InsightsBuilding the Collective Intelligence of Humans and MachinesArtificial Intelligence has shifted. Its no longer just a tool, but a true teammate. As machines learn faster, the question becomes: how well can humans and machines learn together?Leading organizations are responding with three powerful strategies:Amplify with AI From personalized coaching to adaptive simulations, AI is transforming how leaders learn. Lean into Full-Immersion Learning Embedding learning into real work to build capability and commitment. Champion Human Strengths As AI scales tasks, human skillsjudgment, empathy, creativityare more critical than ever. Watch the video for more insights or download our 2025 Global Leadership Development Study to explore the full findings.Future of WorkLeadership DevelopmentTalent ManagementShare this resourceShare on LinkedInShare on FacebookShare on XShare on WhatsAppEmail this PageConnect with usChange isnt easy, but we can help. Together well create informed and inspired leaders ready to shape the future of your business.Contact usLatest InsightsTalent ManagementMidlevel Leaders: The Bridge to Your Organizations FutureIn Harvard Business Impacts recent survey of 600 midlevel and senior leaders across industries and Read more: Midlevel Leaders: The Bridge to Your Organizations FuturePerspectivesTalent ManagementLeading Through Transformation: Rethinking the Role of Midlevel LeadersAs business imperatives evolve, midlevel leaders are playing an increasingly vital role in leading and Read more: Leading Through Transformation: Rethinking the Role of Midlevel LeadersInfographicTalent ManagementUnder Pressure: Why Burnout Among Midlevel Leaders May Be a Strategic RiskMany midlevel leaders are struggling with persistent burnout, limited support, and a widening gap between Read more: Under Pressure: Why Burnout Among Midlevel Leaders May Be a Strategic RiskInfographicFuture of WorkBuilding the Collective Intelligence of Humans and MachinesAI has shiftedno longer just a tool, but a true teammate. The question is: how Read more: Building the Collective Intelligence of Humans and MachinesVideoThe post Building the Collective Intelligence of Humans and Machines appeared first on Harvard Business Impact.

InsightsUnder Pressure: Why Burnout Among Midlevel Leaders May Be a Strategic RiskMany midlevel leaders are struggling with persistent burnout, limited support and recognition, and a widening gap between them and senior leadership.When burnout and stress go unaddressed, midlevel leaders may become less engaged and less confident in their rolesundermining their ability to retain talent and drive results.Explore the full infographic for deeper analysis and practical implications.View the infographicOrganizational CultureTalent ManagementShare this resourceShare on LinkedInShare on FacebookShare on XShare on WhatsAppEmail this PageConnect with usChange isnt easy, but we can help. Together well create informed and inspired leaders ready to shape the future of your business.Contact usLatest InsightsTalent ManagementMidlevel Leaders: The Bridge to Your Organizations FutureIn Harvard Business Impacts recent survey of 600 midlevel and senior leaders across industries and Read more: Midlevel Leaders: The Bridge to Your Organizations FuturePerspectivesTalent ManagementLeading Through Transformation: Rethinking the Role of Midlevel LeadersAs business imperatives evolve, midlevel leaders are playing an increasingly vital role in leading and Read more: Leading Through Transformation: Rethinking the Role of Midlevel LeadersInfographicTalent ManagementUnder Pressure: Why Burnout Among Midlevel Leaders May Be a Strategic RiskMany midlevel leaders are struggling with persistent burnout, limited support, and a widening gap between Read more: Under Pressure: Why Burnout Among Midlevel Leaders May Be a Strategic RiskInfographicFuture of WorkBuilding the Collective Intelligence of Humans and MachinesAI has shiftedno longer just a tool, but a true teammate. The question is: how Read more: Building the Collective Intelligence of Humans and MachinesVideoThe post Under Pressure: Why Burnout Among Midlevel Leaders May Be a Strategic Risk appeared first on Harvard Business Impact.

InsightsLeading Through Transformation: Rethinking the Role of Midlevel LeadersAs business imperatives evolve, midlevel leaders are playing an increasingly vital role in leading and executing transformation efforts. Findings from Harvard Business Impacts global study of more than 600 leaders highlight this shift:96% of midlevel leaders say theyve taken on increased responsibility to lead or participate in more transformation initiatives over the past year.65% of midlevel leaders say they provided strategic input or supported the implementation of transformation efforts.Explore the full infographic for additional insights.View the infographicStrategic AlignmentTalent ManagementShare this resourceShare on LinkedInShare on FacebookShare on XShare on WhatsAppEmail this PageConnect with usChange isnt easy, but we can help. Together well create informed and inspired leaders ready to shape the future of your business.Contact usLatest InsightsTalent ManagementMidlevel Leaders: The Bridge to Your Organizations FutureIn Harvard Business Impacts recent survey of 600 midlevel and senior leaders across industries and Read more: Midlevel Leaders: The Bridge to Your Organizations FuturePerspectivesTalent ManagementLeading Through Transformation: Rethinking the Role of Midlevel LeadersAs business imperatives evolve, midlevel leaders are playing an increasingly vital role in leading and Read more: Leading Through Transformation: Rethinking the Role of Midlevel LeadersInfographicTalent ManagementUnder Pressure: Why Burnout Among Midlevel Leaders May Be a Strategic RiskMany midlevel leaders are struggling with persistent burnout, limited support, and a widening gap between Read more: Under Pressure: Why Burnout Among Midlevel Leaders May Be a Strategic RiskInfographicFuture of WorkBuilding the Collective Intelligence of Humans and MachinesAI has shiftedno longer just a tool, but a true teammate. The question is: how Read more: Building the Collective Intelligence of Humans and MachinesVideoThe post Leading Through Transformation: Rethinking the Role of Midlevel Leaders appeared first on Harvard Business Impact.

InsightsMidlevel Leaders: The Bridge to Your Organizations FutureIn Harvard Business Impacts recent survey of 600 midlevel and senior leaders across industries and global regions, both groups agreed that expectations of midlevel leaders continue to rise.Addressing these escalating demands requires more than individual capability; it necessitates an organizational context that enables leaders to succeed.Four foundational elementsautonomy, empowerment, psychological safety, and recognitioncan help strengthen a leaders capacity to carry heavier loads without buckling.Survey Highlights88%of midlevel leaders surveyed say they feel caught between the demands of their senior leaders and the needs of their teams.50%+of midlevel leaders surveyed say they still spend at least 40% of their time on administrativeor individual contributor tasks.To download the full report, tell us a bit about yourself. First Name * Last Name * Job Title * Organization * Business Email * Country * Please Select United States United Kingdom Afghanistan Aland Islands Albania Algeria American Samoa Andorra Angola Anguilla Antarctica Antigua and Barbuda Argentina Armenia Aruba Australia Austria Azerbaijan Bahamas Bahrain Bangladesh Barbados Belarus Belgium Belize Benin Bermuda Bhutan Bolivia Bosnia and Herzegovina Botswana Bouvet Island Brazil British Indian Ocean Territory Brunei Darussalam Bulgaria Burkina Faso Burundi Cambodia Cameroon Canada Cape Verde Cayman Islands Central African Republic Chad Chile China Christmas Island Cocos (Keeling) Islands Colombia Comoros Congo Congo, The Democratic Republic of Cook Islands Costa Rica Cote dIvoire Croatia Cuba Cyprus Czech Republic Denmark Djibouti Dominica Dominican Republic Ecuador Egypt El Salvador Equatorial Guinea Eritrea Estonia Ethiopia Falkland Islands (Malvinas) Faroe Islands Fiji Finland France French Guiana French Polynesia French Southern Territories Gabon Gambia Georgia Germany Ghana Gibraltar Greece Greenland Grenada Guadeloupe Guam Guatemala Guernsey Guinea Guinea-Bissau Guyana Haiti Heard Island and McDonald Islands Holy See (Vatican City State) Honduras Hong Kong Hungary Iceland India Indonesia Iran, Islamic Republic of Iraq Ireland Isle of Man Israel Italy Jamaica Japan Jersey Jordan Kazakhstan Kenya Kiribati Korea, Democratic Peoples Republic Korea, Republic of Kuwait Kyrgyzstan Lao Peoples Democratic Republic Latvia Lebanon Lesotho Liberia Libyan Arab Jamahiriya Liechtenstein Lithuania Luxembourg Macao Macedonia The Former Yugoslav Republic Madagascar Malawi Malaysia Maldives Mali Malta Marshall Islands Martinique Mauritania Mauritius Mayotte Mexico Micronesia, Federated States of Moldova, Republic of Monaco Mongolia Montenegro Montserrat Morocco Mozambique Myanmar Namibia Nauru Nepal Netherlands Netherlands Antilles New Caledonia New Zealand Nicaragua Niger Nigeria Niue Norfolk Island Northern Mariana Islands Norway Oman Pakistan Palau Palestinian Territory,Occupied Panama Papua New Guinea Paraguay Peru Philippines Pitcairn Poland Portugal Puerto Rico Qatar Reunion Romania Russian Federation Rwanda Saint Helena Saint Kitts and Nevis Saint Lucia Saint Pierre and Miquelon Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Samoa San Marino Sao Tome and Principe Saudi Arabia Senegal Serbia Serbia and Montenegro Seychelles Sierra Leone Singapore Slovakia Slovenia Solomon Islands Somalia South Africa South Georgia & Sandwich Islands Spain Sri Lanka Sudan Suriname Svalbard and Jan Mayen Swaziland Sweden Switzerland Syrian Arab Republic Taiwan Tajikistan Tanzania, United Republic of Thailand Timor-Leste Togo Tokelau Tonga Trinidad and Tobago Tunisia Turkey Turkmenistan Turks and Caicos Islands Tuvalu Uganda Ukraine United Arab Emirates United States Minor Outlying Islands Uruguay Uzbekistan Vanuatu Venezuela Viet Nam Virgin Islands, British Virgin Islands, U.S. Wallis and Futuna Western Sahara Yemen Zambia Zimbabwe By checking this box, you agree to receive emails and communications from Harvard Business Impact. To opt-out, please visit our Privacy Policy. Leadership DevelopmentStrategic AlignmentTalent ManagementShare this resourceShare on LinkedInShare on FacebookShare on XShare on WhatsAppEmail this PageConnect with a learning expertChange isnt easy, but we can help. Together well create informed and inspired leaders ready to shape the future of your business.Talk to our sales teamFind an office in your regionRelated InsightsTalent ManagementMidlevel Leaders: The Bridge to Your Organizations FutureIn Harvard Business Impacts recent survey of 600 midlevel and senior leaders across industries and Read more: Midlevel Leaders: The Bridge to Your Organizations FuturePerspectivesTalent ManagementLeading Through Transformation: Rethinking the Role of Midlevel LeadersAs business imperatives evolve, midlevel leaders are playing an increasingly vital role in leading and Read more: Leading Through Transformation: Rethinking the Role of Midlevel LeadersInfographicTalent ManagementUnder Pressure: Why Burnout Among Midlevel Leaders May Be a Strategic RiskMany midlevel leaders are struggling with persistent burnout, limited support, and a widening gap between Read more: Under Pressure: Why Burnout Among Midlevel Leaders May Be a Strategic RiskInfographicFuture of WorkBuilding the Collective Intelligence of Humans and MachinesAI has shiftedno longer just a tool, but a true teammate. The question is: how Read more: Building the Collective Intelligence of Humans and MachinesVideoThe post Midlevel Leaders: The Bridge to Your Organizations Future appeared first on Harvard Business Impact.

