Value Creation through Executive Development

by Solomon Akrofi (Author)

The ability of organisations to generate long-term value and growth depends to a very large extent on the capacity of the executive cohort to conceive and implement strategic initiatives through a well-motivated and enabled workforce. However, generating consistent value in today’s volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous (VUCA) and rapidly evolving digital economic landscape can be challenging and, therefore, executives need to update their capabilities regularly to align with the changing value drivers required for long-term growth. To achieve the expected value and growth at a more sustainable level, executive development must be managed as a strategic asset and optimised through effective design and implementation and the effects must be proactively evaluated through meaningful leading indicators and actual 'hard' measures.


Value Creation through Executive Development, therefore, offers a well-supported and clearly structured approach to address the gap between executive development initiatives and the creation of long-term organisational value and growth. This book provides a valuable resource to executives and management development professionals who have experienced frustration about the lack of non-value-adding executive development programmes. It also serves as a professional resource for managers of executive and management development programmes, organisational development departments and organisational development consultants, allowing them to integrate this material into existing programmes to achieve value-centric outcomes and to achieve long-term performance targets. Additionally, it serves as a teaching resource for participants in executive/management development courses or seminars globally; offering them the capacity to conduct value-centric initiatives and gain the capacity to influence the tactical, operational and strategic dimensions of their organisational performance.

Review
"Value Creation through Executive Development stresses the need for organisational alignment of values and the implementation of Executive Management training plans at tactical and operational levels with sensible timescales. The real organisational performance value is facilitated by the structured 'Plan – Do – Measure' approach at the centre of Solomon’s methodology. Throughout, the book has a well-structured narrative written in an authoritative yet pleasing style, drawing upon references to a wide range of global case study companies and previously published sources. This will well serve its target audience of those involved in executive management development, including those tasked with the design, development and delivery of executive management training programmes against a backdrop of the need to improve long-term organisational performance. A must read for all organisations wishing to recruit and retain the necessary skilled leaders that modern business demands." ― Professor Simon Burtonshaw-Gunn PhD, Visiting Professor in Strategic Management, Gdansk School of Banking, Poland, UK academic and management consultant.

"Maintaining innovative capacity in the face of disruptive change is an increasing challenge faced by many organizations. Solomon Akrofi’s book neatly captures the important role that executives play in ensuring internal entrepreneurial capacity and shows how they can acquire value through executive development efforts." ― Dr. Luke Pittaway, Chair, Department of Management, Ohio University, USA

"There is no shortage of books on leadership, but this one has some special features to offer. It is good that it deals with the digital economy and has case examples in this area. It is good that it deals with leadership development in a helpful way. It is also good that it deals with evaluation and the return on investment of leadership development." ― Professor John Burgoyne, Emeritus Professor at Lancaster University, UK

About the Author
Solomon Akrofi is the Director and founder of Leapmax Consulting, a management consultancy, focusing on designing and embedding executive leadership capabilities to drive organisational success.