Is leadership development working?

According to the 2015 Leadership Survey published by Mercer, 81% of organisations fail to calculate the return on investment made in leadership development. Furthermore, the survey also points to a disconnect between the learning and development methods that organisations think are most effective and the ones they actually use.

This news is worrying on a number of fronts. Firstly, if organisations believe there are superior leadership development methods available, but don’t use them, we have to wonder why. If, as the survey suggests, face-to-face learning is ranked as one of the least effective leadership development methods and yet is used by 63% of firms, are L&D professionals ignoring their effectiveness or just heavily wedded to one method?

Secondly, we would question the value of ranking of the development methods in the survey. What is the evidence for online learning being a superior method of leadership development to face-to-face learning? For all employees? In all kinds of organisations?

This kind of message has the potential to influence thinking about L&D methodologies, regardless of the context in which they’re applied. And in taking an evidence-based approach, as endorsed by the Future Work Centre, we have to remember the impact on, and perspectives of, our stakeholders. Online learning won’t suit all employees, any more than hot-desking or flexible working will suit all employees. It’s a top-down, one-size-fits-all mentality that doesn’t reflect the diversity of employees.