My research focus is Leadership Studies, in particular the emerging sub-discipline of Leadership Development Studies. I analyse personal leadership training (within Master of Public Governance) from the perspective of the Communicative Constitution of Organisation (CCO), developed by James R. Taylor, François Cooren, Gail Fairhurst and others. This so-called Montreal School conceive of organising as the intersection of the here and now of conversation with the then and there of texts. Empirically, Leadership Development covers empirically what HR departments and consultancies have been doing with the management cadres in terms of training, testing, forming etc. Lately also covering parts of Management Education as carried out by universities and business schools.

My findings so far indicate that we should devote more attention to the texts and technologies that ‘surround’ the leaders undertaking Leadership Development and how these contribute to making up the leader – and the instructor. Further, when analysing naturally occurring events as I do, the messiness and complexity of Leadership Development is foregrounded which should lead us to avoid all too simplistic and instrumental conceptions of (how to do) Leadership Development.

I am a member of the Leadership in the Public Sector research group at IOA and I am Academic Coordinator of Personal Leadership at Master of Public Governance. Apart from my research, I serve as Senior Advisor to the Vice Dean of Executive Education at CBS, facilitating the development of new executive programs, blended learning, teaching excellence etc.