Our newly announced research study, High-Impact Leadership Development: Best Practices, Industry Solutions, and Vendor Profiles, clearly shows that strategic leadership development programs can drive significant business impact, increased executive and employee retention, and deeper leadership bench strength. We also found that budget does not dictate impact. Our research showed that it's not how much companies spend, but how they spend dollars that determines leadership development effectiveness.

Based on input from more than 775 organizations and interviews with 40 senior HR and learning executives responsible for leadership development, the study found 53% of surveyed organizations now face leadership shortages, most of which are at the mid-management and director level. According to respondents, the biggest business drivers for leadership development programs are to increase the pool of internal leadership candidates (44%), to reduce gaps in leadership skills (42%), and to grow leaders more quickly (35%).

The 400-plus-page study details Bersin & Associates Leadership Development Maturity Model™, a four-level view of corporate leadership development which helps organizations create a roadmap toward increasing business impact. Maturity levels are differentiated based on characteristics such as executive sponsorship, program curricula, audiences, and business alignment.

Research indicates that companies with Level 4 leadership development programs (9% of respondents) obtain significant business benefits, when compared to those with Level 1 programs. These include:

• 600% increase in overall business results.
• 640% improvement in leadership bench strength.
• 480% improvement in leader engagement and retention.
• 570% improvement in overall employee retention.

While moving to Level 4 is not easy, our research identifies a specific set of steps that organizations can take to move from Level 1 to Level 4 over time. Our newly available Corporate Leadership Development Scorecard® is designed to help you understand where your company currently is and how to move forward.

The research includes case studies from companies such as Alcatel-Lucent, Cisco, Mellon Financial, North Shore-Long Island Jewish Health System, and Textron; the six best practices common to all high-impact programs; Market Maps™ comparing breadth of topics and services, scalability, and market experience of leading vendors; and 14 vendor profiles (with more to come by year end.)

The complete study is available to Bersin & Associates research members at no additional cost. Non-members can purchase the study for $1,595 by going to www.bersin.com/hild.

Members: Download this study.
Non-members: An executive summary of this study is available to you for a limited time. Click here.

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Bersin & Associates is hosting the industry's first research and best-practices conference, IMPACT 2008: The Business of Talent, scheduled for April 22-24 at The Vinoy Resort in St. Petersburg, Florida.

Designed for HR and learning executives, the program will feature case studies from industry leaders, research presentations highlighting the latest findings, executive panels, and product demonstrations focused on high-impact solutions in enterprise learning and talent management. The conference has two tracks: one focused on corporate learning and the other on talent management. The program will also include facilitated networking sessions for collaboration and brainstorming.

All attendees also have the opportunity to take Bersin & Associates' unique Learning Organization Scorecard®, Talent Management Scorecard®, or Leadership Development Scorecard® and participate in mini-workshops to review their benchmark assessments.

The conference will feature a Demo Lab, where attendees can interview and evaluate vendor talent and learning solutions based on practical use scenarios developed by Bersin & Associates analysts. Additionally, analysts will moderate four discussion panels with top executives from leading LMS, talent management, leadership development, and outsourcing suppliers.

Program participants are being selected from our extensive research network. Learning and HR executives from IBM, Verizon, Aetna, Caterpillar, Commerce Bank, NetApp, Carlson Companies, Mercer HR, and Cardinal Health are just a few of the program participants. Jason Young, author of Culturetopia and a strategic consultant in leadership and customer service, will deliver the closing keynote.

Watch this newsletter and your inbox for many more exciting details. And mark your calendar today! To put your name on the conference mailing list, click here.

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CLO
October 2007
"The New Chief Learning Officer"
By Josh Bersin

Approximately 30% of large organizations now have an established CLO position. Yet while the position is becoming widely accepted and adopted, the role of the CLO continues to change and expand. Read Josh's latest column about the traits and responsibilities required of the "new CLO" in an era of talent-driven learning. Click here to download article.

T&D
September 2007
"Reshaping the Learning Function to Bridge the Talent Gap"
By Josh Bersin

What are the best practices shared by the most efficient and well-managed learning organizations? Here, Josh Bersin writes about the highlights of a panel discussion he facilitated at the ASTD 2007 Conference, where senior executives Whitney Shelley of Countrywide Financial, Jim Rush of Marsh, and Rob Lauber of Yum! Brands talked about the management, organization and governance of training. Click here to download article.

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ANALYST BRIEFINGS

NEW
Power Briefings!

