristic for managers. but "lead by example" was identified as

important principle held by the directors. Therefore this might indicate a possible

d iscon nect.

Team Leaming

The focus groups emphasized the importance of their peers in enhancing their

own management leaming. Study participants highlighted this relationship for

providing both leadership knowledge and a supportive learning environment. The

diversity of teams and how this diversity c m impact an individual leamer was

mentioned within one of the interviews as well. The concept of relationship

building and leaming from others throughout the organization, either directly or

by cross training, was mentioned in al1 the interviews. Certainly authors like

Senge (1 990) and Watkins and Marsick (1 993) discuss the importance of team

alignment in accomplishing leaming goals. This alignment not only supports the

tearn leaming. but the individual and ultirnately the organization. Members of the

focus groups indicated a natural predisposition for management team learning, or

learning from their peers.

In Addition

Apprenticeship 1 New Manager Training

In addition, the participants identified two stnictured programmes. From the

perspective of the directors an "apprenticeship" programme was recomrnended

to facilitate the cross training of managers in a variety of Visa Customer Service

and Operations departments. The focus group participants identified the need for

a formal new manager curriculum and support process to help ease the transition

into the new position.

Learning Disabilities

The interest and desire of the managers to leam and to enhance their abilities

though a development strategy was apparent in al1 the focus groups. This was

indicated in the comments provided during the sessions and by the resounding

support and interest in attending the sessions to begin with. However, it became

apparent that there was a general disbelief in the fact that a fully integrated and

su pported leadership development programme would ever truly exist because of

existing organizational leaming disabilities. The disabilities identified stemrned

from a perceived lack of opportunity and support.

Leamina as a Strateaic Prioritv

The directors and the managers who participated in this study indicated that

support for a leadership developrnent strategy from the executive was paramount

to its success. "I think it has to be supported at the VP level and that the VPs and

directors have to create the strategy. .."The Linkage Inc. study of leadership

development best practices listed the critical success factors that rnost impact

the success of leadership development initiatives. Number one with 100% of the

respondents agreeing was "Support and involvement of senior management."

(Giber, et. al., 2000, p. 445) Certainly the literature reviewed for this study

supports this premise. To sustain a leadership development strategy, it is

imperative that it becomes a priority of the company's executive. This requires

more than the strategy simply being heralded, it must be actioned. This quality

of fostering organizational learning by example may be one of the most important

functions of leadership." (Bennis and Nanus, 1985. p. 191 )

Participants of this study did not draw a strong correlation between leadership

development and the accomplishment of Company strategic objectives. The

literature examined emphasised the need for adult learners and managers to feel

that their actions are relevant and meaningful. Tying leadership developrnent to

strategic initiatives would demonstrate the importance of leaming and its critical

role in organizational growth.

Findina the Time to Leam

The most prevalent obstacle to leadership development discussed during the

focus groups was lack of opportunity due to time constraints. 4'm going to put

aside taking a course because the time is just not there and l have al1 these

deadlines that 1 have to meet, so that's going to be the last thing on my priority

list. So it's just the support and the obstacles." Senge ( 1 990) acknowledges that

the inability of managers to leam and reflect is due to the lack of time. A work

culture has been created where a manager is forced to think on the go and as a

result little leadership development occurs. Senge stresses the point that making

the time to learn should be a product of the organization and not just the

individual. Covey (1989) discusses the various generations of time management

and making time to wmplete goals. Tirne factors certainly play into leadership

development at ClBC Visa. When leaming is viewed as a separate action from

daily operations, it tends to be shelved during times of crisis or innovation.

According to the focus group participants, current accountabilities do not leave

time for any leadership development to transpire.

There was a high level of consensus arnongst the focus group participants that

the addition of leadership development to the manager's accountabilities was the

most viable solution to creating the opportunity to leam. "I guess that would be

the accountability of each player, whether it would be up to the director to see

that the managers in the area receive it and a least seeing to iï thaï the director of

the team receives if. "The focus group participants felt the addition of leadership

learning to role criterion would provide the incentive for themselves and for the

organization to ensure that development time and tasks are undertaken and

completed. The participants in the research indicated this process might involve

a potential change in the leadership compliment. "Unless you set objectives

though, that never happens. Although if you are going to be measured for it. you

are going to get it done."

