PhD defence P. (Pisitta) Vongswasdi

Leadership development has become one of the top priorities for organizations today. However, despite the popularity and multiplication of leadership development programs being offered, more research is still needed to examine these developmental efforts. This dissertation first unpacks the notion of program effectiveness and broadens the understandings of what counts as evidence in leadership development. To further understand the different evaluation metrics of experiential leadership development programs, this dissertation then identifies how negative emotional experience and mindfulness can together contribute to training effectiveness that goes beyond training satisfaction to influence leadership learning and behavioral transfer. Lastly, this dissertation identifies how to cultivate a diversity mindset—an important quality for leaders and teams—by using an experiential learning approach that allows individuals to reappreciate their past experience working with diverse others. This dissertation advances research in the field of leadership development, and provides practical insights to help enhance the effectiveness of leadership development programs and interventions in business schools and organizations.

Due to corona, the PhD defences do not take place publicly in the usual way in the Senate Hall of the Professor Andries Querido Room. The candidates will defend their dissertation either in a small group or online.