Leadership Development for the Nonprofit Sector

Like organisations everywhere, nonprofit organisations are dealing with finding the best way to boost their management and leadership capability amidst a global shortage of confident, capable, and qualified managers and leaders. This need to improve management and leadership skill and capability is particularly acute for middle managers who are often promoted from within and technically competent but have limited training in how to manage/lead. The nonprofit sector generally and disability and mental health services specifically also face contextual challenges such as shrinking funding sources, financial constraints and skills, difficulty in attracting and retaining talent, and increasing demand for services. Logistical hurdles such as managers working in multiple, geographically dispersed locations and the need to minimise workplace disruption further complicate this challenge. To surmount these issues, innovative solutions are required. Fortunately, pedagogically sound, digital leadership development approaches have emerged as credible alternatives to traditional face-to-face programs in the post-pandemic world. Online programs, incorporating social cognitive theory principles and its key operating mechanism of self-efficacy beliefs, provide the means to boost leadership capability. This chapter includes sections on applying social cognitive theory to online learning and the role of self-efficacy beliefs in learning and behaviour change. The chapter also provides a framework to create and measure the impact of leadership development programs around six themes of leading and managing yourself, your team, and your organisation.