Density, Diversity, Openness and Speed: Is Management Development Aligned?

Purpose of this paper – This work aims to present a framework supporting a new approach to designing curricula for the development of management competencies. Design/methodology/approach - The review of contributions in the strategic management and management development fields allows to extrapolate relevant paradigm changes in the economic and business scenario and provides the background for investigating the emerging challenges in competence development processes. Findings – The increasing speed, openness, density and diversity of business raise new challenges related to five fundamentals dimensions of management as a system: its actors, concept, context, processes and purpose. This requires developing in managers a set of competencies which specifically address those aspects and holistically cover an integrated perspective rather than focusing on separated management functions, processes or skills. Research limitations/implications – Further research is needed in the effort of taxonomizing paradigm changes and defining the management dimensions which are impacted. Practical implications – The analysis here presented brings to a different logic to structuring curricula. This could potentially have an impact on the design and implementation of learning initiatives both in higher education and corporate contexts. Originality/value - The value of the article may stay in creating a direct conceptual link among the changing features of the economic and business scenery and the deriving requirements in terms of developing management competencies. Moreover, a framework useful for practitioners is provided.