© Development Dimensions International, Inc., MMXII. All rights reserved.
RESEARCH RESULTS–CLIENT
SETTING THE STANDARD FOR MANAGERIAL EXCELLENCE INDUSTRY
Financial Investment Organization
LOCATION(S)
Global
DDI PRODUCT USED
Interaction Management®: Exceptional Leaders
. . . Extraordinary Results® (IM: EX®)
BUSINESS NEED
Operating in more than 50 countries, the
business is committed to promoting the ethics,
education, and professional excellence in global
investment markets. To achieve this goal, the
organization recognized the importance of
developing a high standard of consistent
leadership excellence across the globe.
SOLUTION
To set the gold standard for leadership
excellence within the organization, the business
partnered with Development Dimensions
International (DDI) to design a leadership
development program. The goal of the
program is to provide leaders with the
knowledge and skills to do more than simply
manage their employees. These leaders learn
how to motivate their employees to be high-
performers through effective communication,
coaching, and decision making. Through the
leadership development program and resulting
increased leadership excellence, the
organization is poised to realize improved
employee performance as well as an overall
improvement in employee attitudes such as
satisfaction, engagement, and motivation.
These outcomes will positively impact the
business through enhanced efficiency,
productivity, and quality of services. These
improved processes and services will, in turn,
expand the organization’s customer base and
increase stakeholder satisfaction.
At the core of the leadership development
program is a customized curriculum of courses
from DDI’s Interaction Management®:
Exceptional Leaders . . . Extraordinary
Results® (IM: EX®) program suite, including:
Essentials of Leadership.
High-Impact Feedback and Listening.
Coaching.
Leading Change.
Resolving Conflict.
Leading High-Performance Teams.
Making High-Quality Decisions.
The leadership development program is
strategically aligned to support and reinforce
nine of the organization’s leadership
competencies: Strategic Vision, Ethical
Leadership, Global Perspective, Servant
Leadership, Leadership Courage, Partnership
Mindset, Effective Communication,
Stakeholder Focus, and Agility.
REALIZATION RESULTS:
The organization experienced a
35 percent increase in the
number of effective leaders,
according to trainees.
There was a 150 percent
overall improvement in the
number of trainees who seek
developmental feedback from
others, according to trainees.
As a result of the program,
more than 90 percent of
trainees report effectively
fostering trust and teamwork in
times of change.
Trainees and their observers
show that the leadership
development program
effectively reinforces the
organization’s nine leadership
competencies.
RESEARCH RESULTS BY: MIKE KEMP
CONSULTANT, CABER
© Development Dimensions International, Inc., MMXII. All rights reserved.
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To evaluate the effectiveness of the
implementation and the impact of the
leadership development program, the
organization worked with DDI to ensure
program participants were applying their new
knowledge and skills back on the job.
RESEARCH DESIGN
DDI’s Training CheckpointSM tool was used to
determine the extent to which participants of
the leadership development program changed
their behaviors as a result of the program and
the impact of that behavior change on the
business. Training CheckpointSM is an online
survey focused on the behavioral objectives and
specific goals of the development program.
Participants and their observers (i.e., managers,
direct reports, and colleagues) received the
survey several months after the participants
completed the program. This time frame
provided participants enough opportunities to
practice implementing new concepts and skills,
yet accurately remember pre-program
behaviors. Program participants and their
observers were asked to rate the extent to
which the participants engaged in desired
behaviors before and after completing the
program. By measuring behavior change, the
transfer of learning from the training
environment to the work setting was evaluated.
In other words: did participants apply the skills they
learned in the leadership development program back on
the job?
Training CheckpointSM also measured the
outcomes of behavior change—individual,
team, and organizational improvements that
have resulted from participants applying the
skills and concepts from the program back on
the job. In addition, organizational factors
supporting the development program were
evaluated—providing insight into opportunities
to refine the program to have even more impact
on the business.
To evaluate the program, surveys were sent to
53 program participants (trainees). Of those
trainees, 34 completed the Checkpoint survey,
resulting in a 64 percent response rate across
multiple levels of leadership in more than 5
global locations and 28 departments (Figures
1, 2, and 3).
Figure 1. Percent of Trainees by Leadership Level
21%
41%
34%
4% Senior Management
Mid-level Management
Frontline Leaders
Other
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Figure 2. Percent of Trainees by Location
Figure 3. Percent of Trainees by Functional Area
Surveys were also sent to 236 observers (183
direct reports and 53 managers) of trainees. A
total of 123 direct reports and 31 managers
completed the survey, resulting in a 67 percent
response rate for direct reports and a 59
percent response rate for managers (Figure 4).