InsightsAmplifying with AI: L&Ds Role in Scaling Collective IntelligenceMark Marone, PhDSeptember 9, 2025Qi Yang/Getty ImagesIn brief:AI is reshaping how people learn and work. L&D leaders must harness it to drive both human and organizational growth.Personalized, contextual, and workflow-embedded learning powered by AI is already amplifying performance at scale.L&D is uniquely positioned to build collective intelligence by combining AIs reach with human insight and behavior change.Artificial intelligence (AI) is poised to automate anything that can be measured, revolutionizing how work gets done. Even if AI innovation stalled today, the disruption would continue. That gives learning and development (L&D) leaders two urgent tasks: to help people use AI effectively and to use AI to enhance how people learn.Business today demands learning that is faster, more personalized, and deeply contextualized. Thats where AI comes in. In a recent Harvard Business Review article by Marc Zao-Sanders that methodically ranks 100 current use cases for generative AI, both enhanced learning and personalized learning feature among the top 20.This work of L&D today is critical. By combining AIs capacity to scale insight with L&Ds ability to shape behavior, organizations can build their collective intelligence: the dynamic interplay between people and machines that enables smarter decisions, innovation, and better performance at scale.The Amplification ImperativeAccording to Harvard Business Impacts 2025 Global Leadership Development Study, 49% of L&D leaders expect AI to improve talent development outcomes this year. Even more expect it to enhance the scalability (50%) and adaptability (53%) of learning programs.That promise is already being realized. Consider how Hilton Hotels rolled out an AI-powered virtual reality training program for front desk staff. Employees interact with a Guest Service Coach that delivers real-time feedback on tone, word choice, and service behaviors. What used to take four hours of instructor-led training now takes just 20 minutes, and the program has scaled to over 400,000 employees globally.This kind of amplification is exactly what many organizations need, but speed and efficiency arent enough. The deeper value lies in AIs ability to help organizations codify and share internal expertise, personalize development pathways, and create learning systems that adapt alongside the business and help it grow.Three Ways AI is Already Amplifying Learning1. Contextualized Knowledge at ScaleAI tools powered by internal data are helping organizations unlock and distribute tacit knowledge. For example, large language models can be trained on internal policies, playbooks, and best practices, enabling employees to ask context-specific questions and receive curated answers grounded in the organizations way of working.A multinational firm interviewed in our study represents a typical example. It deployed an AI coach that understands company values, ethical guidelines, and leadership principles, then delivers tailored coaching to first-time managers. This kind of amplification by AI is allowing organizations to streamline the work of middle managers and flatten organizational hierarchies.2. Personalized and Proactive LearningIn contrast to traditional training calendars, AI-powered systems can push microlearning or feedback precisely when and where its needed. Leaders can receive just-in-time nudges before key meetings. Teams can be prompted to reflect on recent challenges. Learners can navigate personalized development journeys based on evolving role requirements, skill gaps, and performance trends.3. Learning Embedded in WorkflowsThe best learning doesnt feel like training at all. AI makes it possible to integrate development directly into the flow of work, offering real-time guidance, simulations, and decision aids. Instead of stepping away to learn, employees learn as they work. This not only increases relevance and retention but also addresses one of the biggest barriers to learning: lack of time. Instead of logging in to a portal and searching for content, employees increasingly engage with intelligent assistants that deliver curated answers, personalized learning, and targeted support just when its needed.Why Learning Needs to LeadRight now, organizations need L&D as a strategic partner in developing collective intelligence to unlock the full potential of human-AI collaboration. Yet our study revealed an uncomfortable gap: only 36% of organizations believe their leaders fully embrace the mindset that AI must be central to strategy and operations. Just 42% describe their support for employee AI experimentation as strong.Learning leaders have a critical role to play in helping to close these gaps. This includes not only helping leaders and employees become AI literate themselves, but also leading by example, incorporating AI into how learning is developed, delivered, and measured.The most effective strategies blend AIs precision with human insight, creating a loop where machine-generated guidance is continuously refined by people and returned to the system as collective intelligence. In this way, AI doesnt just accelerate learning; it becomes part of a feedback loop that strengthens it.The Learning Function as the Leverage PointWhen business models, company workflows, and entire industries are being reshaped by intelligent machines, the ability to learn at scale becomes a competitive differentiator.Amplifying learning with AI promises to increase the velocity and impact of learning across organizations. The challenge for learning leaders today isnt whether to use AI, its how to use it well: ethically, strategically, and in the service of human growth as well as business growth.With the guidance of talented L&D teams, AI can enable not just more learning, but better learning: learning that equips people to lead, adapt, and thrive in a fast, fluid, and future-focused world.Digital IntelligenceFuture of WorkShare this resourceShare on LinkedInShare on FacebookShare on XShare on WhatsAppEmail this PageConnect with usChange isnt easy, but we can help. Together well create informed and inspired leaders ready to shape the future of your business.Contact usLatest InsightsFuture of WorkAmplifying with AI: L&Ds Role in Scaling Collective IntelligenceAI is reshaping how people learn and work. L&D leaders must harness it to drive Read more: Amplifying with AI: L&Ds Role in Scaling Collective IntelligenceArticleTalent ManagementScale Innovation with Speed: The ABCs of Leading InnovationInnovation is an organization-wide capability requiring leaders who can foster collaboration, experimentation, and execution at Read more: Scale Innovation with Speed: The ABCs of Leading InnovationArticleStrategic AlignmentWhy the Tortoise Doesnt Win Anymore: Speed to Skill as a Competitive AdvantageIn a fast-changing market, sustainable advantage comes from how quickly organizations can identify skill needs, Read more: Why the Tortoise Doesnt Win Anymore: Speed to Skill as a Competitive AdvantageArticleTransformationBreaking Through: People-Centered Transformation Powered by LearningOrganizations can embed learning measures into learning for more immediate impact to enrich the experience Read more: Breaking Through: People-Centered Transformation Powered by LearningArticleThe post Amplifying with AI: L&Ds Role in Scaling Collective Intelligence appeared first on Harvard Business Impact.

InsightsThe Future Is Fluent: Why AI Demands a New Kind of LeaderLeadership roles are shifting to align more closely with the demands of AI initiatives.Organizations that foster an AI-ready culture through leadership will see faster, more sustainable transformation.Explore the full infographic to uncover more insights.View the infographicDigital IntelligenceFuture of WorkShare this resourceShare on LinkedInShare on FacebookShare on XShare on WhatsAppEmail this PageConnect with usChange isnt easy, but we can help. Together well create informed and inspired leaders ready to shape the future of your business.Contact usLatest InsightsTalent ManagementScale Innovation with Speed: The ABCs of Leading InnovationInnovation is an organization-wide capability requiring leaders who can foster collaboration, experimentation, and execution at Read more: Scale Innovation with Speed: The ABCs of Leading InnovationArticleStrategic AlignmentWhy the Tortoise Doesnt Win Anymore: Speed to Skill as a Competitive AdvantageIn a fast-changing market, sustainable advantage comes from how quickly organizations can identify skill needs, Read more: Why the Tortoise Doesnt Win Anymore: Speed to Skill as a Competitive AdvantageArticleTransformationBreaking Through: People-Centered Transformation Powered by LearningOrganizations can embed learning measures into learning for more immediate impact to enrich the experience Read more: Breaking Through: People-Centered Transformation Powered by LearningArticleFuture of WorkFPT Partners with Harvard Business Impact, Empowering Global Workforce with AI-Driven Learning SolutionsFPT partners with Harvard Business Impact to boost leadership development and talent growth. Read more: FPT Partners with Harvard Business Impact, Empowering Global Workforce with AI-Driven Learning SolutionsNewsThe post The Future Is Fluent: Why AI Demands a New Kind of Leader appeared first on Harvard Business Impact.

