Growing Leaders at the U.S. Department of Agriculture: A Case Study of Leadership Development Using Action Learning (Report‪)‬

PROBLEM STATEMENT Organizations face growing challenges of increasing the capabilities of their leaders with less time and financial resources (Bennis & Nanus, 1997; Dotlich & Cairo, 2002). In addition, leaders require new and a wider array of skills and competencies in the 21st century (Marquardt & Berger, 2001; Kouzes & Posner, 2007). Government agencies, like corporate companies, need managers to produce efficient, cost-effective business results while effectively maximizing the talents of the public workforce. However, many studies such as those by Bordia and Cheesebrough (2002) note weak management in the federal workplace. Employees and citizens complain about the government's inability to communicate clearly and openly, to resolve problems, and lead effectively (Friel, 2002).