Includes bibliographical references and indexes.

Contents: 1.Defining leadership development: Context, culture, and complexities: best practices versus best fit -- Helping people achieve their goals -- Assessing the leader -- Leadership development and organizational strategy -- Developing leadership the a global landscape -- Investing in women: why it is critical for companies in the Twenty-First century -- 2. Best practice in leadership development: McKesson -- Yahoo! -- Johnson & Johnson -- Cisco: collaborative leadership -- Department of treasury and finance, Victoria, Australia: creating high-performing teams -- Macy's -- Bank of America: Executive on-boarding -- Humana: advancing strategy and building culture through leadership development -- Dell -- Land O'Lakes: leadership edge case study -- Pricewaterhousecoopers: a global leadership development program for high-potential staff --

Summary: In this book, Alan B. Knox shows leaders in adult and continuing education around the world how to strengthen and improve their programs, using the principles of strategic planning and cooperative leadership. Drawing on case studies from more than thirty countries, Knox explains how agency leaders can adapt strategic planning guidelines to identify objectives, create effective communication among stakeholders, reach agreement on policy guidelines, and give the supportive guidance, feedback, encouragement, and recognition that are essential for successful programming. Knox also shows how the principles and methods of strategic planning can be applied with equal effectiveness in a wide range of programs, including distance learning, continuing professional education, correctional education, staff development, and adult education for minorities. And he explains the importance of incorporating information on legislation, economic conditions, along with trends in aging and immigration into long-range planning efforts.