The Return on Investment of Leadership Development: Differentiating Our Discipline

Consulting psychologists seem to rely less on empirical research to inform and guide their efforts than other sources of information (J. Blanton, 2000) , even though this research base is a potential discriminator in an increasingly competitive, sophisticated, and cost-conscious marketplace. This finding may be because existing research does not provide consulting psychologists or clients with the results they desire: a clear value proposition for affecting the financial state of clients. The authors review the limited meso-level research and conclude that consulting psychology can create a financial impact. Continued efforts to study, document, and disseminate the "developmental return on investment" of consulting psychology should become a means of differentiating consulting psychologists from other service providers.