Integrated competency-based leadership development programme in a non-governmental organisation: An action research

This research aims to adopt best practices in Leadership Development Programmes (LDPs) utilized by the business sectors and apply them in the context of nongovernmental organisations (NGOs) in improving and transforming their leadership development and succession planning. Previous research mostly focused on LDP practices in businesses, and little attention given to the Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs). Notably, few studies focused on the practical applications of the LDP practices and how to integrate the types of learning to ensure consistency and coherence of its implementation. This study addressed the gap by implementing a competency-based LDP in NGOs and integrating formal, informal and social learning. The study employed a collaborative action research approach with four cyclical motions: planning, acting, observing, and reflecting, in a planned and systematic manner. The study found that best practices in LDPs by business organizations can be implemented in an NGO setting. Another important finding of the study is that by providing a practical framework, formal, informal, and social learnings can be integrated in the NGO setting. The study main finding is a LDP framework that serves as a practical guide for integrating formal, informal, and social learning when implementing a competency-based LDP in the context of NGOs' culture and operating environment. Overall, the study extends the LDP framework, thus aid as guide in integrating formal, informal, and social learning when implementing a competency based LDP in the context of NGOs' culture and operating environment.