InsightsReadiness Reimagined: How to Build a Change-Seeking CultureJeff PachecoJuly 21, 2025Richard Drury/Getty ImagesIn brief:In todays artificial intelligence (AI)-driven environment, being change-ready is no longer enough. Organizations must become change-seeking, proactively scanning for opportunities, challenging norms, and moving early to stay ahead of disruption.Change-seeking cultures foster psychological safety, experimentation, feedback loops, and strategic alignmentanchored by robust learning systems that empower all employees to contribute to innovation.A change-seeking culture starts at the top. Senior leaders must go beyond supporting transformationthey need to embody it by embracing experimentation, prioritizing learning, and making innovation a visible strategic priority across the organization.For years, change-readiness has been a strategic imperative. Organizations have worked to cultivate cultures that adapt quickly and execute decisively. But in todays fast-moving, AI-driven world, readiness is no longer enough.Adaptability is still essentialbut at a greater speed. The next evolution is already underway: building a change-seeking culture. Unlike reactive, change-ready organizations, change-seeking organizations proactively scan for opportunity, challenge assumptions, and move earlybefore disruption demands it.Why Ready Isnt Ready AnymoreIn Harvard Business Impacts 2025 Global Leadership Development Study, 40% of senior leaders said their organizations are placing a greater emphasis on building change-ready cultures. But the data also revealed a shift: 71% now say the ability to lead through constant change is critical, up dramatically from just 58% in 2024. Four in 10 said leading transformation is even more crucial now than it was just one year ago.1This reflects a growing acceptance that the need for change is continuous and widespread. And in this environment, the ability to respond quickly is less powerful than the ability to anticipate and act early.What Defines a Change-Seeking Culture?Change-seeking cultures dont wait for changethey initiate it. These organizations:Encourage curiosity and experimentationProactively identify new ideas and unmet needsCreate psychological safety for taking informed risksIntegrate feedback loops that accelerate learningThey position learning and development not as a support function but as the neural network of transformationcirculating insights, capability, and culture across the enterprise.How to Foster a Change-Seeking CultureTo foster a change-seeking culture, organizations must go beyond encouraging agility. They must design for it. That means:Preparing people. AI is reshaping the way we innovate, and employees need a solid understanding of the tools involved to participate. Our research shows that organizations embracing hands-on learning are more effective at building AI fluency across roles.2Democratizing experimentation. Organizations can learn faster by getting more people involved in testing ideas. Vastly increasing the capacity to conduct experiments is becoming more critical for making decisions based on data instead of intuition.3Aligning experimentation with strategy. Innovation should be guided by a clear set of strategic priorities that matter to the business. This helps avoid experiments that generate a lot of creative ideas but may fail to deliver meaningfulefficiency, value, or growth.4Fostering psychological safety. If employees fear retribution for failure, they wont experiment. Leaders must model learning behavior, reward well-intentioned risk-taking, and create space to reflect on and learn from setbacks.Embedding feedback loops. Organizations need mechanisms for collecting, sharing, and acting on learning so that successful experiments scale and less successful ones inform future actions.A Case in Point: Moodys Moves FirstMoodysa legacy financial institutionoffers a compelling example. In a traditionally risk-averse industry, its CEO, Rob Fauber, chose to go all in on generative AI, even as many peers hesitated due to regulatory uncertainty and technical risks.As profiled in Harvard Business Reviews How a Legacy Financial Institution Went All In on Gen AI, Fauber focused not just on technology but also on learning and culture.5 His team launched the initiative with three guiding principles: Make everyone an innovator, build on new ideas, and deliver real business impact.They started with learning. Moodys invested in internal academies, upskilling campaigns, and broad-based AI fluency. The enhanced capability of the organizations workforce created conditions for accelerated innovation.By late 2024, Moodys was deploying an AI agent capable of producing risk reports in just one houra task that previously required a full week of human effort. The result wasnt just improved efficiency. It was a proof point for cultural transformation.The Leadership GapDespite examples like Moodys, many organizations remain stuck in wait and see mode. In our 2025 global leadership development study, 52% of respondents said their company is placing a greater emphasis on building an AI-ready culture. Yet only 36% felt their senior leaders fully embrace AI as a core part of strategy and operations.This mismatch between aspiration and behavior matters. Cultures take shape not just through systems and programs but also through what senior leaders talk about, reward, and demonstrate. If executives want change-seeking behavior, they need to embody itopenly experimenting, learning, and adjusting.Getting Started: Building a Change-Seeking CultureBuilding a change-seeking culture isnt about launching a single transformation program. Its about instilling an ongoing top-down and bottom-up capability for sensing and seizing whats next. Organizations can take these actions to begin:Start with learning and make it visible. Innovation still starts with people, but given AIs central role in innovation today, building AI fluency across the organization is essential.Create systems that reward initiative, not just execution. Recognize teams for surfacing new ideas, identifying inefficiencies, and learning from pilotseven when those pilots fail. Normalize the idea that progress can start with anyones ideas and initiative.Hold leaders accountable for culture. Make effectively leading change, encouraging innovation, and fostering psychological safety core performance expectations, not soft add-ons.The Bottom LineMany organizations still treat change-readiness as a strategic endpoint. But in a world of constant reinvention, its only the beginning. As technology rewires markets, roles, and operating models, the ability to initiate and lead changenot just react to itis the goal.The organizations that will succeed are those where everyone, at every level, is expected to help chart what comes next. Change-seeking is not a capability confined to innovation teams or digital labs. It is a cultural imperative.Standing still is now the greater risk. The advantage belongs to those willing to move first.To find out more about how we can help your organization build a change-seeking culture,contact ustoday.Harvard Business Impact, 2025 Global Leadership Development Study, 2025. https://www.harvardbusiness.org/insight/2025-global-leadership-development-study-fast-fluid-and-future-focused/ Harvard Business Publishing Corporate Learning, Learning Through Experimentation: Why Hands-On Learning Is Key to Building an AI-Fluent Workforce, Harvard Business Publishing, 2024. https://www.harvardbusiness.org/insight/learning-through-experimentation-why-hands-on-learning-is-key-to-building-an-ai-fluent-workforce. Iavor Bojinov, David Holtz, Ramesh Johari, Sven Schmit, and Martin Tingley, Want Your Company to Get Better at Experimentation?, Harvard Business Review, January-February 2025. https://hbr.org/2025/01/want-your-company-to-get-better-at-experimentation. Rogers, David L., The Missing Link Between Strategy and Innovation, HBR.org, March 18, 2024. https://hbr.org/2024/03/the-missing-link-between-strategy-and-innovation. Stuart, Toby E., How a Legacy Financial Institution Went All In on Gen AI, HBR.org, March 25, 2025. https://hbr.org/2025/03/how-a-legacy-financial-institution-went-all-in-on-gen-ai. Leading ChangeOrganizational CultureTransformationShare this resourceShare on LinkedInShare on FacebookShare on XShare on WhatsAppEmail this PageConnect with usChange isnt easy, but we can help. Together well create informed and inspired leaders ready to shape the future of your business.Contact usLatest InsightsTalent ManagementScale Innovation with Speed: The ABCs of Leading InnovationInnovation is an organization-wide capability requiring leaders who can foster collaboration, experimentation, and execution at Read more: Scale Innovation with Speed: The ABCs of Leading InnovationArticleStrategic AlignmentWhy the Tortoise Doesnt Win Anymore: Speed to Skill as a Competitive AdvantageIn a fast-changing market, sustainable advantage comes from how quickly organizations can identify skill needs, Read more: Why the Tortoise Doesnt Win Anymore: Speed to Skill as a Competitive AdvantageArticleTransformationBreaking Through: People-Centered Transformation Powered by LearningOrganizations can embed learning measures into learning for more immediate impact to enrich the experience Read more: Breaking Through: People-Centered Transformation Powered by LearningArticleFuture of WorkFPT Partners with Harvard Business Impact, Empowering Global Workforce with AI-Driven Learning SolutionsFPT partners with Harvard Business Impact to boost leadership development and talent growth. Read more: FPT Partners with Harvard Business Impact, Empowering Global Workforce with AI-Driven Learning SolutionsNewsThe post Readiness Reimagined: How to Build a Change-Seeking Culture appeared first on Harvard Business Impact.

Insights2025 Global Leadership Development Study: Fast, Fluid, and Future-FocusedIn 2025, Harvard Business Impact conducted a comprehensive global study to survey more than 1,100 leadership development professionals, examining how their work fits into the jobs to be done for organizations today. The results show that as organizations work to operationalize AI across every aspect of business, the pressure is mounting on those charged with leading learning and development to deliver fast, fluid, and future-focused learning that builds the collective intelligence of humans and machines.In this report, we explore three objectives for the coming year and three strategies for learning and development and the C-suite to consider as they tackle those objectives.Survey Highlights1,159L&D/HR professionalsand functional leaders20,000+Nearly half from organizations withat least 20,000 employees14+More than 14 countries and across industries51%from organizations with annual revenue of at least $10 billionTo download the full report, tell us a bit about yourself. First Name * Last Name * Job Title * Organization * Business Email * Country * Please Select United States United Kingdom Afghanistan Aland Islands Albania Algeria American Samoa Andorra Angola Anguilla Antarctica Antigua and Barbuda Argentina Armenia Aruba Australia Austria Azerbaijan Bahamas Bahrain Bangladesh Barbados Belarus Belgium Belize Benin Bermuda Bhutan Bolivia Bosnia and Herzegovina Botswana Bouvet Island Brazil British Indian Ocean Territory Brunei Darussalam Bulgaria Burkina Faso Burundi Cambodia Cameroon Canada Cape Verde Cayman Islands Central African Republic Chad Chile China Christmas Island Cocos (Keeling) Islands Colombia Comoros Congo Congo, The Democratic Republic of Cook Islands Costa Rica Cote dIvoire Croatia Cuba Cyprus Czech Republic Denmark Djibouti Dominica Dominican Republic Ecuador Egypt El Salvador Equatorial Guinea Eritrea Estonia Ethiopia Falkland Islands (Malvinas) Faroe Islands Fiji Finland France French Guiana French Polynesia French Southern Territories Gabon Gambia Georgia Germany Ghana Gibraltar Greece Greenland Grenada Guadeloupe Guam Guatemala Guernsey Guinea Guinea-Bissau Guyana Haiti Heard Island and McDonald Islands Holy See (Vatican City State) Honduras Hong Kong Hungary Iceland India Indonesia Iran, Islamic Republic of Iraq Ireland Isle of Man Israel Italy Jamaica Japan Jersey Jordan Kazakhstan Kenya Kiribati Korea, Democratic Peoples Republic Korea, Republic of Kuwait Kyrgyzstan Lao Peoples Democratic Republic Latvia Lebanon Lesotho Liberia Libyan Arab Jamahiriya Liechtenstein Lithuania Luxembourg Macao Macedonia The Former Yugoslav Republic Madagascar Malawi Malaysia Maldives Mali Malta Marshall Islands Martinique Mauritania Mauritius Mayotte Mexico Micronesia, Federated States of Moldova, Republic of Monaco Mongolia Montenegro Montserrat Morocco Mozambique Myanmar Namibia Nauru Nepal Netherlands Netherlands Antilles New Caledonia New Zealand Nicaragua Niger Nigeria Niue Norfolk Island Northern Mariana Islands Norway Oman Pakistan Palau Palestinian Territory,Occupied Panama Papua New Guinea Paraguay Peru Philippines Pitcairn Poland Portugal Puerto Rico Qatar Reunion Romania Russian Federation Rwanda Saint Helena Saint Kitts and Nevis Saint Lucia Saint Pierre and Miquelon Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Samoa San Marino Sao Tome and Principe Saudi Arabia Senegal Serbia Serbia and Montenegro Seychelles Sierra Leone Singapore Slovakia Slovenia Solomon Islands Somalia South Africa South Georgia & Sandwich Islands Spain Sri Lanka Sudan Suriname Svalbard and Jan Mayen Swaziland Sweden Switzerland Syrian Arab Republic Taiwan Tajikistan Tanzania, United Republic of Thailand Timor-Leste Togo Tokelau Tonga Trinidad and Tobago Tunisia Turkey Turkmenistan Turks and Caicos Islands Tuvalu Uganda Ukraine United Arab Emirates United States Minor Outlying Islands Uruguay Uzbekistan Vanuatu Venezuela Viet Nam Virgin Islands, British Virgin Islands, U.S. Wallis and Futuna Western Sahara Yemen Zambia Zimbabwe By checking this box, you agree to receive emails and communications from Harvard Business Impact. To opt-out, please visit our Privacy Policy. Future of WorkLeadership DevelopmentTransformationShare this resourceShare on LinkedInShare on FacebookShare on XShare on WhatsAppEmail this PageConnect with a learning expertChange isnt easy, but we can help. Together well create informed and inspired leaders ready to shape the future of your business.Talk to our sales teamFind an office in your regionRelated InsightsTalent ManagementScale Innovation with Speed: The ABCs of Leading InnovationInnovation is an organization-wide capability requiring leaders who can foster collaboration, experimentation, and execution at Read more: Scale Innovation with Speed: The ABCs of Leading InnovationArticleStrategic AlignmentWhy the Tortoise Doesnt Win Anymore: Speed to Skill as a Competitive AdvantageIn a fast-changing market, sustainable advantage comes from how quickly organizations can identify skill needs, Read more: Why the Tortoise Doesnt Win Anymore: Speed to Skill as a Competitive AdvantageArticleTransformationBreaking Through: People-Centered Transformation Powered by LearningOrganizations can embed learning measures into learning for more immediate impact to enrich the experience Read more: Breaking Through: People-Centered Transformation Powered by LearningArticleFuture of WorkFPT Partners with Harvard Business Impact, Empowering Global Workforce with AI-Driven Learning SolutionsFPT partners with Harvard Business Impact to boost leadership development and talent growth. Read more: FPT Partners with Harvard Business Impact, Empowering Global Workforce with AI-Driven Learning SolutionsNewsThe post 2025 Global Leadership Development Study: Fast, Fluid, and Future-Focused appeared first on Harvard Business Impact.