Systems Thinking and Leadership Development

"The goals and future direction of management developrnent should not be

limited to the developrnent of the individual manager. but should be integrated

within organization development. MD and organization developrnent are

complementary actbities." (Doyle, 2000, p. 583) This shift in perspective may

require an unleaming of existing perceptions and mental models. (Senge 1990;

Vaill, 1998) To regard leadership development as part of a whole, focusing on

the relationship that development plays in an organization instead of simply the

components that are available, would certainly move Visa toward resolving the

disconnect managers perceived between the learning interventions that are

available and what is actually utilized.

Systems thinking was only indirectly referred to by the participants of both the

interviews and the focus groups. When discussing leadership development

strategy and what has hindered the process, comments were made that stressed

a total organization perception of leaming. ". . .buildingf strucïuring the

organization in the right way." It also supports a systematic viewpoint that the

participants emphasized leadership development as a process, and not simply as

a matter of a management curriculum. Viewing leadership development as a

subsystem that operates within the whole living organizational structure with its

continuous and dynamic presence would assist in overcoming this leaming

disability. (Senge, 1990)

A systems perspective would limit the disabilities to leaming discussed during

the interviews and the focus groups: primarily those of prionty and time.

Leadership development becomes more than the creation of a curriculum. It

becomes essentially part of the greater context of the business and is driven by

strategies designed to facilitate those wider influences that promote development

and remove those that inhibit or constrain it. This approach can be supported by

the removal of identified obstacles to leaming, encouraging developrnent in the

places where it is naturally occurring and promoting learning as an essential part

of the business operations and strategy. (Bennis, 4989; Pedler et al.. 1991 )

Study Recornmendations

Umiting Conditions:

La& of tirne, opportunity and pnority

Growing Action: Condition: -\ Slowing Action i

ClBC is a Leaming Leadership Managers are not Organkation Developrnent is not foarsed on îeaming

taking place

Figure 3: Adapted from Cimits to Growth. (Senge, 1990, p. 379) Factors Limiting

Leadership Development at ClBC Visa

Senge's management principle related to Figure 3 is: "Don't push on the

reinforcing (growth) process. remove (or weaken) the source of the limitation."

(1990, p. 380)

In order to weaken the limiting conditions, the following recommendations. as a

result of this study, are prescribed:

i Leaming and leadership development requires direction and support from the

highest levels within the organization. This will ensure that it is maintained

down through the organization. The accountability for this process starts at

the top of the organization. It is recommended that an advocate for learning

and development be recognized at the executive level to guarantee success.

Without taking this bold step, there is an extreme likelihood that al1 leaming or

leadership developrnent strategies will fail.

> Learning and leadership development must be established as an

accountability for stratum two managers. The sustainability of a leadership

development programme relies on its amalgamation into the existing

managerial reward and recognition programme. Leadership development

then becomes a part of the manger's accountabilities and is expressed in

terms of time and task.

'r In order for leaming to be treated as performance criterion. it is critical that the

appropriate resources are made available to support the process. Resource

allocation to leadership developrnent will also signal the value that the

organization places on ernployee leaming. If leadership development is not

recognized as a priority it will always be put aside for other more immediate

concems.

3 It is essential that learning and leadership development strategies be fully

integrated into the business objectives and culture of Visa Customer Service.

This step is imperative for its success. ClBC Visa Customer Service and

Operations must view leaming and leadership development as a key

component of strategic planning and articulate that fact through calculated

communications and requisite actions.

Once the limitations to leadership development are eliminated. the following

recommendations are offered to en hance the growing action:

i The completion by Customer Semice managers of a leadership development

plan. This plan would include the following wmponents:

The development of self-knowledge (See Appendix C)

The identification of knowledge and skill gaps through assessrnent

The development of a plan to achieve leaming goals (See Appendix C)

The negotiation of an established plan with manager's director and peers to

ensure support and alig nment with business objectives

The identification of the process by which the leaming is going to be

reflected and communicated

F Develop and utilize methods to encourage "double loop" learning through

reflection and critical evaluation:

Team building

Joumaling

Formal presentations

Duting meetings I with peers

Action leaming

> Information on the various leaming interventions should be made readily

available to the Customer Service managers. This might include

presentations from extemal and intemal sources and the utilization of the

lntranet to post or advertise leadership development information.

3 The establishment of a pilot group of managers to test and provide feedback

on various leadership leaming interventions. Successful learning interventions

would then be introduced into the Visa management group to be utilized with

leaming plans, if desired.

i Developing tearn and peer interactions into more formalized leaming

environments.

3. Core course curriculum made available based on the Customer Service

manager's accountabilities and identified required manageriallleadership

cornpetencies.

> Informal methods of leaming fully developed to meet manager's needs

(library, cross training, coaching, Intranet, etc.. .).

i The development of a new manager transition process.

