Explain how recent, current and potential future trends in your industry`s business environment are combining to underpin the case for a review of current leadership and management development activities or programmes.

5OS06 Leadership and Management Development

Please write clearly in block capitals.
Centre number:	8		7			5
Centre name:	Oakwood International LTD
Learner number (1st 7 digits of CIPD Membership number):	9	0		0	5		4	5		2
Learner surname:
Learner other names:
Unit code:	5OS06
Unit title:	Leadership and management development
Assessment ID:	CIPD_5OS06_24_01
Assessment start date:
Assessment submission date:
First resubmission date for centre marking – if applicable
Second resubmission date for centre marking – if applicable
Declared word count You MUST add a new word count for every submission. Please use red font for submission 2 and blue font for submission 3	4060

 

This unit builds on the fundamentals of learning and development. It focuses on developing leaders and managers to ensure that they have the necessary knowledge, skills and experience to drive a working environment which is cohesive, diverse, innovative and high-performing. It builds awareness of the right tools and approaches to facilitate development which will ultimately impact organisational effectiveness.

Preparation for the Tasks:

• At the start of your assessment, you are encouraged to plan your work with your assessor and where appropriate agree milestones so that they can help you monitor your progress.
• Refer to the indicative content in the unit to guide and support your evidence.
• Pay attention to how your evidence is presented.
• Ensure that the evidence generated for this assessment remains your own work.
• Completing and acting on formative feedback from your assessor.
• Reflecting on your own experiences of learning opportunities and continuous professional development.
• Reading the CIPD Insight, Fact Sheets and related online material on these topics as well as key research authors on the subject.

You will also benefit from:

Scenario

You are asked by your Senior Management Team (SMT) to draft a briefing paper for them about leadership and management development in your own organisation (or an organisation with which you are familiar). You will be evaluating what currently happens, making recommendations for improvement and justifying these. Your briefing paper needs to be objective and evidence-based, drawing on your own organisational knowledge and observations, as well as authoritative published sources.

At an initial meeting with your SMT you were asked to structure your paper around the following ten specific questions. Provide answers to each of these, aiming in each case to do so in around 390 words so that the total length of your assessment is 3900 words in length (+ /- 10% excluding references). You should answer each of the questions as fully as possible and you should take care to justify all the points you make.   

Task

Question 1 (AC 1.1)

Explain how recent, current and potential future trends in your industry`s business environment are combining to underpin the case for a review of current leadership and management development activities or programmes. Illustrate your answer with specific examples.

Question 2 (AC 1.2)

Explain the meanings of ‘leadership development’ and ‘management development’ making a clear distinction between these two functions.

Question 3 (AC 1.3)

Drawing on published models of contrasting leadership and management styles, explain the prevalent current approach in your organisation (or an organisation with which you are familiar).

Question 4 (AC 1.4)

Compare the knowledge, skills and behaviours of leaders and managers in your organisation (or an organisation with which you are familiar) and identify the areas they most need to improve in. Justify your answer.

Question 5 (AC 2.1)

Drawing on your wider reading, identify two different ways in which the people management team in your organisation (or an organisation with which you are familiar) could support established leadership and management practices and programmes.

Question 6 (AC 2.2)

Drawing on your wider reading evaluate two different approaches to leadership and management development that you would like to see adopted or further developed in your organisation (or an organisation with which you are familiar). Justify your answer.

Question 7 (AC 2.3)

Discuss your organisation`s (or an organisation with which you are familiar) current approaches to leadership and management development in terms of their effectiveness in consistently meeting core equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI) objectives. Justify your answer.

Question 8 (AC 3.1)

Identify two stakeholders and explain their involvement in leadership and management development initiatives in your organisation (or an organisation with which you are familiar)

Question 9 (AC 3.2)

Evaluate the extent and nature of the methods used by your own organisation (or an organisation with which you are familiar) to evaluate the impact of its leadership and management development activity. Drawing on your reading explain how this might be improved. Justify your answer.

Question 10 (AC 3.3) 

Assess two specific business benefits that can accrue to organisations which invest in first-rate, up-to-date, evidence-led leadership and management development programmes.

Sample Answer

Explain how recent, current and potential future trends in your industry`s business environment are combining to underpin the case for a review of current leadership and management development activities or programmes. Illustrate your answer with specific examples.

In the fast-evolving landscape of the FinTech industry, leadership and management development programmes must continuously adapt to ensure relevance and effectiveness. Current and emerging trends, such as rapid technological innovation, regulatory shifts, evolving consumer expectations, and workforce transformations, make it imperative for organisations to reassess their development strategies.

1. Technological Disruption and Digital Transformation

The rise of artificial intelligence (AI), blockchain, and open banking frameworks is revolutionising financial services. Leaders must understand how to integrate these technologies strategically rather than reactively. For example, major UK banks are investing in AI-driven fraud detection, while challenger banks like Monzo are pioneering automated financial advice. If leadership development fails to incorporate digital fluency, decision-makers risk falling behind, leading to missed opportunities and strategic misalignment.

2. Increasing Regulatory Complexity

Governments and regulatory bodies, such as the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), are imposing stricter compliance requirements on FinTech firms, particularly around data privacy (GDPR), anti-money laundering (AML) regulations, and ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) reporting. Without proactive leadership training in regulatory agility, organisations face severe financial and reputational risks. A case in point is the Wirecard scandal, where poor regulatory oversight contributed to a €1.9 billion fraud case. Developing compliance-focused leadership skills ensures resilience in an increasingly scrutinised industry.

Continued...