May 2010 - Development at the Top: Who really cares?

May 6, 2010 -- Boards are neglecting their own development and damaging their organisations as a result, according to a new survey conducted by four of the UK's most respected research, coaching and leadership development organisations.

The report, Development at the top: Who really cares?, shows that the majority of top team leaders are not putting enough effort into their own development, let alone into that of their teams, which is bad not only for them but also for their organisations. The evidence, when compared with known good practice, suggests that a significant number of boards could unlock much greater talent from their existing teams by focusing more on their individual and collective development.

The survey - conducted by Ashridge, Career Innovation, Clutterbuck Associates and The Talent Foundation - found that around a third of top teams rarely or never discuss their personal or their team development, and for most others it is an annual formality.  With less than half of top team members having a budget for their own development, and with less than one in five top teams having a Top Team Development Plan, it appears that the major barriers to a coherent development strategy are so-called time pressures and a lack of trust in colleagues.  Overall, the picture revealed by the survey is one where learning is not considered a high priority and leaders are poorly motivated to demonstrate good practice from the top. 

The survey raises the question of whether organisational performance can be improved if leaders paid more attention to their own development and asks to what extent HR should be responsible for the collective failure of top teams to develop themselves.  While shocking, the survey responses suggest a major opportunity for the HR function to add value and increase its reputation by focusing and steering the individual and collective development of the top team. This would, however, require a much more proactive and creative approach to top team development than has traditionally been the case.  Getting this right at the top of organisations may not only improve board effectiveness but also create waves of high performance throughout the organisations that seize this opportunity.

About the Survey

The research was based around a small-scale survey conducted between May and August 2009. During this period 107 completed responses were received from participants within the survey consortium’s respective networks, mainly located in the UK and Benelux . These were then compared with other research and with existing good practice in top-team development, before drawing the conclusions reported here.

Clutterbuck Associates specialises in helping organisations, teams and individuals develop the capability for more effective dialogue. 

Ashridge is a leading international business school, working with individuals and organisations from around the world in its three core areas of executive education, research and consulting. 

Career Innovation is a catalyst organisation, working with some of the world’s best-known employers to help them gain recognition as agile, purposeful places to work. 

The Talent Foundation is a not for profit company devoted to bringing people with a passion for developing talent in the workplace together.

A copy of the report can be found here.