> Benchmarking was not a priority of participants, however marking progress is

an important indicator of success. Establishing annual focus groups to gather

feed back on leadership development would be beneficial.

CHAPTER FlVE

Research Implications

Organization lmplementation

In order for a successful leadership development strategy to exist at ClBC Visa. a

shift in paradigm needs to occur. This shift requires that leadership development

and leaming move from existing as a separate component of organizationai life

to becoming fully integrated into the organizations' way of being. Learning

opportunities and experiences must be recognized in the day to day operations

as part of the whole interconnectedness of the Company. Reward and recognition

infrastructures need to include and celebrate leaming. As well, al1 levels of the

organizations must lead by example by actively learning and supporting the

leaming of others.

Without this shift in paradigm, learning will not be a priority and it will be ignored

in light of business issues that are perceived to have greater importance. There

is not going to be a right moment for leadership development in today's

transitional workplace. Therefore the time for leaming should always be

maintained within the organization as "right now". This shiff requires a new

outlook. The focus on leadership development and leaming requires a holistic

contextual approach. This conclusion is supported by the various themes that

became apparent in the raw data gathered from the interviews and the focus

groups. It is further supported by the literature on leaming organizations and

leadership development. If ClBC Visa Customer Service adopts this systematic

approach to leaming, then the implementation of a leadership development

strategy will be a success.

The successful implementation of a leadership development strategy will require

continual communication and stability in support from al1 levels of the

organization. The participants of this study demonstrated a strong belief that any

new structure or policy dealing with management learning would never

materialize or be maintained. Learning within an organization needs to be visible

at the executive level. It needs to be a consideration in the discussion of

Company strategy and innovations. Leaming opportunities need to be constantly

identified and participation in management learning must be rewarded. This

process needs to be sustained by upper management and encouraged

throughout the culture of the organization.

A leadership development strategy need not be complex and daunting. By

simply encouraging and documenting individual learning, allowing for a feedback

process and recognizing opportunities to leam, the organization will be providing

a rich leaming climate for its leaders. As the organization develops a consistent

process for leaming and leadership development, managers will feel encouraged

to be more innovative. ready to challenge themselves as they leam from their

successes and mistakes. The result for the organization is improved work

processes, bench strength and competitive advantage. "You cannot expect

people to take responsibility for continuous improvement and then not enable

them to use their minds. We've become a knowledge economy, and only by

investing in knowledge can we expect economic irnprovement." (Kouzes and

Posner, 1995, p. 333)

Future Research

The documented transition of leaming and training from being an imposed

process to being one orchestrated by the leamer would be a valuable future

study. Data gathered through obsenration or case study would dernonstrate

the level of satisfaction on the part of the participants with their new leaming

structure and the sustainability of such a structure within a traditional

organization.

What are the requirements and placement of any official development or

educational professionals within an organizational structure where the

learners map their own development? Is this an HR function or a stand-alone

department? Do organizations benefit from having an intemal education

department? What reliance do managers have on an education department

while maintaining their own leaming?

What impact does an organization have on an employee's development of

self-knowledge? Why did the managers participating in this study not identify

this aspect of leadership development? Is this type of individual leaming

possible in an organization that has predorninately utilized more formal

methods of employee education? What is the impact on leadership

development if self-knowledge is not first obtained?

How do large traditional organizations sustain an environment that supports

and encourages lifelong learning?

CHAPTER SIX

Lessons Learned

Research Project Lessons Learned

1. Once the decision has been made to go with either qualitative or quantitative

research gathering methods, stay in tune with the requirements of that

method. I found rnyself slipping and referring to the data collected in terrns of

the number of times a similar response was made. In hindsight, I may have

utilized an additional tool to also gather quantifiable data.

2. Even though interesting data or unexpected but valuable information can

arise when an interview or focus groups go off on sorne tangents, it

unfortunately makes it extremely difficult to locate and gather themes

between various groups when there is little consistency. Fortunately, I leamed

this from the interviews before I held the focus groups and as a result

increased attempts were made to keep participants on track.

3. Clearer boundaries established up front to separate the project research

requirements and the organizations need for implementation would have

been beneficial.

Programme Lessons Learned

Major Project Competencies

Ic. Provideleadership

+ Consistently modelled various styles of leadership to enhance my personal

abilities and those involved in the project.

+ Ensured al1 participants felt that they were part of the process.

+ Demonstrated a high level of cornmitment to the completion of the Major

Project within the guidelines specified.

1 e. Recognize ethical considerations

+ Demonstrated a strict adherence to the RRU ethical policies.