Bersin & Associates analysts are going back on the road this fall. Analysts will be conducting one-day briefings in four major cities. Our goal is to create forums in which you can hear the latest research on key issues, discuss findings with other professionals, and hear best practices and success stories from learning leaders.

And, because we recognize your time is tight, each Power Briefing is scheduled from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. We guarantee you'll leave with more information, more insight, and more ideas than you'd typically get from much longer events.

Leadership Development and Business Impact
Hosted by Josh Bersin and Kim Lamoureux
Wednesday, November 28, 2007 - Yale Club, New York City NY

Talent Management: Building an Integrated Systems Strategy
Hosted by Chris Howard and Leighanne Levensaler
Thursday, November 1, 2007 - Hotel Monaco, Chicago IL

Bersin & Associates can attend the Power Briefings at no cost. Non-members can attend for $199. Register now!

WEBINARS

Reusability 2.0: A Case Study in Customizing Global Learning Content
Thursday, October 11, 1:00 p.m. ET
Chris Howard, Principal Analyst and Director of Research
Rob Lauber, Vice President, Yum! University & Global Learning Services.

How is Yum! Brands, the world's largest restaurant company, transforming its monolithic paper-based training system into one that enables on-demand delivery of training content customized for each of its 34,000 restaurants located in 103 different countries? The key is reusability 2.0. Learn how Yum! Brands is leveraging the full power of reusable learning content to create a global learning environment where, from a single content development pass, each restaurant can create, customize, and deliver a personalized learning experience conforming to specific geographical, cultural, and operational requirements -- all on-demand. Attendees will receive a complimentary copy of the Bersin & Associates case study, Managing Global Learning Content. Click here to register.

The Hype on Talent Management Suite
Tuesday, October 16, 2:00 p.m. ET
Leighanne Levensaler, Principal Analyst

Your LMS vendor wants to sell you one. Your recruitment management vendor wants you to buy. Your ERP vendor recommends you to use its applications. But what do these vendors actually offer? Does the suite help organizations improve performance and organizational alignment? Where has the technology made the greatest impact? Are organizations even implementing these solutions? Levensaler will address these and other questions and presents findings from the study, Talent Management Suites: Market Trends, Vendor Profiles, and Best-Practices. Click here to register today.


Integrated Talent Management: Best Practices to Address Top Challenges
Wednesday, October 17, 11:30 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. ET
Leighanne Levensaler, Principal Analyst

In this comprehensive presentation on integrated talent management, Levensaler will discuss recent research findings on the topic, answer frequently-asked questions, share best practices, and address common challenges. Key topics include approaches for moving to an integrated talent management system from multiple "siloed" systems; organizational governance models for defining and evolving integrated talent management requirements; and the current and future state of HR technology to support talent management initiatives. Click here to register today.

Succession Management and Leadership Development: Keys to Talent Management Success
Wednesday, October 17, 2:00 p.m. ET
Kim Lamoureux, Senior Analyst

This presentation will address the integration of talent management processes and the role of succession management and leadership develop within a successful talent management strategy. The presentation will include a holistic overview of talent management, the key features of high-impact succession management, and the role of leadership development in creating management bench strength. Click here to register today.


Is it Time to Kill the Performance Appraisal? A New Model for Performance Management.
Thursday, November 1, 2:00 p.m. ET
Josh Bersin, President

How many times have you dreaded giving (or receiving) a performance appraisal? Does the appraisal process help organizations succeed? In this webinar, Bersin will discuss a new model for performance management and discuss how this model, along with recent talent management research, can help you improve the quality of management and performance in your organizations. Click here to register today.

Next-Generation Talent Management Systems
Tuesday, November 13, 2:00 p.m. ET
Leighanne Levensaler, Principal Analyst

Sixty-two percent of organizations are in the process of developing an integrated talent management systems strategy. Learn more about the next-generation of systems that promise to revolutionize the end-user experience and transforms talent management practices. Levensaler will discuss the innovative approaches and features of leading vendors including Saba, SuccessFactors, and Taleo. Learn how these innovations can, and should, influence your strategies and process design efforts. Click here to register today.

Missed it live? Research members can view all recorded webinars by visiting the research center event archives.
Not a member? Sign up for a trial membership today.

CONFERENCES

HR TECHNOLOGY CONFERENCE & EXPO
October 10-12, 2007
Chicago, IL
Navy Pier

Special Cocktail Reception
Wednesday, October 10, 6:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m.
Swissotel
Matterhorn Room

We invite you to relax and network at our cocktail reception. Meet Josh Bersin and Leighanne Levensaler, share your reactions to conference presentations, and mingle with fellow professionals.

