Developing Managers with Stretch Assignments

On-the-job experience can be a powerfully transformative tool for professional growth—in fact, research indicates it may be the primary vehicle for learning critical leadership skills. Many companies use job assignments to groom high-potential managers, but what kinds of experiences are really valuable for developing manager potential?

In this edition of Smith Business Close-Up with the University of Maryland’s Robert H. Smith School of Business, Paul Tesluk talks about how to help employees stretch to develop into top managers. Tesluk and co-author Joyce E. A. Russell, Ralph J. Tyser Distinguished Teaching Fellow, with former Smith PhD student Lisa Dragoni, now at Cornell University, and In-Sue Oh, University of Iowa, examine the effectiveness of “stretch assignments” in new research in the Academy of Management Journal.

Tesluk is Ralph J. Tyser Professor of Organizational Behavior and Human Resource Management, Chair of the Department of Management and Organization, which is currently rated as one of the top five management departments in the world in research productivity and scholarly impact, and Co-Director of the Center for Human Capital, Innovation and Technology (HCIT). His research focuses on strategies to enhance team effectiveness and innovation, the assessment and development of management and leadership talent, and organizational culture and climate in organizations transitioning to high-involvement workplace systems.