InsightsThe Fluid Future of Work: Rethinking Roles in the Age of Intelligent MachinesMark Marone, PhDJuly 25, 2025Sylverarts/Getty ImagesIn brief:AI-driven role changes require proactive, nonlinear approaches to workforce planning and leadership development.Leaders must transition from traditional decision makers to sense makers, orchestrating complex AI-human interactions.Learning and developments priority shifts from closing existing skills gaps to anticipating future capability needs, ensuring organizational agility.As AI advances, human employees roles are evolving in unpredictable ways. Organizations must now anticipate and prepare for nonlinear role shifts, where job responsibilities fragment, fuse, or disappear altogether. The ability to proactively adapt leadership, learning, and development strategies to this new reality is emerging as an important competitive differentiator.To meet this challenge, learning and development (L&D) must not only close current skills gaps but also forecast future ones. This means redefining how we think about jobs, how we develop talent, and how we support leaders who are navigating uncharted organizational terrain.The Need to Prepare for the Nonlinear Evolution of RolesIn an AI-transformed world, job roles are being rapidly reshaped. Traditional workforce planning models arent enough to get the job done. Organizations are faced with the need to rethink their approach to workforce planning and development.This imperative, which we call predicting the nonlinear evolution of roles, was identified by global leaders as one of the three most urgent objectives in our 2025 Global Leadership Development Study. Alongside the rise of digital labor and the acceleration of AI, it is changing not just how work gets done but also who does it and what capabilities they need to succeed.For decades, workforce planning has typically followed a relatively linear and role-based approach: define the roles needed to support strategic goals, identify the skills and experiences required for each, and create structured career paths to build proficiency. That model no longer works. Today, leaders must anticipate role changes before they happen and equip teams to adapt in real time.In our study, 44% of respondents said their organization is placing greater emphasis on upskilling and reskilling within leadership development. And almost half (45%) said expectations are rising for leaders to actively support their own teams AI upskilling.These trends highlight the fact that leaders themselves are seeing their roles change, sometimes dramatically. Moves that create entirely new leadership roles, such as merging IT and HR departments, are making headlines.1 Leaders are increasingly valued as sense makers who can deal with complexity and guide AI-enabled systems rather than as decision makers and subject matter experts. They are navigating new responsibilities that may not have existed a year ago, and that may change again in six months.AI Is Driving and Redefining Role EvolutionAs AI tools grow more sophisticated, they are no longer simply assisting with tasks. Increasingly, they are performing end-to-end processes autonomously. In many companies, AI has already evolved from the role of helpful assistant to agent.One multinational company we interviewed shared their use of a 4B framework to determine how work gets done in the future: Will a task be handled by human talent that is bought, built, or borrowed? Or will it be transferred to a bot or button (AI)? This type of thinking, which was once rare, is becoming common across industries and functions.In some cases, AI orchestrates entire workflows. Take UBS, for example. Since 2024, the financial firms AI-driven service approves loans without human intervention. Credit officers didnt disappear, but their responsibilities changed. Today, they define parameters, conduct scenario testing, and coach AI systems rather than make each decision themselves.That kind of shift has implications for how we design leadership development. L&D teams must prepare leaders to take on new responsibilities, some of which may not be clearly defined yet. This requires not only technical upskilling but also a rethinking of leadership identity, agency, and capability.Whats at Stake: Leadership Pipelines and Capability GapsThe nonlinear evolution of roles affects more than just current job holders; it upends the traditional leadership pipeline. In industries where AI displaces entry-level roles, organizations may lose the proving grounds where future leaders once developed. Without action, this will create serious capability gaps down the road.Thats why the most forward-looking companies are redesigning development paths to reflect the new reality. They are investing in tools to model likely role changes, analyze skill adjacency, and forecast future workforce needs. Crucially, they are embedding learning earlier and more broadly to build readiness, not just at the top but across the enterprise.What L&D Can Do NowSo how should L&D leaders respond? Start by shifting the question from What does this role require now? to What will this role likely become? Then, work backward. What experiences, knowledge, and capabilities must be built today to support success tomorrow?Effective teams are:Building dynamic role profiles that adapt as new technologies and business models emergeIntegrating AI into workforce planning tools to simulate different futures and surface new opportunitiesRedesigning development programs to account for lateral moves, hybrid roles, and new leadership expectationsSupporting leaders through transitions, helping them redefine their contributions as machines take over more routine tasksThis is not about predicting the future perfectly. It is about being prepared for many possible futures and helping people adapt and thrive in any of them.The Bottom LineStatic job descriptions are a thing of the past. The future requires leaders who recognize that human and digital roles will be frequently reimagined. To lead in this world, people must be trained not just to perform but to pivot.The role of L&D is no longer to close skills gaps. It is to help organizations anticipate them. And to do that, L&D leaders must be fast, fluid, and relentlessly future-focused.Now is the time to rethink not just what we teach but why we teach it and whether its whats needed to prepare people for what lies ahead in the world of work.Explore further insights by downloading our 2025 Global Leadership Development Study: Fast, Fluid, and Future-Focused.Research Report2025 Global Leadership Development Study: Fast, Fluid, and Future-FocusedDownloadBousquette, Isabelle, Why Moderna Merged Its Tech and HR Departments, CIO Journal, May 12, 2025. https://www.wsj.com/articles/why-moderna-merged-its-tech-and-hr-departments-95318c2a?utm. Future of WorkLeadership DevelopmentStrategic AlignmentShare this resourceShare on LinkedInShare on FacebookShare on XShare on WhatsAppEmail this PageConnect with usChange isnt easy, but we can help. Together well create informed and inspired leaders ready to shape the future of your business.Contact usLatest InsightsTalent ManagementScale Innovation with Speed: The ABCs of Leading InnovationInnovation is an organization-wide capability requiring leaders who can foster collaboration, experimentation, and execution at Read more: Scale Innovation with Speed: The ABCs of Leading InnovationArticleStrategic AlignmentWhy the Tortoise Doesnt Win Anymore: Speed to Skill as a Competitive AdvantageIn a fast-changing market, sustainable advantage comes from how quickly organizations can identify skill needs, Read more: Why the Tortoise Doesnt Win Anymore: Speed to Skill as a Competitive AdvantageArticleTransformationBreaking Through: People-Centered Transformation Powered by LearningOrganizations can embed learning measures into learning for more immediate impact to enrich the experience Read more: Breaking Through: People-Centered Transformation Powered by LearningArticleFuture of WorkFPT Partners with Harvard Business Impact, Empowering Global Workforce with AI-Driven Learning SolutionsFPT partners with Harvard Business Impact to boost leadership development and talent growth. 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InsightsWhy Psychological Safety Is the Hidden Engine Behind Innovation and TransformationMichelle BonterreJuly 29, 2025pogonici/ShutterstockIn brief:Psychological safetyis crucial for team success, allowing members to take interpersonal risks without fear of embarrassment or retribution. This environment fosters honest problem-solving and innovation.Leadership behaviorsthat promote psychological safety include framing work as learning opportunities, inviting participation, and responding productively to feedback.Balancing psychological safety and high standardsis essential for high performance. A culture that encourages speaking up while maintaining excellence leads to better outcomes.Last month, I had the privilege of attending Harvard Business Impacts annual Partners Meeting, where Amy C. Edmondson, Novartis Professor of Leadership and Management at Harvard Business School, delivered an energizing keynote on psychological safety. Her session, Psychological Safety: The Essential Underpinning of Successful Transformation, left a lasting impression and a renewed sense of urgency about the environments we create for our teams.At its core, psychological safety is the belief that a team is safe for interpersonal risk-taking, that you can ask a question, admit a mistake, or challenge an idea without fear of embarrassment or retribution. And while the concept isnt new, Amy reminded us that in todays VUCA world, its more essential than ever.Professor Amy C. Edmondson delivering a keynote at Harvard Business Impacts 2025 Partners Meeting.Interpersonal Risk Translates Into Business RiskAmy told a story about a company poised to lose billions that stuck with me. No one wanted to admit what wasnt working. It wasnt until one leader dared to speak up that the floodgates of honest problem-solving opened.It underscored her key point: Interpersonal risk translates into business risk. When employees are afraid to speak up, we miss out on insights, preventable mistakes go unchecked, and opportunities for innovation are lost.High-Quality Conversations Are a Leadership SkillSo how do we create the conditions for psychological safety?Amy broke it down into three simple leadership behaviors:Frame the Work: Reframe challenges as learning opportunities, not tests of competence. For example, Weve never done this before, and well need everyones input to get it right.Invite Participation: Ask good questionslike Who has a different perspective?to signal that dissent is not only welcomed but needed.Respond Productively: React with appreciation and forward-thinking, even when the news is hard. Instead of How did this happen?, say, Thanks for that insight. How can we help?Psychological Safety and High Standards Are Not OppositesOne of the most powerful insights from the session was that psychological safety and high standards arent in tension; they are both required for high performance. Without safety, teams may appear agreeable but remain silent. Without standards, teams may feel comfortable but lack rigor. The sweet spot? A culture where its safe to speak up and where everyone is committed to excellence.Reflection: What Kind of Environment Are You Creating for Your Employees?Amy asked us to reflect on our own behavior:Do people around you feel permission to be candid?Do your meetings make people smarter or quieter?Are you actively listening for the idea that was never shared?These arent soft skills. Theyre leadership imperatives in a world that demands constant learning, experimentation, and course correction.Final ThoughtPsychological safety isnt a policy; its a climate. And as Amy reminded us, its not the goal itself but the necessary foundation for everything that matters: innovation, quality, resilience, and transformation.If we want our organizations to thrive in uncertainty, it starts with creating space for people to speak up, think differently, and learn boldly together.Organizational CultureShare this resourceShare on LinkedInShare on FacebookShare on XShare on WhatsAppEmail this PageConnect with usChange isnt easy, but we can help. Together well create informed and inspired leaders ready to shape the future of your business.Contact usLatest InsightsTalent ManagementScale Innovation with Speed: The ABCs of Leading InnovationInnovation is an organization-wide capability requiring leaders who can foster collaboration, experimentation, and execution at Read more: Scale Innovation with Speed: The ABCs of Leading InnovationArticleStrategic AlignmentWhy the Tortoise Doesnt Win Anymore: Speed to Skill as a Competitive AdvantageIn a fast-changing market, sustainable advantage comes from how quickly organizations can identify skill needs, Read more: Why the Tortoise Doesnt Win Anymore: Speed to Skill as a Competitive AdvantageArticleTransformationBreaking Through: People-Centered Transformation Powered by LearningOrganizations can embed learning measures into learning for more immediate impact to enrich the experience Read more: Breaking Through: People-Centered Transformation Powered by LearningArticleFuture of WorkFPT Partners with Harvard Business Impact, Empowering Global Workforce with AI-Driven Learning SolutionsFPT partners with Harvard Business Impact to boost leadership development and talent growth. 