HR pros want to provide more leadership training, but lack support from C-suite

Nine out of ten HR professionals are dissatisfied with the amount of training and development their company’s managers and supervisors receive. They want to provide more opportunities to develop their organization’s leaders, but, according to a recent survey, the C-suite hasn’t bought in.

A survey of over 240 HR professionals conducted by the Rapid Learning Institute found that the biggest obstacle to managerial training is an organization’s lack of commitment to employee development.

When asked why more managerial training isn’t offered:

  • 33% of respondents said that their organization doesn’t provide enough resources.
  • 28% said that managers and supervisors don’t have the time to attend more training.
  • 12% said HR isn’t empowered to mandate training
  • Another 12% said training isn’t supported by the company’s leadership.

Interestingly, 14% of HR professionals assumed some of the blame, saying that they and their colleagues don’t have the time to provide more training. For suggestions on how HR can become advocates for talent development, visit the HR Café blog post inspired by this survey.

The survey’s responses suggest a widespread lack of commitment to developing current and future leaders. When an organization prioritizes training, they invest the required resources to make it happen and make it effective. They mandate training and establish consequences for when employees don’t participate. And they support employee development openly, from the C-suite on down.

The survey’s findings align with other studies, illuminating a concerning trend. A recent survey by Deloitte showed that 85% of HR and business leaders believe that developing new leaders is an urgent or very important problem for their organization. If most companies continue to undertrain and under-develop their leaders, the negative repercussions for these organizations could be severe.


Rapid Learning Institute (RLI) provides online training and talent development tools for businesses, government agencies, nonprofits and educational institutions in the areas of sales, leadership and management, human resources, employment law compliance, and workplace safety. RLI’s approach is founded on three core principles: 1) Rapid Learning. Workplace training should be delivered in short bursts – just six to 10 minutes at a time. Today’s multi-tasking workforce has neither the time nor the attention span for traditional lengthy training formats. 2) Single-Concept Learning. People learn best when training is focused on a narrow concept where learning goals are clearly defined. When training is delivered in small packets, the brain can easily absorb, remember and apply what it learns. 3) Research-Based Learning. Training is most powerful when it’s grounded in verifiable research. When learners see training as credible, they’re more likely to translate the learning into on-the-job behavior. RLI’s signature six to 10 minute modules, called Quick Takes, incorporate these three ideas into unique training programs that get results.

Based in Greater Philadelphia, RLI is an operating division of Business 21 Publishing.

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