What Is the Talent Management Suite? And What Are Vendors Actually Delivering?
Wednesday, October 10, 3:15 p.m. - 4:30 p.m.
Leighanne Levensaler

What is a talent management suite? What are vendors actually delivering? How can these applications help increase organizational productivity? Levensaler will separate fact from hype based on findings of a comprehensive Bersin & Associates study of talent management suites (coming this fall).


What You Still Need to Learn About Learning and Performance Systems
Thursday, October 11, 11:00 a.m. - 12:15 p.m.
Josh Bersin

With today's demands for workforce performance, the LMS needs to be integrated with performance management as a core HR system. Bersin will demystify the components of both, explain and compare the leading vendors' products (including those for mid-market companies), provide a proven seven-step process for selection, and share highlights of a recent customer satisfaction study involving a dozen LMS systems.

Integrated Performance and Recruiting Shootout
Thursday, October 11, 11:00 a.m. - 12:15 p.m.
Leighanne Levensaler

Levensaler co-authored the scenarios to be used for the industry's first integrated performance and recruiting shootout with the CEOs of Authoria, Vurv and other leading companies. The event will focus on the integration of performance with recruiting. Vendors will be challenged to solve original problems, and participants will get to see products in use and cast their votes for the best.

Click here for more information and a special discount of $450.

TRAINING TECH SOLUTIONS CONFERENCE & EXPO
October 15-17, 2007
Salt Lake City, Utah
Salt Palace Convention Center

LCMSs: What They Are and How to Know if You Need One
Tuesday, October 16, 9:30 a.m. - 10:45 a.m.
Chris Howard

Howard will explain how LCMSs relate to training, how they differ from LMSs, what's available now and considerations for implementation.


Your LMS Short List: A "How To" Guide
Tuesday, October 16, 1:30 p.m. - 2:30 p.m.
Chris Howard

Howard presents a seven-step plan to guide your LMS selection process.

Learning Content Management Systems: A Discussion with Users
Wednesday, October 17, 10:15 a.m. - 11:15 a.m.
Chris Howard

Senior learning executives will talk about how their organizations are using LCMSs for on-demand learning, to more rapidly develop e-learning content, bring enterprise-wide consistency and efficiency to content authoring, and to more effectively manage a wide range of learning assets. Panelists include Joel Huchthausen, e-learning project leader with State Farm, and Chris Johnson, e-learning specialist with the Orange County Teachers Federal Credit Union.

Click here for more information.

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The New Saba: The Global People Management Software Company
In this research bulletin, Josh Bersin discusses the corporate learning and talent management vendor, Saba -- the company's progress and strategy in many key areas, as well as the important changes Saba has made over the last several years. Download today.

High-Impact Leadership Development: Best Practices, Vendor Profiles and Industry Solutions
This report answers key questions related to strategy, business impact and common challenges in leadership development -- and includes case studies, vendor profiles, best practices, program models and our Leadership Development Maturity Model. Download today.

High-Impact Leadership Development: Market Overview and Executive Summary
This report outlines the 10 key findings from the High-Impact Leadership Development industry report and discusses the Bersin & Associates Leadership Development Maturity Model. Download today.

Collaborative Authoring at British Telecom: A Rapid e-Learning Solution Decreases Time to Market
This case study focuses on how British Telecom's L&D group assessed line-of-business requirements and capabilities, and implemented a collaborative system for authoring, managing and deploying learning content. Download today.

Annual Business Plan for Learning: Sample business plan
This is an excellent example of a detailed learning business plan, developed by a global manufacturing company headquartered in Europe. Download today.

A Primer on Talent Management Suites: Part II
Leighanne Levensaler continues her series on talent management suites by examining the differences between enterprise resource planning (ERP) provided human capital management (HCM) solutions and talent management suites. Download today.

Corporate Learning: Building a Business Plan
Josh Bersin discusses and outlines how learning organizations can build a business plan and includes a roadmap for developing such a plan. He also discusses how the Training Investment Model works. Download today.

Management Training and Leadership Development: How Do They Differ?
In this research bulletin, Kim Lamoureux clarifies the differences between leadership development and management training - and sets the record straight about how good leaders need both management and leadership qualities. Download today.

Join our research community to access these reports.

Bersin & Associates' new Talent Management newsletter highlights research on: leadership development, performance management, competency management, recruiting, succession planning and the evolution of integrated talent management systems. In each newsletter you will find actionable research you can immediately apply. Subscribe today!

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