In-House Vs. Open-Enrolment Development

Is it better to pay for managers to attend open-enrolment courses, or is it better to organize an in-house leadership program? The honest answer is yes.

Advantages of In-House Programs

In-house leadership development programs are generally more economical than open-enrolment options. It is cheaper to bring in a single consultant to work with 24 managers than it is to send 24 managers to an open-enrolment course.

In-house programs can also be tailored to your company’s needs. Case-studies, examples and exercises will appear more relevant, and you can include activities that simultaneously develop leadership while also addressing key organisational challenges.

In-house programs also allow managers to develop a common language with their peers. Participants are more confident that what they learn in the program will be valued throughout the organisation, increasing the likelihood that the program’s teachings will be successfully and thoroughly implemented.

Advantages of Open-Enrolment Courses

Generally, we find that people who attend our open-enrolment programs are more motivated to learn because they see the value and relevance of the course. This is not always the case when large cadres of leaders are coerced into attending in-house programs. Leaders will learn far more when they are ready and motivated to learn.

Open-enrolment programs also expose leaders to perspectives outside of their own industry. This, in itself, is developmental. The ability to see, adopt and respond to multiple perspectives of the world around you is critical to nurturing mental complexity¹, which in turn, is linked to successfully progressing to higher levels of management².

Finally, if your needs are limited to a small number of leaders who want to focus on a particular area of leadership development, then an open-enrolment course may ultimately prove the more economical option.

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