indeed potentially makes the problem worse. Today’s managers are
pressed for time and are already overwhelmed by information. Pro-
viding even more is not the answer. The challenge is to redesign
leadership guidance and present it in a manner that reflects the
time demands on today’s managers.
We suggest that to be effective, a leadership behavior guidance
system needs to have the following characteristics:
- The information needs to be readily available “just in time,”
at the place and moment it is needed, and integrated into the
ongoing development effort. - The access has to be simple, fast, and specific.
- The suggestions need to be concrete and actionable.
- The information has to be in “bite-sized pieces” without being
superficial. - The knowledge system itself needs to learn and grow over
time.
Information That Is Readily Available “Just in Time”
Just-in-time inventory management has revolutionized manufactur-
ing; instead of stockpiling huge quantities of components in antici-
pation of future demand, manufacturers work with their suppliers to
ensure that parts arrive at the time and place they are needed. The
same principles can be applied to revolutionize learning.
Information is most valuable and best remembered when it is
received in the context of an immediate and pressing problem.
Unfortunately, most traditional education is like traditional inven-
tory management: trying to stockpile solutions in advance of future
applications—giving people answers to questions they haven’t yet
asked. The problem is compounded because knowledge inventory
is perishable; if it isn’t used promptly, it rapidly decays.
In the context of leadership development, then, the ideal guid-
ance system would present the learner with ideas “just in time,” at
JUST-IN-TIMEGUIDANCE 125