Examining multi-sector women-only leadership development programs: a scoping review of recruitment processes, design and instruction methods, content and outcomes

Organisations are recognising that more needs to be done to support female talent. One response to this is women-only leadership development programmes (WLDPs). To date, no scoping review has previously been conducted to examine the design and outcomes of these programmes. The purpose of the present review was therefore to bring together current knowledge of these interventions. In June 2022, a scoping review of the academic literature was performed using Business Source Premier (EBSCO), PsycINFO and SCOPUS, resulting in 13 articles meeting the inclusion criteria. Findings indicate encouraging signs that these programmes support women's development through incorporating intersectionality and positive psychology theories, as well as curricula on networking, conflict management and career planning. Whilst the specifics about the design and delivered content of these theories are unclear, their inclusion appears to lead participants in the reviewed WLDPs to report increased self-awareness, clarity of purpose and enhanced feelings of authenticity. This review also raises questions regarding the rigour of the selection methods by which participants are given access to the programmes, and the transparent reporting of the design and delivery methodologies. Further, research directions and implications for both theory and practice are provided.