Developing Managers and Leaders: Experiences and Lessons from International NGOs

Abstract

This paper explores the context, practice and lessons related to management and leadership development in a handful of large international NGOs (INGOs) focused on humanitarian and development efforts. The paper is based on eighteen semi-structured interviews with senior managers of human resources or organizational development at INGOs including ActionAid, CARE, Catholic Relief Services, Habitat for Humanity, Médecins Sans Frontières, Mercy Corps, Oxfam, Save the Children and World Vision. It describes how INGOs (individually and collectively) are addressing the challenge of developing strong managers and leaders, what some promising approaches in management and leadership development currently are, what lessons can be learned from past and ongoing experiences in management and leadership development, what challenges and priorities remain, and whether and how academic institutions might be a resource.