Figure 4. Percent of Observers by Relationship to Trainees
77%
11%
6% 4% 2%
Charlottesville
Hong Kong
New York
London
Remote
11%
9%
6%
6%
6%
6% 5% 4% 4%
4% 4%
3%
3%
29%
Asia Pacific Operations
Marketing & Brand Management
Security
Global Communications
IT Development
IT Operations
Product Strategy
Business Planning & Reporting
Member Services
Contact Center
Business Operations
Multimedia R&D
Web Strategy & Services
Other
Note: Other includes 15 departments with less than 2% response rate
76.9% 19.4% 3.8%
Direct Report
Manager
Other
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RESULTS
For each topic in the leadership development
program, at least three behavioral indicators
(identified as learning objectives) were
evaluated. Both trainees and observers were
asked to rate the frequency (Never or Almost
Never, Rarely, Sometimes, Often, or Almost
Always) with which trainees exhibited each
behavior before and after the program.
Because each of the behavioral indicators
selected was considered a critical outcome of
the program, results focused on the percentage
of trainees who displayed the behaviors “often”
or “almost always” (i.e., the percent of trainees
who frequently engaged in effective leadership
behaviors). The results of this study focus on
the percentage of trainees who were considered
effective before and after the program.
Overall Results: The Bottom Line
Nearly two-thirds (62 percent) of trainees
reported frequently displaying effective
leadership behaviors before going through the
leadership development program, a higher
percentage than is typically observed with
Training CheckpointSM studies in other
organizations (54 percent). This suggests the
organization’s leaders were more effective
before participating in the program than typical
leaders in other organizations. After attending
the program, the number of leaders who
frequently displayed these behaviors rose to 84
percent (a 35 percent overall improvement).
Leaders in other organizations around the
world showed parallel post-program results (85
percent were rated as effective after attending
DDI development programs).
Characteristic of other Training CheckpointSM
studies conducted by DDI, trainees from the
organization were more critical of their pre-
program behaviors, while observers were more
critical of post-program behaviors. Specifically,
observers reported that 56 percent of trainees
frequently displayed effective leadership
behaviors before attending the program. That
number rose to 68 percent after the program; a
20 percent overall increase in the number of
effective leaders, according to observers
(Figure 5).
Figure 5. Percent of Trainees Frequently Displaying Effective Leadership Across All Program
Courses
64.2 56.3
84.2
67.8
0
20
40
60
80
100
Trainees Observers
Per
cen
t o
f T
rain
ees
Ra
ted
"Oft
en"
or
"Alm
ost
Alw
ays
"
Pre-Program Post-Program
As Rated by:
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RESULTS BY COURSE
Results depicting trainee and observer ratings
are presented in this report by course to
highlight the most effective areas of the
leadership development program. Figure 6a
presents the frequency of effective behaviors
pre- and post-program as reported by trainees
for each course; Figure 6b presents the
frequency of effective behaviors as reported by
observers.
In terms of effectiveness after attending the
program, trainee ratings indicated that they
were most proficient in the Essentials of
Leadership (93 percent of trainees frequently
displayed effective behaviors), Making High-
Quality Decisions, and Coaching (87 percent
rated as effective in both areas). Trainees
reported the greatest improvements in
Resolving Conflict (a 73 percent overall
increase in the number of effective leaders),
High-Impact Feedback and Listening (a 70
percent increase), and Coaching (a 59 percent
increase). These three areas were also rated as
the least effective before trainees attended the
program.
Figure 6a. Percentage of Effective Leader Behaviors by Course (Trainee Perspective)
Trainees provide valuable insight into their
efforts to try new approaches and engage in
effective behaviors from the leadership
development program. Observers, on the other
hand, provide a view of how often effective
behaviors are noticed in the work environment.
According to observers, trainees are most
effective in Making High-Quality Decisions (74
percent were rated as effective), Essentials of
Leadership (73 percent effective), and Leading
High-Performance Teams (71 percent effective)
after attending the program. Similar to trainee
insights, observers reported the greatest
improvements in Coaching (a 33 percent
increase in the number of effective leaders),
Resolving Conflict (a 31 percent increase), and
Essentials of Leadership (a 21 percent
increase).
