New research from Business Linked Teams has revealed 92 per cent of HR professionals state that they currently have a leadership programme in place. Despite this, only 16 per cent of UK businesses have a global approach to their leadership strategy.
The independent research polled 100 UK senior HR decision makers and professionals with over 250 employees to uncover how important growing future leaders is to their organisations. The research found that 69 per cent of the respondents recognised the increasing need to identify and develop future leaders from within their business.
While the research reveals that 92 per cent of organisations currently have a leadership development programme in place, and 89 per cent surveyed said succession planning is a priority, there is a gap between those who create the organisation’s leadership strategy (business leads) and those who are seen to be responsible for developing future leaders (line managers).
A significant number of HR leaders (45 per cent) believe the task of identifying and developing future leaders should fall on the line manager, with the main challenges of rolling out a successful programme identified as arranging the practicalities (38 per cent), finding participants for mentor schemes and peer coaching (31 per cent) and getting sponsorship from senior individuals (30 per cent).
Samantha Caine, Managing Director at Business Linked Teams says:
“The growing requirement for cultivating future leaders from the existing talent pool is most likely a reaction to the impact of globalisation. As organisations face the challenges of a globalised marketplace, they require experienced leadership that knows the business inside out and can seamlessly succeed current leadership while demonstrating the skills and behaviours required to bolster the organisation in each specific market”.
“It’s clear that HR leaders are placing too much expectation on line managers without providing the right levels of support,” continues Caine. “As a result, line managers are struggling to overcome the challenges identified on top of their existing day to day challenges.
Line managers need their own training to develop the skills and behaviours required to take ownership of leadership development. Combined with greater support from HR leaders and sponsors within the organisation, these learned skills and behaviours could ensure line managers can effectively facilitate the successful development of future global leaders thereby strengthening the future success of their organisations.”
Rebecca joined the HRreview editorial team in January 2016. After graduating from the University of Sheffield Hallam in 2013 with a BA in English Literature, Rebecca has spent five years working in print and online journalism in Manchester and London. In the past she has been part of the editorial teams at Sleeper and Dezeen and has founded her own arts collective.
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