The problem and the solution. The majority of contemporary theories about management and leadership development suggest techniques and best practices for improving management and leadership to optimize organizational performance. Despite the abundance of advice and the manifestly instrumental intention, most organizations struggle to achieve this connection between management development (MD) and improved performance. This article switches attention from the actual MD methods employed to the stories that managers tell about their experience of development. Drawing on 10 case studies in Norway, the focus is on how managers talk about management and leadership development and the degree to which this matches how such development actually happens in their organizations. In doing so, the article presents a better understanding of why some MD activities achieve little, why some succeed, and why some change shape beyond recognition.
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