+ Ensured al1 participants understood the confidential nature of the research

findings.

2b. Apply systems thinking to the solution of leadership and learning

problems

+ Systems thinking and its relevance to this study was explored in the literature

reviewed for this project.

4 Systems thinking was utilized to assist in the interpretation of the data

gathered for the study conclusions.

3b. Provide consulting services to help organizations succeed

+ The project involved working with the Visa management tearn in a consulting

capacity. Work was completed with this group to first explore the problem

area and then collected the required information.

+ The Visa management group was actively involved in the solution discovery

process.

4c. Create learning opportunities in the workplace

+ Focus groups were utilized not only as a data gathefing method, but also as a

learning opportunity for those managers that participated. Managers were

able to leam through observation and participation in a new forum for

gathering information. The managers were also able to leam about attitudes

and concerns from other members of the organization.

4d. Evaluate learning innovations and determine appropriateness to new

contexts

+ The literature review revealed various learning intewentions. Examining these

interventions, in light of the data gathered, allowed for the evaluation of these

methods within the wntext of the organizations' leaming environment.

Sa. Identify, locate and evaluate research findings

4 The cornpletion of this Major Project demonstrates the ability to gather and

synthesize data.

5b. Use research methods to solve problerns

+ The learning and development of different research methods was completed

after the assessrnent of the study question. These research methods were

utilized to gather the data and appropriately evaluate the information. This

evaluation was then incorporated into the conclusion.

7b. Communicate with others through writing

+ Wntten communication was demonstrated during this project through the

production of draft copies and the final version of this project.

7d. Contribute to team success

During the data-gathering phase, contributions were made to the Visa

management teams understanding of new processes: the focus group. This

provided them with the circumstance not only to share their ideas on

leadership development, but also increased their knowledge and

understanding of teammates through their contributions.

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ndix A

iternational Inc. workshop slides detailing requisite organizational layering mager accountabilities.

Manager accountability

+ Managers are held accountable for + Their own effectiveness + The outputs of their direct reports + The result or impact of direct reports' behaviour + Sustaining a team of capable people working

individually and collaterally to produce outputs over time

+ Continuous process improvement

COR6internationai inc

What is level 2 work? (cont'd)

"Filling in" (for self andlor direct reports) objectives and needs in each concrete situation Monitoring output by balancing individual needs with immediate production or service requirements Exercising judgement, and acting within rules in such a way as to handle ambiguity by separating situations and articulating the differences. Delegating to direct reports new ways of solving front line operational problems.

COREinternationcil inc

Appendix B

Royal Roads University Participant Letter of Consent

Research Project Title: Charting a Course Towards Self-Managed Leadership Development

Researcher: Katy Thompson

Please read this letter carefully. If you consent to participate in this research as described below, please sign this letter where indicated. You are being asked to participate in one or al1 of the following process:

Personal interview

O Member of a focus group

Be aware that:

Personal interviews will be approximately 60 minutes in duration. Focus groups will be approximately 90 minutes in duration Depending on your availability, you may be invited to continue in another focus group. Personal interviews and focus groups will be recorded and notes will be taken. All audio taped data will be transcribed. You have the right to tum off the tape recorder at any time during the process, or to request your participation on the tape not be transcribed. Your individual participation will be entirely anonymous in the final document to be produced. Al1 data will be secured and inaccessible to the public. You will be given the option of reviewing the transcript to verify its accuracy. One year from the date of your participation al1 data recorded or written will be destroyed. A copy of the final report will be housed at Royal Roads University. There will be no monetary compensation to you for participating in this study. However you will be invited to a presentation regarding the outcornes of this research. Your participation in this study in voluntary and you may withdraw at any time.

Your signature indicates that you have understood to your satisfaction the information regarding participation in the research project and consent to participate. You should feel free to ask for clarification or new information throughout your participation in this study.

Participant Narne:

Participant Signature: Date:

Researcher: Date:

Appendix C

Existing ClBC and Visa Learning Tools and Interventions

Self-knowledge Programmes and Tools

Myers-Briggs Type lndicator

The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People

360 Feedback

Fonnal Programmes

Design Dimension lntemational Leadership Development programmes

C18C Knowledge Network "Building High Performancen leadership cuniculum

Achieve Global lntemational Leadership programmes

Informal Learning Support Tools

Opal (an online management leaming)

ClBC Knowledge Networks library of leadership development videos. CD-

ROMs, articles, books and cornputer based training programmes

Affiliations with professional associations

Cross training within other ClBC Visa departments

CoachinglMentoring