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InsightsBeyond the Survey: Design Learning Data for Real-Time ImpactSusan Douglas, Ph.D.August 5, 2025ThomasVogel/Getty ImagesIn brief:Learning data becomes most valuable when its connected directly to business impact.Transparent conversations about learning effectiveness are foundational to building organizational cultures that value getting it right AND making it better.A human-centered approach that embeds evaluation into the learning experience itself creates richer, real-time actionable insights that drive better decisions.This post is co-authored by Susan Douglas, Ph.D., Professor of Practice at Vanderbilt University and an executive and team coach, and Patrick Voorhies, Ed.D., Manager, Talent & Development, Motiva Enterprises.What if your learning data didnt just prove that people liked your programs, but actively fueled curiosity, conversation, and change while learning was happening?In a highly competitive and volatile global market, organizations have become increasingly attuned to the need for evidence-based or data-informed decision making. Organizations analyze and report on a host of measures, delivering data to senior executives to guide their decisions. Advancements in technology, such as generative AI, are making data capture and use increasingly accessible to better build the evidence base.While it is widely recognized that leaders must demonstrate how their investments drive organizational objectives, the challenge lies in consistently meeting this expectation. Talent development leaders already understand how important it is to:Articulate the story of how learning and development programs contribute directly to business outcomes.Establish clear learning and development metrics, targets, or benchmarks to use to assess the value of learning to the organization.Efficiently deliver learning and talent analysis and insights aligned with organizational goals and objectives.Leverage data to evaluate workforce skills, competencies, and capabilities in relation to business needs.The struggle comes when organizations try to show the close connection between learning interventions and business objectives. In our examination of how organizations measure learning and leadership development, we frequently encounter three myths that drastically disconnect learning metrics from organizational learning.Myth #1Measuring satisfaction with a learning program tells us something important.Measures related to how much learners enjoyed an experience dont usually connect to the real impact on the business unless they are wildly dissatisfied. In fact, research on learning suggests that challenging experiences that lead to growth often dont earn the most positive ratings from participants. We have too often seen measurement focus on what can be measured rather than what is meaningful to measure.Attendance and net promoter scores have their rightful place in a comprehensive learning evaluation system. They help you understand the whole picture of what is going on with a program and provide useful insights for quality control and benchmarking. But they are not the best way to answer stakeholders and executives concerns around a programs ability to influence business outcomes. They are only the first step in what we call a chain of outcomes that integrates a series of measures of how a program was experienced. This approach applies theory-based measures of short- and long-term changes in knowledge, skill, and behavior that predict real business impact.Myth #2Connecting learning experiences to behavior change is too difficult.We acknowledge that survey fatigue is real and that attempts to collect data in the weeks and months after a learning program are minimally useful. Self-reporting provides only a limited slice of a leaders behavior. Research methods that control for all the reasons why people change that have nothing to do with training are costly and lack fit with the dynamic business context.Instead, imagine what data might result if you drop the surveys altogether (most of them anyway) and instead embed micro-data collection points throughout a learning experience. This creates opportunities for feedback loops that can be part of the learning experience itself. This is a better fit for how adults learn and even better, it transforms the why behind data collection.Our research on measurement-based health care shows that people are much more willing to answer questions that directly impact their experience, which ultimately contributes to more and higher quality data that can then be aggregated to benefit organizational learning.Myth #3We evaluate to know what something is worth.Okay, we recognize this is a controversial thing to say when we are talking about evaluation. Now that weve got your attention, heres what we mean. Collecting data to evaluate the merit or worth of something is always a political activity. Emerging leaders want the program to continue because it will enhance their chances of promotion. Senior leaders believe in the program because it enhances the companys reputation as a place that develops leaders. And yes, talent development leaders want to prove that their programs matter and enhance the business. When these things are true (and even when they are not?), organizations tend to hold learning data too close.While talent development leaders may share metrics with HR or management, they often dont put the data in the hands of those who can make the biggest difference with it. Its not enough to generate data dashboards and produce reports. Whats needed is to integrate real-time relevant data into a dialogue about what we can do more of, do less of, or do differently to increase impact.Its time to move beyond using data only to prove something. The real power of data comes when organizations use it as a catalyst to spark curiosity, fuel shared learning, and inspire collective actionan essential shift too many still overlook.From Transaction to Transformation: Embedding Micro-Data for Real-Time LearningToo often, learning data collection is treated as a post-training transaction a quick survey asking participants to rate their experience after the fact. The result? Feedback becomes an afterthought, disconnected from the actual learning. And learning and development (L&D) teams are left relying on goodwill for insights that may never arrive.We propose a shift: from evaluation as an endpoint to evaluation as a learning strategy. When you embed data collection directly into the learning experience, you turn insight into action in the moment.This approach puts learning data closest to where decisions are being made. Heres how to start:Ask Questions that Shift the LearnerDesign questions that do more than gather opinions ask ones that evoke insight, awareness, or behavior change. These questions should feel like part of the learning itself, not a separate task. When data collection deepens the learners engagement, you get useful data for evaluation and training impact.Share Results in Real TimeAs data is collected, make results visible immediately within the learning experience. Show participants how their responses are shaping the journey. This not only builds trust but creates opportunities for real-time customization even in asynchronous settings.Build a Feedback loop that Powers LearningWhen questions are well-designed and responses are used immediately, you unlock a powerful feedback loop. Data isnt just captured it is applied. Even self-reported outcomes, gathered throughout the experience, can be woven into a story of change that speaks to both learner and organizational impact.This model requires more intention from L&D teams but delivers far greater value to learners and to the organization. Measurement of leadership development that is embedded in the Why? what we call the theory of change creates a pathway that shows impact across individual leaders, teams, and the organization. Visualizing the path, as shown below, helps create the connections forward when planning leadership programs and backward when measuring crucial outcomes.Pathway to Embedding Leadership Development OutcomesThe key question isnt Can we do this? but How might we?The real magic happens when we use data as a starting point to explore, engage, and evolve together. Ultimately this is about strengthening a culture that values execution, which is about getting it right, and learning, which is about getting it better. Creating data transparency and pushing information access to the people who can drive the change requires shifts in candor, as it changes how we lead, listen, and design programs.Our model is more than a method its a mindset. If youre ready to move beyond proving value to creating it in real time, we invite you to experiment, reflect, and learn with us. In our next post, we will showcase organizations that are taking a human-centered systems thinking approach with learning measurement.Read more:Breaking Through: People-Centered Transformation Powered by LearningHow to Assess Leadership Skills for a Leadership Development ProgramStrategic AlignmentTalent ManagementShare this resourceShare on LinkedInShare on FacebookShare on XShare on WhatsAppEmail this PageConnect with usChange isnt easy, but we can help. Together well create informed and inspired leaders ready to shape the future of your business.Contact usLatest InsightsTalent ManagementScale Innovation with Speed: The ABCs of Leading InnovationInnovation is an organization-wide capability requiring leaders who can foster collaboration, experimentation, and execution at Read more: Scale Innovation with Speed: The ABCs of Leading InnovationArticleStrategic AlignmentWhy the Tortoise Doesnt Win Anymore: Speed to Skill as a Competitive AdvantageIn a fast-changing market, sustainable advantage comes from how quickly organizations can identify skill needs, Read more: Why the Tortoise Doesnt Win Anymore: Speed to Skill as a Competitive AdvantageArticleTransformationBreaking Through: People-Centered Transformation Powered by LearningOrganizations can embed learning measures into learning for more immediate impact to enrich the experience Read more: Breaking Through: People-Centered Transformation Powered by LearningArticleFuture of WorkFPT Partners with Harvard Business Impact, Empowering Global Workforce with AI-Driven Learning SolutionsFPT partners with Harvard Business Impact to boost leadership development and talent growth. Read more: FPT Partners with Harvard Business Impact, Empowering Global Workforce with AI-Driven Learning SolutionsNewsThe post Beyond the Survey: Design Learning Data for Real-Time Impact appeared first on Harvard Business Impact.

