The future is relational: Management development for today and tomorrow

The authors of this study aim to test a possible turn toward relational, as opposed to agentic, management development program (MDP) content. Design/methodology/approach: The authors performed a content analysis of the literature and qualitative interviews of management coaches/consultants from South Africa and the USA. Findings: In both studies, the authors found more relational than agentic content comprising MDP content. Interviews revealed a predominance of relational strategies and that agentic and relational skills are often interwoven in development efforts. Practical implications: This work may guide management coaches and consultants to offer clients management development (MD) with a greater focus on relational skills. Originality/value: Future studies should build on our findings to explore whether leadership may now require more relational as opposed to agentic skills.