Kent Scarborough is a former CEO & entrepreneur- Queensland, Australia, who believes that Leadership development and management is a high-profile activity in organizations. According to Kent, organizations are increasingly recognizing investing in leadership and management development since it makes them competitive. Over the last decade, organizations have experienced significant changes in their workplace, including the growth of technology and a rise in globalization, contributing to organizational structure changes. Leadership and management strategies are considered as highly influential factors to creating a high-performance culture among workers. Through leadership and management development, organizations can produce more leadership talents. Kent Scarborough suggests that best-performing firms are categorized by their management and development interventions’ intensity and quality.
Uncovering The Context Of Leadership And Management Development With Kent Paul Scarborough
Kent Scarborough is a business personality from Australia who has always been very keen to make life better for others. He is a highly nature-conscious man who firmly believes the context within which leadership and management development takes place is both complex and dynamic. Kent highlights and discusses this context that focuses on four dimensions: globalization, structural change, the knowledge-based economy, and diversity.
Globalization
According to Kent Scarborough, a talented business visionary from Australia, globalization integrates national economies from local operations to international operations. He says that it is induced by substantial economic factors that include; market cost and competitive market factors. Globalization has led to a reduction of manual work and the development of new skills for customer service. Through emerging new talents such as call centers, managers can now work from headquarters using virtual team working forms. With an increase in globalization, leadership and management development should focus less on gaining manager commitment and concentrate more on manager engagement. Kent Paul Scarborough believes that Globalization also requires managers to develop strong acting skills, which will ensure a competitive strategy.
Structural change
Kent Paul Scarborough, Former CEO & Entrepreneur – Queensland, Australia, believes that Structural changes in organizations, such as downsizing, brings significant demands for leaders. Organizational structures are significantly changing due to the advancement of information technology. Leadership and management development should now focus on strategies that can differentiate between management and employee to ensure collective decision-making. Structural management changes should also focus on empowering the employees to promote information sharing and consultation within an organization.
The knowledge-based economy
The continuous growth of a knowledge-based economy has tremendous implications for leaders and managers. Kent Scarborough says that managers have a crucial role in creating and supporting a favorable culture to knowledge sharing. Leadership and management development interventions are appropriate when knowledge management strategy focuses on building its managers’ social capital and employees’ knowledge. The knowledge-based economy requires a high level of human resource practices, which will ensure individuals access opportunities for self-development.
Diversity
Gender and racial inequality have been a long-term problem for organizations when it comes to leadership positions. The leadership and management strategy has significantly undermined women and ethnic minorities, having little access to networking, mentoring, and leadership development opportunities. This challenging context has significant implications for management and leadership development practices. Kent Scarborough suggests that organizations that require being globally competitive should select managers and leaders who have foreign operational experience and diversify their leadership opportunities to maintain customer loyalty.