Insights2025 Global Leadership Development StudyHarvard Business Impacts 3rd Annual StudyFast, Fluid, and Future-Focused LearningThrough interviews with and a survey of more than 1,100 Learning & Development (L&D) professionals and functional leaders across more than 14 countries, the theme that emerged this year is that L&D has a new mandate. The business is looking for fast, fluid, and future-focused learning.In response, the velocity of organizational learning must be accelerated through a reciprocal exchange of information between Al and the people working alongside it. This mandate demands big changes from L&D and has important implications for leadership development and more. Organizational learning is now a serious competitive differentiator.Download the report1,100+L&D and HR professionals andfunctional heads surveyed14+countries acrossmultiple industries20,000+employees at nearly half of companies surveyedIn the coming year, respondents foresee three objectives for L&D to develop leaders for future success.Build a Change-Seeking Organizational CultureIn this years survey, 40% say their organizations are putting even more emphasis this year than last on building a change-ready organization.We use the 4B analysis as we look at the workforce well need in the future and determine how we are going to get it. Are we going to buy, build, or borrow the talent, skill, or expertise? Or does this task get transferred to a button or bot? This kind of analysis is done in every market, every function, every business line now. Head of Corporate Training & Development at a Multinational Food and Beverage CompanyReadiness Reimagined: How to Build a Change-Seeking CulturePredict the Nonlinear Evolution of Roles44% of survey respondents say their organization will put greater emphasis this year than last on supporting workforce upskilling and reskilling in their leadership development programs.We have [many] technical people who are strong technical experts, butwith a lower capability in transmitting knowledge back into the leadership. Head of HR in North America for a Multinational Transportation CompanyThe Fluid Future of Work: Rethinking Roles in the Age of Intelligent MachinesAccelerate Speed to SkillWhether learning initiatives are designed to develop a skill, create alignment, improve collaboration, foster new ideas, or encourage changes in perspectives, they all have new requirements: they need to be more easily scalable, happen faster, and be delivered in context for the organization.Taking a broader view that considers how I can strengthen collective intelligence by supporting collective memory, attention, and reasoning can open opportunities to unlock the true potential of human-AI collaboration. Christoph Riedl, How to Use AI to Build Your Companys Collective Intelligence, HBR.orgWhy the Tortoise Doesnt Win Anymore: Speed to Skill as a Competitive AdvantageThree Strategies to Address Learning & Development ObjectivesAmplify with AILean into Full-Immersion LearningChampion the Complementary ElementsResearch ReportDiscover how to prepare your leaders to thrive in an AI-driven world.Download reportResearch FindingsDive deep into the results from our study.Download reportExplore the infographics to uncover more insights 3 L&D Priorities for Building the Collective Intelligence of Humans and MachinesView the infographic 3 Strategies to Meet the MomentView the infographic The Future Is Fluent: Why AI Demands a New Kind of LeaderView the infographicSee how forward-thinking companies are adapting to change and transforming at scale.Charles SchwabMastering Leadership in a Dynamic World at Charles SchwabThrough Advanced LEAD, a nomination-based program for high-potential directors and managing directors, Charles Schwab empowers its leaders with the strategic mindset and networks needed to thrive in a dynamic industry. Read the client storyRabobankDeveloping Leaders for Transformation at RabobankRabobank leveraged strategic leadership development to navigate significant change and realize its transformation goals.Read the client storyAtosDeveloping Managers to Lead Confidently through Transformation at AtosAtos, a global leader in digital transformation, is preparing a global population of change-leaders to thrive amid digital disruption by empowering them with the skills to become more consultative partners to their clients and to inspire and motivate diverse individuals and teams.Read the client storyOman Arab BankBuilding Leadership for the Future at Oman Arab BankOman Arab Bank aims to build a prosperous future aligned with Oman Vision 2040, focusing on innovation, sustainability, and equal opportunities.Read the client storyMaybankInvesting in Digital Learning for Greater Effectiveness at MaybankTo rapidly upskill its employees with the capabilities emerging in the new economy, financial services leader Maybank adopted an agile approach to development: They provided their entire workforce with access to digital learning and anticipated evolving business conditions with the most relevant learning resources.Read the client storyAbout the researchStudy MethodologyBased on 1,159 survey responses, plus interviews with senior L&D and functional leaders (JanuaryMarch 2025).RegionsThe Americas40%Asia Pacific28%Europe, the Middle East, and all others32%SectorsFinancial Services25%Energy & Utility12%Spread out other industries63%Company SizeRevenue more than $10B51%Headcount more than 20,00047%RoleL&D/HR Professionals50%Functional Heads50%Previous Global Leadership Development StudiesIn 2023, we launched our first study of global leaders responsible for leadership development to understand their business and human capital priorities for the coming year, and in what ways they are relying on their leaders to meet those objectives.Explore insights from our past global leadership development studies below.2024 Global Leadership Development StudyTime to TransformThe theme that emerged in 2024 wasthe need to advance the practice of leadership to meet the needs of transformation efforts across organizations.Explore the insights2023 Global Leadership Development StudyReady for AnythingIn 2023, we discovered a greater need todevelop leaders who are truly ready for anything.Explore the insightsFuture of WorkLeadership DevelopmentShare this resourceShare on LinkedInShare on FacebookShare on XShare on WhatsAppEmail this PageConnect with usChange isnt easy, but we can help. Together well create informed and inspired leaders ready to shape the future of your business.Contact usThe post 2025 Global Leadership Development Study appeared first on Harvard Business Impact.

InsightsOn-Demand WebinarFast, Fluid, and Future-Focused:Collective Intelligence in the Age of AIRegister NowMark MaroneDirector, Global InsightsHarvard Business ImpactPrarthana KumarDirector, Strategic Learning Management, APACHarvard Business ImpactRajeev MandloiStrategic Learning Manager, EMEAHarvard Business ImpactAI is reshaping roles, hierarchies, and the pace of changeand L&D is at the center of that transformation.Hear from our experts as they share findings from our 2025 Global Leadership Development Study, capturing insights from over 1,100 L&D professionals and functional leaders across 14+ countries.What to expectIn this session, youll discover:The top objectives for L&Dleaders in 2025How AI is influencinglearning, leadership, and strategyKey actions organizations are takingto build fast, fluid, future-focused learning culturesDont miss these data-backed insights and practical strategies to prepare for the future of work!Register NowYou will be redirected to the webinar recording once you submit the form. First Name * Last Name * Job Title * Organization * Business Email * Country * Please Select United States United Kingdom Afghanistan Aland Islands Albania Algeria American Samoa Andorra Angola Anguilla Antarctica Antigua and Barbuda Argentina Armenia Aruba Australia Austria Azerbaijan Bahamas Bahrain Bangladesh Barbados Belarus Belgium Belize Benin Bermuda Bhutan Bolivia Bosnia and Herzegovina Botswana Bouvet Island Brazil British Indian Ocean Territory Brunei Darussalam Bulgaria Burkina Faso Burundi Cambodia Cameroon Canada Cape Verde Cayman Islands Central African Republic Chad Chile China Christmas Island Cocos (Keeling) Islands Colombia Comoros Congo Congo, The Democratic Republic of Cook Islands Costa Rica Cote dIvoire Croatia Cuba Cyprus Czech Republic Denmark Djibouti Dominica Dominican Republic Ecuador Egypt El Salvador Equatorial Guinea Eritrea Estonia Ethiopia Falkland Islands (Malvinas) Faroe Islands Fiji Finland France French Guiana French Polynesia French Southern Territories Gabon Gambia Georgia Germany Ghana Gibraltar Greece Greenland Grenada Guadeloupe Guam Guatemala Guernsey Guinea Guinea-Bissau Guyana Haiti Heard Island and McDonald Islands Holy See (Vatican City State) Honduras Hong Kong Hungary Iceland India Indonesia Iran, Islamic Republic of Iraq Ireland Isle of Man Israel Italy Jamaica Japan Jersey Jordan Kazakhstan Kenya Kiribati Korea, Democratic Peoples Republic Korea, Republic of Kuwait Kyrgyzstan Lao Peoples Democratic Republic Latvia Lebanon Lesotho Liberia Libyan Arab Jamahiriya Liechtenstein Lithuania Luxembourg Macao Macedonia The Former Yugoslav Republic Madagascar Malawi Malaysia Maldives Mali Malta Marshall Islands Martinique Mauritania Mauritius Mayotte Mexico Micronesia, Federated States of Moldova, Republic of Monaco Mongolia Montenegro Montserrat Morocco Mozambique Myanmar Namibia Nauru Nepal Netherlands Netherlands Antilles New Caledonia New Zealand Nicaragua Niger Nigeria Niue Norfolk Island Northern Mariana Islands Norway Oman Pakistan Palau Palestinian Territory,Occupied Panama Papua New Guinea Paraguay Peru Philippines Pitcairn Poland Portugal Puerto Rico Qatar Reunion Romania Russian Federation Rwanda Saint Helena Saint Kitts and Nevis Saint Lucia Saint Pierre and Miquelon Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Samoa San Marino Sao Tome and Principe Saudi Arabia Senegal Serbia Serbia and Montenegro Seychelles Sierra Leone Singapore Slovakia Slovenia Solomon Islands Somalia South Africa South Georgia & Sandwich Islands Spain Sri Lanka Sudan Suriname Svalbard and Jan Mayen Swaziland Sweden Switzerland Syrian Arab Republic Taiwan Tajikistan Tanzania, United Republic of Thailand Timor-Leste Togo Tokelau Tonga Trinidad and Tobago Tunisia Turkey Turkmenistan Turks and Caicos Islands Tuvalu Uganda Ukraine United Arab Emirates United States Minor Outlying Islands Uruguay Uzbekistan Vanuatu Venezuela Viet Nam Virgin Islands, British Virgin Islands, U.S. Wallis and Futuna Western Sahara Yemen Zambia Zimbabwe By checking this box, you agree to receive emails and communications from Harvard Business Impact. To opt-out, please visit our Privacy Policy. Share this resourceShare on LinkedInShare on FacebookShare on XShare on WhatsAppEmail this PageThe post Fast, Fluid, and Future-Focused:Collective Intelligence in the Age of AI appeared first on Harvard Business Impact.

