New research reveals leadership trends involving high-potential talent, digital skills and culture
C-suite executives anticipate developing next-generation leaders and attracting and retaining top talent will be their biggest challenges in the coming years, according to a new survey of more than 25,000 leaders and 2,500 human resources professionals across 26 industries worldwide.
The survey identified six leadership trends, including a growing emphasis on digital innovation. Digital pioneers, which the report’s authors defined as the top 25 percent of organizations with the strongest digital leadership capabilities, were found to financially outperform other companies by 50 percent.
Companies with a purpose-driven culture also showed promise, outperforming the market by 42 percent.
In addition, mentoring was found to have a positive effect — more than half of the organizations ranked in the top third for financial performance have formalized programs; and companies that extend development of high-potential talent beyond senior levels are 4.2 times more likely to outperform ones that don’t.
HR digital skill issues, however, are prompting a less positive leadership trend. Because they’re continuing to lag, although companies that excel at people analytics are 3.1 times more likely to outperform their peers financially, attempts to adopt that type of analytics are increasingly failing, according to the survey findings.
For more on the research, sponsored by DDI, The Conference Board and EY, view this press release about the survey.