The Association for Talent Development’s latest report finds that developing leaders is critical to an organization’s success.

(Alexandria, VA), May 4, 2023—New research from the Association for Talent Development finds that 77 percent of organizations offer leadership development programs and activities to their current and future leaders. Of those organizations, 65 percent of respondents were satisfied with their programs.

This study also found that 19 percent of organizations lack any leadership development activity or program, and an additional 4 percent of respondents were unsure if their organizations offer these types of programs. More than half of these respondents said their organizations might implement leadership development activities over the next 12 months, according to Leadership Development: Preparing Leaders for Success, sponsored by Udemy Business.

Most organizations (92 percent) said finding the time for their leaders to participate was their biggest challenge to participation. Other challenges include not having enough money in the budget (74 percent) and ineffective program evaluation (72 percent). While organizations are experiencing challenges, many organizations plan to make changes in the coming year. “More than three-quarters of survey respondents indicated that they were somewhat or extremely likely to make changes to their current leadership development program.”

Other key findings include:

• Recruitment and retention were key benefits:

1. 75 percent of talent development professionals think offering leadership development opportunities is a good way to recruit new leaders.

2. 69 percent of talent development professionals indicate that leaders participating in leadership development activities are less likely to leave the organization.

• Online learning is the most common format for organizations with leadership development programs (synchronous 89 percent, asynchronous 87 percent).

• Popular leadership development topics include communication skills (98 percent), goal setting (95 percent), and teamwork (94 percent).

ATD Research fielded an electronic survey to talent development professionals in January 2023. Participants from 296 organizations completed the survey. Survey participants represented a variety of industries from across the globe.

A free webinar on the report will take place Wednesday, May 31, at 2 p.m. ET.

About ATD

The Association for Talent Development (ATD) is the world’s largest professional membership organization supporting those who develop the knowledge and skills of employees, improve performance, and help to achieve results for the organizations they serve. Established in 1943, the association was known as the American Society for Training & Development (ASTD).

ATD’s members come from more than 100 countries and work in public and private organizations in every industry sector. ATD supports talent development professionals who gather locally in volunteer-led US chapters, international member networks, and with international strategic partners.

For more information, visit td.org.