Developing the 21st Century Leadership Development Programme - The Case of Botswana Open University (BOU)

Abstract

PCF10 Sub-theme: Fostering Lifelong Learning // Leadership development is a phenomenon that is highly desired by organisations. A sound leadership development programme not only does it increase productivity, but it also orchestrates the achievement of the strategy and vision of the organisations. The leadership development vacuum, however, poses a threat to the growth and success of the organisations since leaders are unable to keep up with the volatile and disruptive changes of the fourth industrial revolution. It is against this background that Botswana Open University (BOU), found it necessary to initiate a needs assessment on leadership development to identify the skills and competence gaps. The research adopts the pragmatic paradigm. This paradigm is commonly associated with the mixed method approach to data collection and analysis. Out of (n) 48 employees in the two divisions under study, (n)28 responded to the survey and (n) 4 declined to participate. Twenty-two (n)22, participated in the focus groups interviews. A survey was conducted online using Google forms and scheduled focus group interviews were conducted through Google meet. The findings revealed that for the University to stay relevant in this era and increase their return on investment it is vital to develop the mindsets of 21st century leadership. Employees are empowered to take up their respective roles to promote the growth of the University and there is a zeal to build high performance teams and nurture talent. // Paper ID 2391