The Future of Leadership Development: Corporate Needs and the Role of Business Schools

There is an acute sense that the 2010 financial crisis was a crisis of leadership, both at the government level and at the corporate level. The meltdown of financial markets and the fall of very powerful and wellestablished firms since 2008 highlight the need to rethink the essence of business leadership, some central issues in leadership and governance (such as globalization, the basic traits of human behavior, ethics and character, and a broader view of the firm), and the role of business schools in helping firms develop the leaders of the future. It is true that work in the field of management has been rich and diverse, but at the same time management scholars and universities could do more in making their models and programs more effective in promoting better leadership in business and society.

Based on the papers of a major international conference held at the Instituto de Estudios Superiores de la Empresa (IESE) in 2008 around this topic, this book brings together the perspectives of deans of top international business schools, leading scholars in different fields of management and leadership, and those of CEOs and senior HR leaders.

The deans' perspectives highlight what the key contributions of business schools have been, and should be in the future, including some thoughtful reflections on the value of MBA programs.

Management scholars reflect on the need to consider broader models that include some of today's most complex issues in the business world (globalization, the role of the firm in society, and leadership as a process around people).

The business leaders' perspectives highlight some changing corporate needs in leadership development, as well as key leadership capabilities that need to be promoted in the future.

Jordi Canals is the Dean and Professor of General Management at IESE Business School, University of Navarra, Spain. His areas of expertise include corporate strategy and corporate governance. He is the author of several books, including Universal Banking (1996), Managing Corporate Growth (2000) and Building Respected Companies (2010). He was a Fulbright Scholar, a Research Fellow at the Harvard Business School, a Visiting Scholar at the World Bank and the Brookings Institution, and a member of the Spanish Government commission on corporate governance reform.