UK Training Industry Press Releases

Influencing innovation in online leadership & management development

Laura Overton, the MD of the independent, not-for-profit research organisation Towards Maturity, is asking for those responsible for leadership and management development to give just 15 minutes of their time, to contribute to groundbreaking benchmarking research. In the past, more than 1,200 organisations have contributed to research carried out by Towards Maturity. Its latest benchmark, supported by LMMatters, is focusing on the effectiveness of using technology for leadership and management development. Take part, and help raise the bar and encourage innovation in this field.

LMMatters is encouraging those responsible for leadership and management development to participate in an independent industry benchmark study by Towards Maturity. The research is designed to uncover good practice, and inspire others to follow examples of success. The results will be freely available to all participants and will be released on the 15 June by Laura Overton, Towards Maturity MD, at LMMatters annual seminar and showcase in London. The Survey takes about 15 minutes to complete.

Online leadership and management development has never been more at the 'centre stage' of learning and development within organsiations. The CIPD's recent Learning & Talent Development Survey, for example, touched on the importance of leadership skills to enable organisations to meet their goals.

According to the CBI's Ready to Grow report, more firms in 2010 (48%) than 2009 (39%) said improving leadership and management skills was essential for future success - and this is even higher for the public sector (73%). The same report also highlights that over two thirds of organisations are looking for more targeted and cost effective routes for training.

The Institute of Directors' Skills Crunch also highlights that leadership and management skills are top of the list for those companies which are reporting skills gaps in their current staff.

As a result, leadership and management training continues to be a high priority for organisations and, increasingly, cost effective learning technologies are part of the L&D mix. According to previous Towards Maturity research, 50% of all leadership and management programmes are now e-enabled, compared to just 34% in 2008. But how are they being used, and under what circumstances are they effective?

Laura Overton, MD of Towards Maturity commented: "We've had an excellent response to the leadership benchmark so far. Organisations across the private, public and not for profit sectors have provided valuable insights and as a result the final report will dig deep into what is working and how to influence results - there is still time to take advantage of this opportunity to benchmark."

The independent study is being supported by online leadership and management development specialists LMMatters, the UK partner to Harvard Business Publishing, and a founding Ambassador of the Towards Maturity 2011 Benchmark.

Martin Baker, Managing Director of LMMatters said: "We are proud to be backing this independent research project, which has got off to a flying start. We would encourage anyone using online leadership and management resources to participate, and spend just 15 minutes or so contributing to the outcome.

"Nurturing great leadership skills is a priority for all forward thinking organisations, and effective, innovative delivery is critical at a time when resources are stretched."

Participants can take part online via the following link:

https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/LMLeadershipBenchmark

The survey takes about 15-20 minutes. Individual responses will be kept completely confidential, unless agreed otherwise. All participants will receive a complementary resource from Harvard Business Publishing and a free copy of the final report, which will be published on 15 June 2011.

About LMMatters
Leadership and management eLearning specialist LMMatters provides high quality resources to develop leadership and management excellence. These include:

Harvard ManageMentor: An online resource delivering information, practical tools and tips on more than 40 business topics.

LMKnowledge: A searchable portal of business articles, podcasts and videos from the best world-wide sources for leadership and management knowledge.

LMMatters has a wealth of experience in sourcing the right solution for organisations. With experience in many sectors - including Government, telecommunications, finance and retail - we ensure the right resources are successfully implemented to deliver innovative leadership and management development programmes.