0 20 40 60 80 100
Essentials of Leadership
Making High-QualityDecisions
Coaching
Leading Change
Resolving Conflict
Leading High-Performance Teams
High-Impact Feedbackand Listening
62.6
75.2
54.4
68.7
46.9
65.5
42.3
93.3
87.2
86.5
81.4
81.3
79.9
72.0
Pre-Program Post-Program
Percent of Trainees Rated "Often" or "Almost Always"
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Figure 6b. Percentage of Effective Leader Behaviors by Course (Observer Perspective)
Essentials of Leadership
Leaders have improved communication
skills and effectively establish positive
working relationships as a result of the
leadership development program.
Encouragingly, both trainees and observers
reported this course to be one of the top three
in terms of effectiveness post-program. More
than 93 percent of trainees indicated that they
frequently displayed effective behaviors related
to this course after participating in the program,
while observers indicated 73 percent of trainees
to be effective. Moreover, trainees reported an
impressive 100 percent overall improvement,
essentially doubling the number who engaged
in the specific behavioral indicator: Providing
others with support without removing their
responsibility for action.
“I have used the skills to prepare for and run more
efficient meetings, move projects along quicker, and
empower others to lead efforts while providing
support. I‟ve also tried to encourage my team to try
new approaches, even when unsuccessful. They
respond well to the opportunity.”
—Program Participant
High-Impact Feedback and Listening
As a result of the leadership development
program, leaders are much more likely to
seek developmental feedback from
colleagues.
Trainees reported a 70 percent overall
improvement in behaviors related to High-
Impact Feedback and Listening, while
observers reported a 24 percent improvement.
In terms of specific behaviors, both trainees
and observers agreed that the greatest strides
were made in seeking developmental feedback
from colleagues. Trainees indicated only 18
percent frequently sought development
feedback before the program. After the
program, 46 percent reported seeking
developmental feedback, an overall increase of
150 percent.
0 20 40 60 80 100
Essentials of Leadership
Making High-QualityDecisions
Coaching
Leading Change
Resolving Conflict
Leading High-Performance Teams
High-Impact Feedbackand Listening
60.1
64.3
45.6
55.1
44.9
58.4
47.8
72.6
74.3
60.4
64.8
59.0
70.5
59.3
Pre-Program Post-Program
Percent of Trainees Rated "Often" or "Almost Always"
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Coaching
Leaders are able to reactively address
performance problems and proactively
encourage improvement as a result of the
program.
Trainees reported a 59 percent overall
improvement in behaviors related to the
coaching course, while observers reported a 32
percent overall improvement. Interestingly,
trainees felt they made the greatest
improvements in effectively addressing issues
of poor performance (an 80 percent increase),
while observers reported the greatest
improvements in trainees capitalizing on
opportunities to build others’ skills.
“I found that I often try to have the answers when
helping my staff resolve problems, but I‟ve really
focused on helping them come up with solutions and
asking them: „What do you think?‟ or „How would
you resolve the problem?‟. I am still a resource but
try to engage them more by helping them solve
problems or concerns.”
—Program Participant
Leading Change
The number of leaders who can initiate
change and minimize its potentially
negative effects has substantially increased
as a result of the program.
Across all behaviors in this course, both
trainees and observers reported an 18 percent
overall increase in the number of trainees who
are effective at leading change. After the
program, more than 90 percent of trainees
indicated they were frequently working to foster
trust and teamwork during times of change.
Observers reported leaders were most effective
at listening to and addressing others’ concerns
about change after attending the program.
Resolving Conflict
Leaders are now much more likely to address
workplace conflicts before they escalate.
Of all the courses in the leadership
development program, trainees reported
making the greatest improvements in behaviors
related to Resolving Conflict (a 73 percent
overall increase in the number of effective
leaders). Specifically, only 37 percent of
trainees reported frequently engaging in the
behavior of helping others take responsibility
for resolving their own conflicts before
attending the program. After attending the
program, over 80 percent of trainees reported
frequently engaging in this behavior (an
impressive 117 percent improvement).
Observers noticed the greatest improvement (a
36 percent increase) in trainees’ abilities to
address workplace conflicts before they
escalate.
“I‟ve had to hold three difficult conversations this
year involving conflict, and the discussion planners
and other guidance from the materials helped a lot.”
—Program Participant
Leading High-Performance Teams
Program participants and observers agree
trainees are better at leading teams with a
focus on high performance.
Trainee and observer ratings regarding the
Leading High-Performance Teams course were
greatly aligned. Trainees reported a 21 percent
overall increase in those who frequently
engaged in related behaviors, while observers
reported a 22 percent overall increase.
