Leadership and Rotational Development Program for Saudi Arabian Monetary Agency (SAMA) Leadership development and rotational programs are crucial for building the potential, skills, and capabilities of new and existing employees. They provide employees with ongoing mentorship, in-depth experiences, as well as training across various functions within the organisation (Columbia University Centre for Career Education, 2016). Organisations rely on these programs to recruit and develop individuals for leadership responsibilities. This paper provides important guidelines for the design of a leadership development and rotational program for the Saudi Arabian Monetary Agency (SAMA). The program is aimed at fresh graduates with less than two years working experience.

Designing the Program

Program Objectives

The first step in designing the leadership development and rotational program is to define the objective of the program (Donnelly, 2016). It is indeed a critical step. The objective should resonate with the overall objective of the organisation. It should clearly be informed by what the organisation desires its future leaders to achieve. Having a defined objective is crucial for inspiring the trainees. When trainees understand the goal of the program in the wake of the general goals and objectives of the organisation, they are likely to exhibit the commitment and behaviours required to successfully complete the program. The objective in this case is to develop young leaders in the organisation and build their skills in various functions of the organisation. As a monetary authority, SAMA requires leaders with the ability to execute monetary policy, supervise commercial banks, and ensure stability of the financial system. The program ought to revolve around these competencies. In essence, the program must centre on the specific needs of the organisation.

Communicate the Program

The next step is to advertise the program throughout the organisation. It is important for everyone across the organisation to know that the organisation is embarking on a leadership development program. This is vital for ensuring transparency, fairness, and accountability. Crucial information that should be included in the announcement includes the length of the program, its location, objectives, benefits, as well as educational and experience requirements.

Identify Leadership Candidates

With the goals of the program clearly defined and the organisation aware of the program, the next step is to single out individuals that are best suited for the program (Donnelly, 2016). This can be a daunting challenge for an organisation; it is not as easy as often thought. Some organisations may want to improve every employee's...

However, greater success is likely to be achieved when high potential employees are identified. Choosing employees with the greatest ambition, energy, and inclination towards success provides a smarter way of focusing leadership development resources. In this case, the program is intended for fresh graduates with less than two years working experience. All in all, clear and specific criteria for choosing candidates for the program should be established.
Notify Applicants

Once suitable candidates are identified, they should be notified. This is a usually overlooked aspect. The selected candidates should be notified in good time before the start of the program. Applicants not selected to participate in the program should also receive some feedback. They should be familiarised with the decision for the rejection of their application as well as areas they should work on to increase their likelihood of future participation. This is essential for not only encouraging unsuccessful applicants, but also promoting transparency and fairness in the process.

Assess Present Leadership Skills

The next step is to evaluate the current leadership capabilities of the selected applicants. This is important for identifying areas that need more attention (Pernick, 2002). A number of techniques can be used to assess leadership skills. These include performance appraisals, 360-degree surveys, leadership trait assessments, and assessment centres.

Identify Developmental Activities

Assessing the present leadership skills of the selected candidates is crucial for determining the nature of developmental activities (technical, conceptual, and interpersonal) the candidates will participate in during the program. This may include rotational assignments, project work, specific readings, and so on. Here, attention should be paid to designing a chain of quantifiable and time-bound activities the participants should engage in. Since different candidates have different strengths and weaknesses, it is often prudent to customise the activities as per their needs. The activities are defined collaboratively by the program administrator as well as the trainee and their supervisor.

Instructional Methods

It is also important to determine the kind of instructional methods to use to deliver the training. There are various instructional methods that can be used, including formal classroom training, online learning, on-the-job training, mentoring and coaching, special job assignments,…