Evaluating global leadership development across career stages: evidence from networking leadership, global self-confidence and multicultural acceptance in a virtual program

Abstract

Abstract

Purpose This study explores how a 12-week virtual management development program fosters networking leadership, global self-confidence and multicultural acceptance across different career stages (students, managers and executives) using experiential learning theory (ELT) and transformative learning theory (TLT) as integrated design principles. Design/methodology/approach Participants from over 50 countries (N = 214: students, n = 103; managers, n = 89; executives, n = 22) completed post-program survey. We used Welch ANOVA with Games-Howell post hoc tests to address heteroscedasticity and OLS regression with HC3 standard errors for robustness checks, controlling for age and international experience. Findings Career stage-specific peaks emerged: managers scored highest on Networking Leadership (M = 3.64, ω² = 0.09), executives on Global Self-Confidence (M = 3.82, ω² = 0.12), and students on Multicultural Acceptance (M = 3.57, ω² = 0.02). The effects remained strong even after controlling for age and experience. All competencies correlated positively (r = 0.42–0.56), supporting integrated management development approaches. Practical implications Organizations should implement career-stage-aware integrated designs in which all participants experience each component with a developmental focus guided by coaching prompts rather than content separation. This maintains the advantages of cross-stage learning while meeting the diverse needs of learners. Originality/value This is the first study to demonstrate ELT–TLT integration in a scalable virtual format with career-stage differentiation, offering a replicable component-level blueprint and robust statistical methods for analyzing heterogeneous sample data.