Leadership Development Remains Top of the Learning Agenda

The survey of L&D professionals working in the U.K revealed that a significant 41% of companies plan to prioritise leadership and management development this year, compared with just 25% in 2018. This should come as no surprise, as the benefits of effective corporate leadership are well proven, including increased productivity, improved employee engagement and reduced staff turnover.

Communication skills remain a top priority in 2019, although it is interesting to see Diversity & Inclusion moving up the agenda. More and more companies are shifting to global workforces, where diversity is embraced as a means of enriching corporate culture and maximising business success. Being able to work effectively with any individual, from any background and in any location is becoming a highly sought-after skill.

Unsurprisingly, the report shows that L&D budgets are under threat, with companies dedicating less time and money to training in 2019. Just 22% of employees are reported to be receiving more than a week of training compared to 43% in 2018. This could be having an effect on employee engagement, which is also down compared to 2018. According to the report, 65% of staff in 2019 rated their satisfaction as “highly satisfied” or “satisfied” vs. 76% in 2018. However, we know that whilst some organisations are focussed on cutting costs, others are investing heavily in training to equip their teams with the skills required to embrace digital transformation. Companies are trying to do more with less and find the right balance of investment versus return.

The challenge is to find innovative ways of learning to maximise value. For some, this means moving learning online, to reduce costs and maximise scale. For others, this means a return to face-to-face learning to fully embed long-term behavioural change, through practical, experiential learning.

You can read more about the key trends for learning and development in 2019 in the full L&D report from findcourses.co.uk.

At Ososim we work with organisations around the world to enable individuals, teams and companies to perform at their best. Using immersive learning experiences and business simulations we help teams and individuals bridge the gap between theory and practice.

We work in more than 85 countries, with major global companies such as Deloitte, Cisco and Korn Ferry, as well as government institutions, leading business schools such as London Business School and IMD, and non-profit organisations such as the World Economic Forum.

To find out more about our innovative business simulation experiences please contact +44 (0)1223 421 034 or visit www.ososim.com.