The world’s best companies for leadership development often have one characteristic in common – they encourage leadership skills at all levels of the organisation.
This is according to a new study by global consulting firm Hay Group, which listed the top businesses for leadership across the globe.
At the top of the rankings was Procter & Gamble, while Microsoft, General Electric and Coca-Cola all followed close behind.
These businesses all have a purposeful and strategic plan for developing talent, Hay Group said, enabling and motivating potential leaders throughout their operations.
Figures showed 73 per cent of the top 20 companies provided opportunities for leadership development to everyone at the business, compared with just 47 per cent of other enterprises.
Wendy Montague, head of the leadership and talent practice at Hay Group Pacific, said the world’s top organisations are taking steps to nurture the leadership skills of their staff.
“The best companies for leadership recognise that many of the skills once required solely for senior leadership roles – high levels of emotional intelligence, commitment to continuous learning, analytical thinking – are now critical at every level of the organisation,” she added.
Hay Group also noted that top firms also look to the future by formulating plans on what roles they believe will be mission-critical to their continuing success, while actively seeking out the most talented candidates for these positions.
The best businesses show a propensity for mentorship training between senior managers and executives, with 68 per cent running such schemes.
Only 39 per cent of companies outside of the top 20 reported similar mentorship structures.
Top organisations were also more likely to use web-based leadership training modules (72 per cent) to boost the capabilities of their staff members, while 39 per cent of other firms said the same.