At most companies, technology has become an important part of the leadership development process. “About four years ago, everyone was going crazy about e-learning,” says CorpU’s Todd. This initial enthusiasm had to be redirected, she says, when basic online modules didn’t turn out to be “cheaper, faster, or better.” Today’s cutting-edge software—which makes use of wikis, blogs, and 3-D simulations—is moving toward new kinds of learning environments where potential leaders interact, test skills, and build knowledge together.

At Bellevue University in Nebraska, online courses are designed to be group learning experiences rather than isolated individual ones. “The class stays together through the entire undergraduate degree completion program,” says Michael E. Echols, vice president of strategic initiatives. The teacher is responsible for building a cohesive community by encouraging dialogue, developing group values, and accommodating diverse learning styles.

In a world where business meetings commonly take place by computer and videoconference, this group approach also models the skills needed to motivate behavior and build relationships in an increasingly cyber business environment. In addition, it teaches future leaders the importance of good communication. “Communication means something other than just knowing which key to press,” Echols says. “It means engaging in dialogue and debate. It means the synthesis of complex ideas. Leaders today need to have that ability.”

Echols understands the effectiveness of group cyber learning efforts because he’s measured the impact. Bellevue, which offers corporations custom-designed development programs in a variety of formats, recently opened its brand-new Human Capital Lab, where Echols and others precisely evaluate the business impact of learning programs, whether they are used to develop new store managers or to mentor senior executives.

This type of analysis is critical because companies too often spend money without having any idea of whether they are getting a return on their learning and development investment. Businesses with the most effective leadership development programs, says Echols, recognize the need to invest time as well as money in the process. “You can’t create leaders in one quarter.”

To be successful, programs must also be closely aligned with corporate objectives and have enough built-in flexibility to react to change. “Our development objectives change from year to year,” says Staples’ Persson, noting that all leadership programs need tweaking over time. But when the programs are properly aligned with overall business goals, changes usually consist of minor recalibrations. “If we’ve got it right,” she says, “it’s a matter of a two- or three-degree adjustment, not a 45-degree one.”