Additionally, both trainees and observers agreed
that trainees were most effective at the
behavior: Leading the team to accomplish
challenging goals and objectives, after attending
the program. They also agreed that trainees
made the greatest improvements in eliminating
conditions that prevent team members from
achieving high levels of performance.
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Making High-Quality Decisions
Leaders are able to involve the right people
at the right time to help make high-quality
decisions, as well as gain their support for
decisions as a result of the program.
Both trainees and their observers reported a 16
percent overall improvement in behaviors
related to Making High-Quality Decisions. In
terms of specific behaviors, both trainees and
observers agreed the greatest strides were made
in involving the right people at the right time
when making decisions. In today’s turbulent,
fast-paced business environment, leaders need
to be able to quickly size up a situation, involve
the right people, weigh the risks and rewards
for different courses of action, and then act.
Leaders now have the knowledge and skills to
help them make high-quality decisions that will
positively impact the business.
Leadership Competencies
The leadership development program
effectively reinforces the organization’s
leadership competencies.
The leadership development program is
strategically aligned with nine of the
organization’s leadership competencies: Ethical
Leadership, Global Perspective, Stakeholder
Focus, Agility, Servant Leadership, Partnership
Mindset, Effective Communication, Leadership
Courage, and Strategic Vision. During each
course, relevant leadership competencies were
discussed with regard to how the course
knowledge, skills, and materials aligned with
those competencies.
Figure 7a presents the frequency of essential
behaviors for each leadership competency pre-
and post-program as reported by trainees;
Figure 7b presents the same as reported by
observers. Before participating in the program,
73 percent of trainees reported frequently
engaging in the essential behaviors related to
the nine leadership competencies. That number
rose to 85 percent post-program (a 16 percent
overall improvement). Observers reported 66
percent of trainees frequently displayed the
essential behaviors across the leadership
competencies before attending the program.
After trainees attended the program, observers
reported an average of 75 percent of trainees
frequently displayed the leadership
competencies.
According to both trainees and observers, not
much change occurred with regard to Ethical
Leadership because trainees were already highly
effective in this area before attending the
program (85 to 94 percent frequently displaying
ethical leadership). Trainees indicated the
greatest improvements in Agility (a 31 percent
increase) while observers reported the greatest
improvements in Strategic Vision.
© Development Dimensions International, Inc., MMXII. All rights reserved.
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Figure 7a. Percentage of Effective Behaviors by the Organization’s Leadership Competencies
(Trainee Perspective)
Figure 7b. Percentage of Effective Behaviors by the Organization’s Leadership Competencies
(Observer Perspective)
0 20 40 60 80 100
Ethical Leadership
Global Perspective
Stakeholder Focus
Agility
Servant Leadership
Partnership Mindset
Effective…
Leadership Courage
Strategic Vision
Overall
94.1
82.4
75.7
67.6
70.5
72.7
70.6
66.7
58.8
73.2
94.1
91.1
90.9
88.2
85.3
84.8
82.4
78.8
70.6
85.1
Pre-Program Post-Program
Percent of Trainees Rated "Often" or "Almost Always"
0 20 40 60 80 100
Ethical Leadership
Global Perspective
Stakeholder Focus
Agility
Servant Leadership
Partnership Mindset
Effective…
Leadership Courage
Strategic Vision
Overall
85.0
74.8
73.5
64.1
57.7
63.2
64.5
56.2
51.0
65.6
86.7
83.9
81.4
75.0
64.7
74.7
70.2
71.1
65.6
74.8
Pre-Program Post-Program
Percent of Trainees Rated "Often" or "Almost Always"
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IMPACT OF THE PROGRAM
Individual Job Performance
Trainees reported a 6 percent improvement in
their overall job performance (Figure 8) and
that over half of this improvement (52 percent)
was directly attributed to the program.
Figure 8. Improvement in Overall Job Performance (Trainee Perspective)
Observers working closely with trainees
reported their own individual productivity has
increased by an average of 30 percent over the
past 6 months. Moreover, according to
observers, 28 percent of this improvement was
influenced specifically by changes in the
behavior of trainees.
Aspects of Team Performance
Both trainees and observers reported
improvements in their work teams in regard to:
Communication Among Employees
Employee Morale
Efficiency of Operations
Employee Productivity
Trainees and observers indicated that these
improvements were a direct result of the
program. The greatest improvement reported
by both trainees and observers was in the area
of Communication Among Employees.
Trainees reported a 27 percent improvement in
communication attributable directly to the
program (Figure 9).
