Key findings
- #Learning and #development training has mixed evidence of success. Programmes that work tend to go beyond teaching standard business modules. Tweet
- #Networking has a small but growing #evidence base that indicates intensive and carefully structured programmes can lead to success. Tweet
- For leadership and management programmes to be at the forefront of the field they need to ensure their programmes reflect the latest evidence and have a clear #evaluation strategy. Tweet
Businesses in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) face a number of constraints to growth. Studies highlight the difficulty of accessing credit, fragmented markets, poor management practices, lack of infrastructure and an uncertain regulatory environment. Addressing barriers such as these could contribute to growth, productivity and job creation across SSA.
CDC Group plc (CDC) runs The Africa List (TAL) to improve leadership and management skills within companies in African growth markets. TAL is a community of leading executives, and those next in line for the executive suite, selected by invite only from the Democratic Republic of Congo, Zambia, Ethiopia, Uganda and Tanzania.
In January 2019, CDC asked The Behavioural Insights Team (BIT) to:
- A) Review existing evidence on the effectiveness of leadership and management training and networking programmes with a particular emphasis on Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA); and
- B) Develop a methodology and a set of tools that leadership and management programmes like TAL can apply to measure their impact.
In this report, we present our findings from the evidence review and develop a set of tools to evaluate programmes like TAL. These findings are based on a rapid literature review, exploration of existing programmes and interviews with experts.
