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Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to report on the results of an experiential leader development course titled understanding group-and-leader (UGL).

Design/methodology/approach – The study sample consisted of 61 course participants (the managers) and 318 subordinate raters. The development leadership questionnaire (DLQ) was used to measure the results of the course. The measurements were made on three occasions: shortly before the course, one month after the course and six months after the course.

Findings – The managers’ self-evaluations did not change significantly after the course. However, the subordinate raters’ evaluations of their managers indicated a positive trend in the scales of developmental leadership and conventional-positive leadership one month and six months after the course.

Research limitations/implications – The study was based on a comparatively small sample with a number of drop-outs. The study lacked a control condition.

Practical implications – From an organizational point of view, it could be argued that it is justifiable to send managers to such a course, as there is a good chance for an improvement in their leadership style as rated by subordinates.

Social implications – The integration of group processes and leadership behavior in the context of experiential learning seems to be a fruitful path to leader development.

Originality/value – Longitudinal studies on the results of experiential learning for managers are sparse. This is the first quantitative evaluation of a course that more than 80,000 individuals have taken.