Less than three-fifths of organisations with talent management activities believe they are effective. This is one of the major findings of the new CIPD Learning and Talent Development Survey, now in its 14^th year.

The survey reviews current and emerging practice in the L&D world, and includes some interesting insights into areas such as the perceived deficit in management and leadership skills, together with the use of analysis and learning diagnostics.

However, we’ll start by taking a closer look at the use of talent management in organisations of all sizes. First the encouraging news – 54% of organisations undertake talent management activities, with the key objectives being to develop high-potential employees, grow future senior managers and retain key staff.

However, the not-so-good news is that the number of organisations undertaking such activities has actually dropped from 2011, when the figure was 61%. Furthermore, of these organisations, less than 60% feel that talent activities are effective, whilst one in six believe them to be ineffective.

Unfortunately the survey doesn’t give any insights into why this is the case. Nevertheless the drop in usage and negative perceptions certainly give cause for concern for talent management proponents.

Elsewhere the survey reveals that nearly three-quarters of organisations in England report a deficit of management and leadership skills. For two-thirds it is senior managers who lack these skills, while the vast majority (85%) report that line managers and supervisors are lacking in such skills.

Organisations that place high importance on management and leadership skills when promoting individuals and those that provide additional training are less likely to report they have a management and skills deficit although, even taking these measures, the proportion with a deficit is still high.

Worryingly, one in seven organisations do not make any attempt to evaluate individuals’ management and leadership skills for promotions. Nearly half evaluate management skills informally, while two-fifths use 360-degree feedback and a quarter use engagement surveys.

For the first time the survey examines the use of individual and team learning diagnostics. It reports that many organisations use one or more methods of learning analysis/diagnostics in their learning and development practice. Systematic approaches (such as ‘Plan’ – ‘Do’ – ’Check’) were most commonly applied, with a quarter using these approaches frequently. In addition, Belbin Team Roles and the Honey and Mumford Learning Styles Questionnaire (LSQ) were used at least occasionally by nearly half of organisations and Myers Briggs Type Inventory (MBTI) by over two-fifths of those who responded to this question.

Just under a quarter of organisations reported they used other learning diagnostics/psychometrics in their organisation. The most common tools listed included Insight Profiling/Discover Tools (15% of those who responded to this question), Hogan’s Tools (14%), FIRO B (14%), Strengths Deployment Inventory (9%) and 360-Degree Feedback Tools (9%).

Overall, the survey has a wealth of interesting information for the L&D professional, and is well worth a look. It can be downloaded from:

http://​www​.cipd​.co​.uk/​h​r​-​r​e​s​o​u​r​c​e​s​/​s​u​r​v​e​y​-​r​e​p​o​r​t​s​/​l​e​a​r​n​i​n​g​-​t​a​l​e​n​t​-​d​e​v​e​l​o​p​m​e​n​t​-​2​0​1​2​.​aspx

Should you require more information on skills management frameworks or leadership and business skills courses, please visit the Global Knowledge website at www​.globalknowledge​.co​.uk