Leadership Development Programs Need Updating to Shape Organizations' Future According to Research from HR.com and Skillsoft

Research reveals strong demand for more inclusive and continuous leadership training at all levels of the organization

BOSTON, MA and AURORA, ONTARIO – November 27, 2018 – HR.com and Skillsoft today announced the results of research that shows most organizations lack effective leadership, a problem that stems partly from underperforming leadership development programs. To address this lack of effectiveness in leadership programs, HR departments need to adapt employee training programs to respond to the shifting paradigm of leadership development.

The newly released research report, “Revamping Leadership Development: Gain advantages by modernizing the leadership paradigm,” is based on an industry survey conducted by HR.com in partnership with Skillsoft. The survey gathered 526 responses consisting of HR professionals from a varied representation of organization industries and sizes in the third quarter of 2018.

Findings in the research highlighted the key obstacles to effective and improved leadership development for companies in any industry. In fact, only one-fifth of HR professionals perceive their managers and executives are effectively leading them, shining a bright light on the need for significant improvement in the area of leadership. Almost all respondents point to continuous versus sporadic employee development (94%) as well as more inclusive training at all levels (92%), not just at the top.

“Companies are making huge investments in leadership development programs, but they’re not getting enough of a return on their investment,” stated Debbie McGrath, Chief Instigator and CEO of HR.com. “Now we need to figure out new ways of delivering leadership development that are both more effective and more efficient.”

The HR study specifically asked participants about what learning modalities they are using. Results indicated that more than half of well-led organizations are utilizing coaching, mentoring, and elearning methods, pointing HR departments to pursue these modalities in the future in order to ensure their business success.

“As organizations flatten, leadership development must become democratized to ensure that all current and potential leaders master the practices and mindsets needed to excel in today’s rapidly evolving, technology-enabled business context,” said Heide Abelli, SVP, Content Product Management at Skillsoft. “HR.com’s survey findings clearly show that new approaches to leadership development must be pursued, including the greater use of technology to serve up engaging, contextualized and modern content which is accessible in the moment of need. The study shows that continual learning is the key to success versus sporadic, discontinuous approaches to leadership competency development.”

DOWNLOAD REPORT: Revamping Leadership Development

About HR.com
HR.com strives to help create inspired workforces by making HR professionals smarter. Over 1,200,000 HR professionals turn to HR.com as the trusted resource for education, career development, and compliance: 65+ primary research reports, a legal compliance guidance program, thousands of lessons and tips in the HR Genius on-demand training library, 400+ webcasts yearly, the largest HR certification exam preparation program supporting SHRM and HRCI certification, and 12 monthly themed interactive HR epublications. HR.com offers the best training and networking for HR professionals globally 24/7/365. www.HR.com

About Skillsoft
Skillsoft is the global leader in corporate learning, delivering beautiful technology and engaging content that drives business impact for modern enterprises. Skillsoft comprises three award-winning solutions that support learning, performance and success: Skillsoft learning content, the Percipio intelligent learning experience platform and the SumTotal suite for Human Capital Management.

Skillsoft provides the most comprehensive selection of cloud-based corporate learning content, including courses, videos, books and other resources on Business and Management Skills, Leadership Development, Digital Transformation, Technology and Developer, Productivity and Collaboration Tools and Compliance. Percipio’s intuitive design engages modern learners and its consumer-led experience accelerates learning. The SumTotal suite features four key components built on a unified platform: Learning Management, Talent Management, Talent Acquisition and Workforce Management.

Skillsoft is trusted by thousands of the world’s leading organizations, including 65 percent of the Fortune 500. Learn more at www.skillsoft.com.

For more information, contact:

Debbie McGrath
Chief Instigator and CEO, HR.com
dmcgrath@hr.com
877-472-6648
www.HR.com