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InsightsBreaking Through: People-Centered Transformation Powered by LearningPatrick Voorhies, Ed.D.August 13, 2025Andriy Onufriyenko/Getty ImagesIn brief:Many organizations hit barriers to connecting learning measurement to behavior change that brings value to the business, but systems can be created to advance progress.In any role or industry, learning measures can be embedded into learning for more immediate impact enriching the experience and driving better business outcomes.Talent development leaders can speed progress when they build on whats in place, starting with systems where data is already being captured, and shifting to measure outcomes over activities.This post is co-authored by Patrick Voorhies, Ed.D., Manager, Talent & Development, Motiva Enterprises, and Susan Douglas, Ph.D., Professor of Practice at Vanderbilt University and an executive and team coach. Achieving higher-level results from learning and leadership development remains elusive for many organizations. As we discussed in our recent post, Beyond the Survey: Design Learning Data for Real-Time Impact, there are many complexities and challenges slowing progress.For organizations working to drive real change and transformation, old models for learning measurement are too slow and ineffective. It takes systems, discipline, and transparency to achieve real results. We recommend a more adaptive and holistic approach where you consider each programs unique goals and outcomes within the larger context of business objectives.Beyond current models: thinking holistically around the power of learning analytics and metrics to fuel action and change behaviors aligned with business objectives.Here we share three examples of practical shifts organizations made to move toward human-centered inquiry, recognizing the power of learning analytics and metrics to fuel action and change behaviors aligned with the business.Example 1 Starting small and simple to show insightsWe recently worked with a large multinational energy company where the approach to evaluating leadership development programs, especially those for frontline supervisors, was rooted in participant satisfaction, facilitator effectiveness, and Net Promoter Score (NPS). Following the global enterprise deployment of a new supervisor development program to several hundred frontline leaders worldwide, executive sponsors tasked program leaders to report on the success of the offering.Previously, program managers and stakeholders had become conditioned to answer questions from executives about the effectiveness of learning programs to say that they had a nearly perfect NPS and received glowing e-mails from previous program participants. However, in the backdrop of a more competitive landscape, executive sponsors wanted more robust evidence of success: was there any chance that participants intended to change their behavior after participating in the program? Were they going to use the new skills they learned?In our work with this organization, we collaborated with stakeholders to implement a streamlined evaluation form that was only 7 Likert scale post-learning questions that focused on self-perceptions of learning transfer: usefulness of content, applicability to their job, support on the job from their manager and colleagues, and opportunity to apply their newly acquired skills. The higher response rate for this more straightforward form from otherwise busy frontline leaders formalized feedback mechanisms and directly tied the feedback obtained from participants to the outcomes that executives cared about: learning and leader effectiveness tied to organizational outcomes.Start where you are. By continuously guiding highly skeptical stakeholders to embrace an adaptive mindset, we began to shift their focus away from limitations around reporting and data and more toward the possibilities even within imperfect systems.There was value in fewer questions that were targeted and research-backed, beyond standard satisfaction, NPS, or facilitator ratings. Gaining buy-in required trust and a willingness to experiment. Skepticism only disappeared when this new approach delivered more actionable insights for stakeholders and executives. Most participants found they could apply the content on the job, use what they learned, and felt supported by their leaders. These insights helped us refine the program and strengthened executive confidence in our impact.Example 2 Embedding learning practices into existing operations and routinesWhile not a company we have directly worked with, we have both admired the way that Amazon utilizes data to inform practice, and how they could use this information to continuously improve business operations or safety training programs. From reviewing Amazons safety practices, they monitor real-time factors using data such as work-hour patterns to understand fatigue risks during peak shifts, and incident hotspots such as repetitive motion injuries in specific roles.In our experience, weve observed that these kinds of practices could alert managers to take real-time actions if employees exceed exposure times or if certain patterns are likely to happen. Safety training programs for both managers and employees can help account for behaviors to address issues related to a safety stand down or the focus of the next safety briefing. This can rely on data already tracked as part of business operations, such as driving, equipment use, or order fulfillment.Amazons practices are an excellent example of the kind of participatory feedback loops we are recommending. They do not feel like extra work for employees and partners. Organizations can measure the frequency of leadership check-ins, quality of post-incident briefs, and perceptions of leadership commitment to safety through iterative data collection. These practices can be embedded in the evaluative mindsets of the team through continuous challenging of assumptions, feedback to those who can act in near-real time, and iterative improvement.Data-driven adaptations and leadership engagement are hallmarks of the types of embedded evaluation approaches we advocate for within systems, learning programs, and organizations. Weve observed that practices like these have yielded a reduction in recordable injury rates and lost time incidents.Example 3 Humanizing data at the point of careHave you ever answered questions about how youve been sleeping or feeling in the waiting room of your doctors office? That is measurement-based care, grounded in measures completed by patients. Unlike measuring blood pressure with a cuff or doing a blood test to assess A1C levels, in mental health care, we dont have many tools that can give us access to meaningful metrics. When patients complete brief measures on their problems and concerns, and their providers review and talk about the results in that visit, the research shows that care is more effective and efficient. When the questions spark curiosity and the answers are used to guide collaboration, peoples symptoms improve faster.We can apply lessons from this to learning and development. By collecting data throughout an intervention, learners encounter smaller bite-sized sets of questions that are less burdensome. Questions that are directly relevant to the experience at hand provide a valuable moment for reflection-in-action, a core component of learning that influences behavior. When the data becomes part of the dialogue in the moment, youve transformed a learning experience into a multi-modal strategy of engaging with learners. This both increases learning transfer and can reinforce the connection to larger goals. And, when you use readily accessible technology to capture and display data, you gain the advantage of real-time data for immediate use and aggregation for long-term organizational learning.So, how do you embed measurement within peoples daily jobs?Three Practical Steps to Shake Up Your Organizations Approach to Learning MeasurementStart where you areNo system or tool is perfect and most organizational data is messy. Dont let this reality block progress toward program improvement. If you already collect happy sheets or other forms of participation data, its easy to switch out questions in existing tools and forms to more evidence-based questions such as those that assess learning transfer. Sharing findings and recommendations from the data you collect is what will drive the desire for learning and improvement by bringing voices of stakeholders from the frontline to the C-suite. We think that this cadence of sharing the perspectives of the organization with decision makers creates the desire for more program improvement supported from the top down.Go to where the data isEmbed in existing programs, systems, and tools. Most interventions are plagued with low response rates for the surveys and instruments that they deploy. This makes sense when you consider the constant state of overwhelm most knowledge workers find themselves in, not to mention deskless workers, such as those in remote or field operations. Formative check-ins on critical levels of change such as motivation, intent to apply, or cognitive load during the progress of a program can open up opportunities to course-correct even as the program is delivered.Embrace measuring outcomes over activitiesParticipation and reaction data is the easiest data to collect, but it is also the least helpful in evaluating program outcomes. Discovering participants do, or do not, attend your program or if they like it has no bearing on how that training may improve organizational effectiveness or performance. In times of economic uncertainty, some learning experiences may appear to be a luxury, such as expensive leadership development programs. Your C-suite may feel that you are the events planning team rather than understanding your strategic role in driving the performance of the organization. To change this perception, you must present data that demonstrates how this kind of development is a critical lever to performance. If you cant make that case, desired culture change will remain elusive.Learning evaluation and measurement for leadership development programs can feel like a monumental, impossible task where data is elusive and participants are unwilling captives to your ploys to collect data. By starting small and taking an iterative mindset to evolve over time, and in a way that is already part of the operational rhythm of your program or business, you can build the momentum and credibility needed to embed evaluation in a way that establishes actionable insights and builds an organization of data-informed decisions.Read more:Beyond the Survey: Design Learning Data for Real-Time ImpactHow to Assess Leadership Skills for a Leadership Development ProgramTalent ManagementTransformationShare this resourceShare on LinkedInShare on FacebookShare on XShare on WhatsAppEmail this PageConnect with usChange isnt easy, but we can help. Together well create informed and inspired leaders ready to shape the future of your business.Contact usLatest InsightsTalent ManagementScale Innovation with Speed: The ABCs of Leading InnovationInnovation is an organization-wide capability requiring leaders who can foster collaboration, experimentation, and execution at Read more: Scale Innovation with Speed: The ABCs of Leading InnovationArticleStrategic AlignmentWhy the Tortoise Doesnt Win Anymore: Speed to Skill as a Competitive AdvantageIn a fast-changing market, sustainable advantage comes from how quickly organizations can identify skill needs, Read more: Why the Tortoise Doesnt Win Anymore: Speed to Skill as a Competitive AdvantageArticleTransformationBreaking Through: People-Centered Transformation Powered by LearningOrganizations can embed learning measures into learning for more immediate impact to enrich the experience Read more: Breaking Through: People-Centered Transformation Powered by LearningArticleFuture of WorkFPT Partners with Harvard Business Impact, Empowering Global Workforce with AI-Driven Learning SolutionsFPT partners with Harvard Business Impact to boost leadership development and talent growth. Read more: FPT Partners with Harvard Business Impact, Empowering Global Workforce with AI-Driven Learning SolutionsNewsThe post Breaking Through: People-Centered Transformation Powered by Learning appeared first on Harvard Business Impact.

