Three new studies cover employee engagement, leadership development trends, and workplace culture.

How is your organization managing some of the most talked-about challenges that talent development professionals face today? What are other organizations doing in those same areas? ATD Research recently delved into the areas of employee engagement and burnout, leadership development trends, and workplace culture in the postpandemic environment. Check out a snapshot of what researchers found.

Employee engagement

According to Employee Engagement and Burnout: Maintaining Morale in Changing Times, which is sponsored by business consulting and services company Culture Partners, almost 75 percent of TD professionals reported that employee engagement is important to their organization, with nearly 60 percent of companies having increased efforts to boost engagement since early 2020.

An environment where employees are engaged, explains Heidi Abelli, faculty member of Boston College’s Carroll School of Management and cofounder of SageX, is one in which there is open communication and strong collaboration. Interviewed for the report, Abelli says such an environment is a place where “employees feel valued, respected, and heard by their managers.”

Can you use those words to describe your organization? If not, what can you do to improve engagement and combat burnout?

Leadership development

The hardest aspect of getting leaders to participate in leadership development training is finding the time to do so, reports Leadership Development: Preparing Leaders for Success, sponsored by e-learning provider Udemy Business.

According to ATD Research, organizations that offered leadership development most often provided it in an online format, with a blend of mandatory and optional activities. Of the 77 percent of companies that offer leadership development programs and activities, 65 percent of respondents were satisfied with their programs.

Further, 19 percent of organizations lack any leadership development activity or initiatives, and an additional 4 percent of respondents were unsure if their organizations offer the programs. More than half of those respondents (meaning half of the 23 percent that said they were either unsure of or did not have programs) said their companies may implement leadership development activities in the coming year.

Workplace culture

What contributes to a healthy, strong, and productive workplace culture? How has workplace changed since the onset of the pandemic? What team or teams are responsible for advancing and maintaining a positive culture? Researchers probed those questions and more in Building a Strong Organizational Culture: The Role of the TD Function.

A strong culture orients and provides clarity. Further, it is unique to an organization and is based on its values and mission. According to Terri Pearce, managing director and head of talent development Americas at HSBC, having a strong organizational culture is “absolutely” a competitive advantage. “If you’ve got everyone rowing together in the same direction,” she continues, “you’re going to go faster.”

The report, sponsored by online audio and video provider OverDrive, reveals that nearly nine in 10 respondents (88 percent) measured their organizational culture, with employee surveys being the most common method, followed by informal conversations with employees.

Contribute to ATD Research

Current ATD research conducted in collaboration with Robyn Defelice is collecting data on how long it takes to develop training. The study is an update of research first compiled in 2003, with the most recent study on the topic done in 2020. You are invited to contribute—it should take only three to five minutes to respond. Find details in your conference registration bag or you can visit the Research booth at ATD Central.

ATD Research also invites you to participate in a salary and skills survey, which is an update of ongoing research that was last published in 2019. In this anonymous study, ATD is interested in learning more about your career, skills, work benefits, and salary. It should only take five to 10 minutes to respond.

Click here to start the survey or visit the Research booth at ATD Central to participate. Participants who complete the survey will receive a 15 percent off the Adult Learning Certificate.

You can find published ATD Research reports in the ATD Store.