Virtual Reality-Based Leadership Development: A Conceptual Case of Experiential Learning

Abstract

Leadership development programmes have relied predominantly on workshop instruction, coaching, and mentoring, although accumulating evidence indicates that experiential formats produce stronger behavioral transfer when participants engage in consequential practice under conditions that approximate the demands of real leadership situations. This paper develops a conceptual case of virtual reality leadership development that draws on experiential learning theory, leader self-efficacy research, and immersive learning scholarship to propose a five stage learning process through which immersive leadership scenarios generate durable developmental outcomes among middle managers. The conceptual case is situated in a professional consulting organization that piloted an immersive leadership scenario programme across two management cohorts. Four propositions are advanced concerning the relationships among scenario fidelity, self-efficacy development, feedback integration, and transfer readiness. The framework contributes a theoretically grounded basis for designing and evaluating immersive leadership development, extending experiential learning reasoning into the immersive training context and offering organizational practitioners a structured account of the conditions that govern developmental effectiveness.