InsightsWhy the Tortoise Doesnt Win Anymore: Speed to Skill as a Competitive AdvantageMark Marone, PhDAugust 18, 2025Richard Drury/Getty ImagesIn brief:In a fast-changing market, sustainable advantage comes from how quickly organizations can identify skill needs, acquire them, and apply them in real timebefore the competitive landscape shifts again.Firms like Google, OpenAI, and Unilever integrate learning directly into work, leveraging data, rapid iteration, and internal mobility to create a continuous cycle of skill acquisition, application, and impact.Accelerating speed to skill requires more than faster trainingit demands strategic alignment on future skills, psychologically safe environments to apply them, and performance metrics that reward learning agility.For 2,000 years, the fable The Tortoise and the Hare has offered a lesson in patience and persistence. Slow and steady wins the race, the story goes. Deliberate, methodical progress beats speed.But in todays business landscape, that moral increasingly feels outdated.Welcome to an era where speed to skillhow quickly individuals and organizations can learn, adapt, and apply new capabilitieshas become a defining competitive advantage. In fact, it may be the only sustainable competitive advantage left. The new race is to see who learns fastest, applies that learning in real time, and gets maximum ROI before the landscape and the skills needed to navigate it shift again.The Hare Learns a LessonIn the classic tale, the hare loses. The advantage of his natural speed is undermined by his arrogance and complacency. But imagine a different version: one where the hare has learned his lesson and recognizes there is no time for napping under a tree. Instead, he scans the terrain for the best way forward, learns from every misstep, and uses those lessons immediately to move ahead, smarter and faster.Thats todays winning strategy in business. Companies are now consciously improving their speed to skill, making them more agile and adaptive. And theyre pulling away from competitors, even those making slow but steady progress.Institutionalizing Learning at SpeedOn the cutting edge are companies like Google and OpenAI, which approach learning like an extreme sport. OpenAI, for example, has built systems that treat every launch as a learning opportunity. Nearly 100% of releases are A/B tested, and those insights feed back into rapid cycles of iteration, dramatically increasing what some call their learning velocity.At Google, speed to skill is also measured with surgical precision, especially on engineering teams. Through its DORA (DevOps Research and Assessment) framework, Google tracks how long it takes teams to deploy new code, recover from failures, and iterate changes. These metrics reflect how fast teams learn from the real world and integrate that learning into the product.Speed to Skill at ScaleLearning velocity isnt limited to tech companies. Unilever has become a global model for what it means to build speed to skill at scale. Through its internal talent marketplace, employees can map their own career paths and identify the skills theyll need. They can access relevant learning and apply their new capabilities immediately by volunteering for short-term internal gigs. For instance, a marketing professional can learn basic data analysis and then test that skill in a data-driven project in a time frame of just weeks.This integration of learning, doing, and performing creates a virtuous cycle: faster skill acquisition, faster application, and a faster impact on the business. Its no coincidence that Unilever consistently ranks among the most future-ready global companies.Why This Matters NowThe half-life of skills is shrinking, quickly. The World Economic Forum predicts that by 2027 44% of workers core skills will be disrupted. AI is transforming job roles at a pace that is making some training programs obsolete before they can be completed.And the pressure for speed is mounting. According to our 2025 Fast, Fluid, and Future-Focused study, 55% of organizations say that incorporating gen AI, AI, or machine learning into business practices is a top priority this year. It follows that nearly half also said there are significantly increased expectations of leaders to upskill their teams in AI.Faster training delivery alone isnt the full solution to the problem of accelerating speed to skill. Organizations must first understand the skills they will need, something that must go hand in hand with setting strategy. Second, the training must be effective and applicable. Third, it all needs to happen within an organizational culture that embraces the application of new skillsa change-seeking organization. It is a task for which many business leaders and organizations arent fully prepared.A New Moral for a New RaceSo whats the takeaway for business leaders?The lesson isnt that speed always wins. Its that learning speed wins in a world that rewards insight, agility, and action.If youre a leader, ask yourself:Is learning embedded in our C-suite strategy discussions?How quickly can our teams integrate new technologies, tools, or processes? How do we know?Knowing our strategy, do our people have the opportunity to help identify the skills they are going to need?Does our leadership create a psychologically safe environment that is conducive to applying new skills?Are our performance measurements and incentives aligned with accelerating our organizations learning velocity?To compete in this new race, organizations must design for speed to skill. Its not just about training programs but also systems and environments that make learning continuous, contextual, and integral to performance.When it comes to learning, its time to retire the old fable. The new one is being written every day by companies that are learning their way to the finish linefaster than ever before.Leadership DevelopmentStrategic AlignmentShare this resourceShare on LinkedInShare on FacebookShare on XShare on WhatsAppEmail this PageConnect with usChange isnt easy, but we can help. Together well create informed and inspired leaders ready to shape the future of your business.Contact usLatest InsightsTalent ManagementScale Innovation with Speed: The ABCs of Leading InnovationInnovation is an organization-wide capability requiring leaders who can foster collaboration, experimentation, and execution at Read more: Scale Innovation with Speed: The ABCs of Leading InnovationArticleStrategic AlignmentWhy the Tortoise Doesnt Win Anymore: Speed to Skill as a Competitive AdvantageIn a fast-changing market, sustainable advantage comes from how quickly organizations can identify skill needs, Read more: Why the Tortoise Doesnt Win Anymore: Speed to Skill as a Competitive AdvantageArticleTransformationBreaking Through: People-Centered Transformation Powered by LearningOrganizations can embed learning measures into learning for more immediate impact to enrich the experience Read more: Breaking Through: People-Centered Transformation Powered by LearningArticleFuture of WorkFPT Partners with Harvard Business Impact, Empowering Global Workforce with AI-Driven Learning SolutionsFPT partners with Harvard Business Impact to boost leadership development and talent growth. Read more: FPT Partners with Harvard Business Impact, Empowering Global Workforce with AI-Driven Learning SolutionsNewsThe post Why the Tortoise Doesnt Win Anymore: Speed to Skill as a Competitive Advantage appeared first on Harvard Business Impact.

InsightsScale Innovation with Speed: The ABCs of Leading InnovationShruti PatelAugust 21, 2025JamesBrey/iStockIn brief:Innovation is not just the domain of R&D, but a collective, organization-wide capability requiring leaders who can foster collaboration, experimentation, and execution at scale.Effective leaders act as Architects (designing systems and culture), Bridgers (connecting silos and fostering diverse perspectives), and Catalysts (mobilizing action on bold ideas). Scaling innovation demands leaders who can fluidly move between these roles.Organizations should stop treating innovation as one-off events and instead embed it as an ongoing capability.In an era of constant disruption and complexity, innovation isnt just a competitive edge, its a leadership imperative. That was the core message from Linda A. Hill, Wallace Brett Donham Professor of Business Administration at the Harvard Business School, during her powerful keynote at the Harvard Business Impacts 2025 Partners Meeting.Drawing from her upcoming book Genius at Scale: How Great Leaders Drive Innovation, Professor Hill challenged traditional notions of innovation as the responsibility of Research and Development (R&D) or a handful of creative thinkers. Instead, she framed innovation as a collective, organization-wide capability. One that can only thrive when leaders are equipped to foster collaboration, experimentation, and bold execution at scale.Why Innovation Fails to ScaleMany organizations generate great ideas but struggle to implement them broadly. Professor Hill identified a critical gap: the ability to scale innovation with speed.Whether its digital transformation or operational reinvention, scaling requires more than strategy, it demands leadership behaviors that mobilize cross-functional momentum.The ABCs of Leading InnovationProfessor Hill introduced a powerful framework from her research: the three leadership roles required to innovate at scale.1Architects Design the conditions, systems, and values that enable innovation across the enterprise.Bridgers Connect silos, build internal and external partnerships, and foster diverse perspectives.Catalysts Mobilize people to act on bold ideas and co-create solutions at speed.Organizations that succeed in embedding innovation, Professor Hill explained, are those that develop leaders who can move fluidly across these roles, not just at the top, but at every level of the organization.From Collective Genius to Genius at ScaleProfessor Hills earlier book, Collective Genius: The Art and Practice of Leading Innovation explored how great leaders cultivate environments where innovation thrives. And Genius at Scale builds on that foundation, focusing on how to operationalize and embed innovation across large, complex organizations navigating transformation.Her call to action: stop treating innovation as episodic. Instead, make it a continuous, scalable capability, supported by leaders who know how to design culture, connect systems, and ignite progress.Final Reflection: Are You Building Bridgers?Professor Hill shared a candid insight from a recent executive conversation: We dont have enough leaders who can bridge. The immediate reaction? Replace them. Her response? Not so fast. If we arent rewarding collaboration, partnership, and ecosystem thinking, were not enabling leaders to bridge, were discouraging it.Instead of replacing talent, we should be developing leaders with the mindsets and behaviors needed to lead across functions, markets, and sectors. Because in todays environment, real transformation doesnt just require innovation, it requires integration.Hill, L.A., Tedards, E., Wild, J. and Weber, K., 2022. What makes a great leader? Mastering the ABCs of innovation at scale. Harvard Business Review, 19 September. Available at: https://hbr.org/2022/09/what-makes-a-great-leader Strategic AlignmentTalent ManagementTransformationShare this resourceShare on LinkedInShare on FacebookShare on XShare on WhatsAppEmail this PageConnect with usChange isnt easy, but we can help. Together well create informed and inspired leaders ready to shape the future of your business.Contact usLatest InsightsTalent ManagementScale Innovation with Speed: The ABCs of Leading InnovationInnovation is an organization-wide capability requiring leaders who can foster collaboration, experimentation, and execution at Read more: Scale Innovation with Speed: The ABCs of Leading InnovationArticleStrategic AlignmentWhy the Tortoise Doesnt Win Anymore: Speed to Skill as a Competitive AdvantageIn a fast-changing market, sustainable advantage comes from how quickly organizations can identify skill needs, Read more: Why the Tortoise Doesnt Win Anymore: Speed to Skill as a Competitive AdvantageArticleTransformationBreaking Through: People-Centered Transformation Powered by LearningOrganizations can embed learning measures into learning for more immediate impact to enrich the experience Read more: Breaking Through: People-Centered Transformation Powered by LearningArticleFuture of WorkFPT Partners with Harvard Business Impact, Empowering Global Workforce with AI-Driven Learning SolutionsFPT partners with Harvard Business Impact to boost leadership development and talent growth. Read more: FPT Partners with Harvard Business Impact, Empowering Global Workforce with AI-Driven Learning SolutionsNewsThe post Scale Innovation with Speed: The ABCs of Leading Innovation appeared first on Harvard Business Impact.