RESEARCH IS CLEAR: LEADERSHIP IS DEVELOPED IN EVERYDAY WORK

Researchers at Jönköping University have studied more than 1,300 organizations to understand what develops leadership most effectively. Three factors consistently appear in organizations that perform well:

1. MANAGERS DISCUSS REAL-WORLD CHALLENGES
Leadership develops when managers regularly discuss the challenges they encounter in their daily work. This may involve managing resistance to change, resolving collaboration issues, or improving team performance. In practice, this means:

• Managers discuss specific situations they are facing
• Experiences are openly shared among colleagues
• Successes and mistakes are used as learning opportunities

CONCLUSION: When managers learn from real situations, development becomes immediately applicable. New experiences are translated more quickly into better decisions, clearer communication, and stronger decision-making throughout the organization.

2. REFLECTION BECOMES PART OF THE WORK
In many organizations, managers move from meeting to meeting without taking time to reflect on what worked well and what could have been done differently. Research shows that learning increases when reflection becomes a natural part of the work. In practice, this means:

• Managers regularly evaluate the impact of their decisions
• Teams discuss lessons learned from completed activities
• Follow-up processes are used as opportunities for learning

CONCLUSION: Organizations that create time for reflection tend to make better decisions over time. They repeat fewer mistakes, spread successful practices more quickly, and strengthen their ability to manage new challenges.

3. MANAGERS LEARN FROM EACH OTHER
Research shows that organizations develop faster when managers actively learn from one another's experiences rather than relying primarily on individual leadership courses. In practice, this means:

• Managers help each other solve real business challenges
• Effective ways of working are shared across departments
• Leadership issues are discussed continuously rather than mainly during formal training programs

CONCLUSION: When managers learn together, both the quality and speed of organizational development increase. Knowledge does not remain with individuals but becomes a shared organizational capability.

OVERALL CONCLUSION: For many leadership teams, the research raises an interesting question: Do we achieve the greatest impact by sending managers to more leadership training programs, or by creating better conditions for managers to learn from one another in their everyday work?

­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­For more information, contact:
Marcos Jorge, CEO at IC-Potential AB, +46 708-660 360 marcos.jorge@ic-potential.com