Putting “development” back into community leadership (development) programs

Abstract

Much has been written about the content of Community Leadership Programs (CLPs) and the positive effect they have on local communities. Concern has been raised that some programs emphasize participant networking at the expense of leader development. This exploratory study investigates 86 CLPs in the state of Ohio, revealing that this tendency is more likely to occur in independent and Chamber of Commerce programs than those conducted by academic institutions. Such program content choices are made by people within the CLP that are inclined to operate the program internally, resulting in decisions based on member desires and abilities rather than accepted leadership instructional norms. Additional findings on the age, cost, size, and participant composition of programs are also presented. Increased influence on the part of the academic community in program content and delivery is suggested as a method of improving leadership development.

Keywords:

• leadership
• local governance
• community-based organizations
• volunteerism