How to Scale Leadership Development: New Research from Sue Ashford

by | May 4, 2026 | Strategies and Tips, Leading Organizations, Sanger Research Lab

Scaling leadership development is a common challenge: how do you design programs that are both impactful and sustainable?

In a new article published in the Academy of Management Learning & Education journal, Sue Ashford, Michigan Ross professor, Sanger Research Lab member, and member of the Sanger Faculty Advisory Board, along with co-authors Ned Wellman and Joshua R. Sweeten, examine how leadership development can be more intentionally designed to scale.

Their research offers a practical set of questions for evaluating leadership programs—encouraging leaders to consider how learning is structured, reinforced over time, and extended beyond a single experience.

For teams refining their approach, the article provides a useful lens for assessing what is working and where there may be opportunities to increase impact.