50
60
70
80
90
100
Pre-Program Post-Program
82.4 87.5
6.2 Percent Overall Improvement
On a scale from 0 to 100 (0 = Poor; 100 = Exceptional)
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Effectiveness Ratings (on a scale from 0 to 100)
Figure 9. Percentage of Improvement in Team Outcomes Attributed Directly to the Program
(Trainee Perspective)
ORGANIZATIONAL SUPPORT FOR THE PROGRAM
Four aspects of the organization were evaluated
in terms of how effectively they helped support
the transfer of new knowledge and skills from
the leadership development program back on
the job. Figure 10 shows the effectiveness of
each broad factor.
Figure 10. Effectiveness of Organizational Support Factors (Trainee Perspective)
0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%
Employee Productivity in MyTeam
Efficiency of Operations in MyTeam
Employee Morale in My Team
Communication AmongEmployees in My Team
18%
18%
23%
27%
Percent of Improvement Attributed to the Management Essentials Program
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Training Relevance
Ensuring that trainees feel the content of the
development program is relevant to their work
is critical for the transfer of knowledge and
skills from the learning environment to the
work setting. If trainees feel that what they
learned was irrelevant or not applicable, they
will be far less likely to transfer those concepts
back on the job. Fortunately, training relevance
received a 94 percent effectiveness rating,
indicating that trainees feel the leadership
development program is very relevant to their
roles. Even more encouraging is the fact that
trainees in this study originated from 28
different departments within the organization.
Personal Impetus
Equally important to perceptions of training
relevance is trainee motivation to apply the
concepts and skills they have gained. A total of
94 percent of trainees indicated they were
personally motivated to apply the skills or
concepts learned in the program back on the
job, while 75 percent agreed the program has
increased their confidence toward application.
Manager Reinforcement
Reinforcement from managers of program
participants is a particularly strong catalyst for
the application of new knowledge and skills.
When managers discuss the program with
trainees and identify specific implementation
opportunities, trainees are more likely to follow
through due to an increased sense of
accountability. Managers who attended the
Supporting Leadership Development course
reported a 28 percent increase in the frequency
with which they took action to support the
development of their direct reports after
attending the course. Instilling processes to
educate and hold managers accountable for
following up with program participants is
critical. Creating specific action plans and
holding trainees more accountable for
application of new knowledge and skills would
increase the amount of positive behavior
change and the impact of the leadership
development program on the organization’s
business.
Work Environment
Support for training transfer can also come
from a work environment that helps motivate
trainees to apply their new knowledge and skills.
Employees need both time and resources to
practice and perfect new behaviors. The good
news is that more than 80 percent of trainees
reported having opportunities to apply their
new skills and having the resources needed to
apply what they learned in the leadership
development program.
As part of the leadership development
program, trainees had access to DDI’s Online
Performance and Learning tool (OPAL®) as a
resource to refresh what they learned in the
program, to identify personal areas of
improvement, and to gain tips regarding
specific situations. The majority of trainees (88
percent) indicated they had used OPAL
between 1 and 5 times. The most frequently
cited reason was for tips regarding specific
situations and to gather more information
about a topic that was addressed outside of the
leadership development program.
MKTIMRR31-0912 © Development Dimensions International, Inc., MMXII. All rights reserved.
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This document was developed
by DDI’s Center for Applied
Behavioral Research (CABER).
For more information, contact
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CONCLUSIONS
Overall, this study demonstrates that the
leadership development program increased the
effectiveness of participants according to not
only program participants but to people with
whom they work closely. As a result of
substantially more leaders frequently engaging
in effective behaviors targeted in the program,
overall job performance of those leaders as well
as their colleagues has improved. Both
program participants and observers attributed
team-level outcomes directly to the leadership
development program, including
communication among employees, employee
morale, efficiency of operations, and employee
productivity.
There are sufficient organizational factors in
place to support the transfer of program
concepts and skills back on the job. However,
this study revealed that the leadership
development program could have more impact
if processes were instilled to educate and hold
managers more accountable for following up
with program participants and holding trainees
accountable for application of new knowledge
and skills.
Within less than a year after completion of the
leadership development program, both trainees
and observers are reaping the benefits in areas
such as communication, productivity, and
efficiency. Successful leaders not only improve
their own performance, but they improve the
performance of those with whom they work
closely—in all directions. The leadership
development program and its participants are
setting a high standard of managerial excellence
that will continue to positively impact not only
trainees and their colleagues but also
stakeholders and customers.