Strategies for providing improved leadership training and development in the United States Postal Service

The purpose of the study was to investigate the design and development of new training strategies that would enhance the results of the U.S. Postal Service's efforts to improve the leadership effectiveness of its middle and senior level managers. After learning which types of leadership developmental strategies appear to be most applicable and efficient for the target population involved, to use these approaches to design, develop, and implement a new Postal Service leadership training course entitled: Leadership: Models and Behaviors. The study and particularly its research phase, identified four basic leadership training designs: Conceptual/Cognitive, Skill Building, Personal Feedback, and Self Awareness-Personal Growth. Additionally, an underlying objective in doing this study was to learn whether leadership training and development activities really do make a difference in either individual or organizational leadership effectiveness. Further, if training does make a difference, which approaches or combination of approaches appear to be the most effective vehicles for improved performance. Consequently, a wide range of well-respected and recognized leadership training programs, both in the public and private sectors of our nation's economy, were investigated. The case study methodology was chosen for data collection, and a wide variety of sources of evidence was employed in the study. Specific study questions were addressed in the research. The significant findings for each of the areas studied will be presented in terms of their impact on the design, development, and implementation of the Leadership: Models and Behaviors course. The focus will be on the impact of the research findings on the new courses: instructional content, instructional methodologies, selection of instructional personnel, leadership model(s) presented, and training program administration. Findings did generally support the theoretical proposition that improved leadership effectiveness could be learned. Further, support was also provided that the postal managers-of-managers self-perceptions of their leadership style and effectiveness, as well as their role as USPS change agents, were significantly enhanced by the Leadership: Models and Behaviors unique course design. This data was used to identify the appropriate combination of instructional content, instructional methodologies, use of postal and non-postal instructors, size of class and class formats, and of the use of executive-level guest speakers. The end goal was to optimize participant learning and to enhance overall leadership effectiveness in the U.S. Postal Service. Finally, this research study and its findings suggest an applicability to the interests of a broad audience of: business and government executives; human resource professionals; business and government training developers and managers; academicians such as professors and deans in business, education, and public administration departments of universities; and the directors and managers of both university-based and consultant-sponsored leadership development programs.