AchieveGlobal recently investigated how leaders are reacting to economic turmoil by conducting a research study with 250 managers in March 2009. The intriguing results of the survey are showcased in our quick read.

1. AchieveGlobal Survey
Analysis: Leadership
in Challenging A BUSINESS ISSUE
QUICK READ
Economic Times
Leaders are employees, too. Like their teams, • 75.2 percent of companies have cut About AchieveGlobal
leaders also feel the sting of daily business discretionary spending. In the 21st century, the level of human
events: shriveling market demand, budget cuts, skills will determine organization suc-
• 65.2 percent have stopped hiring.
office and plant closures, insolvency, and round cess. AchieveGlobal provides
after round of layoffs in nearly every sector. • 51.2 percent have frozen pay.
exceptional development in inter-
• 49.8 percent have laid off employees. personal business skills, giving
Y sad to say, leaders also suffer in other ways.
et,
• 20 percent have cut working hours. companies the workforce they
Leaders alone face the daunting task of keeping
need for business results. Located
other employees engaged and productive – in • 19.6 percent have reduced employee benefits.
in over 40 countries, we offer
spite of non-stop bad news and visceral threats
• And 15.2 percent have closed locations. multi-language, learning-based
on every side.
solutions—globally, regionally,
Abandon All Hope?
Just how challenging is their role? What are and locally.
In several clear signs of flagging organizational
they able – or unable – to do to keep employees
hope for a quick economic recovery:
engaged and productive? We understand the competition
• 59.6 percent of leaders predict a hiring freeze you face. Your success depends on
AchieveGlobal set out to answer these and through 2009 people who have the skills to han-
related questions in a recent survey of 250 lead-
• 43.6 percent expect downsizing or layoffs dle the challenges beyond the
ers, from shop floor to C-suite, in a range of
in 2009. reach of technology. We’re experts
industries.
in developing these skills, and it’s
Even more unsettling, of leaders whose company
Our findings underscore the ferocity of today’s revenue actually grew in 2008: these skills that turn your strate-
economic firestorm as well as the practical gies into business success in the
• 62 percent report cuts in discretionary spending. 21st century.
ways that leaders attempt to deal with the
aftermath. • 55 percent report a hiring freeze – little
different from companies whose revenue These are things technology can’t
Like a hundred-year forest fire, this global crisis shrank or remained flat in 2008. do. Think. Learn. Solve
offers a unique if unwelcome chance to see how problems. Listen. Motivate.
leaders perform in the most menacing econo- Further, leaders report widespread spending Explain. People with these skills
my in 75 years. cuts for employee recognition, training, new
have a bright future in the 21st
projects, R&D, and innovation.
century. AchieveGlobal prepares
Let’s Get This Straight: It’s Bad
you for that world.
No one needs to tell us the recession is wide Sudden Impact
and deep – but how wide and how deep? Predictably these depressing trends have a
depressing impact on productivity and morale:
46.8 percent of leaders in our survey say their
company’s revenue has declined – 22.6 percent • 21.1 percent of leaders say that productivity has
say the decline is “significant” – in the past 9-12 decreased in the past 6-12 months.
months. In response:
Developing the !"st
century workforce TM

2. • 54 percent say that stress is a problem or severe problem for What Leaders Do – And Apparently Can’t Do
their employees. Leaders identify several ways that they try to boost morale
• 48.4 percent of leaders say that stress is a problem or severe and productivity – whether by talent, by training, by hook, or
problem for them. by crook:
With similar frequency, leaders report problems or severe prob- • 70.4 percent say they “motivate employees through ongoing,
lems with employee conflict, turnover, and morale. positive communication.”
Further, in companies with declining revenue, 1 in 4 leaders say • 49.2 percent say they “offer special recognition for employees who
that disengagement is a problem – twice the rate of organizations perform well.”
with increasing or stable revenue. • 40 percent say they “hold fun events at or away from work.”
When we look at responses by level, we find major deltas between • 38 percent say they “offer non-monetary incentives or rewards
managers and directors on one hand, and executives on the other. such as time off.”
For example, 14 percent of managers and directors report “poor • 24 percent say they “offer monetary incentives.”
employee morale.” Only 5.5 percent of executives report this
• 5.6 percent say “my employees don’t need more motivation and
problem.
their morale is good.”
How should we interpret such differences? Several forces may be
• And, thank heavens, only 5.2 percent say they “do nothing.”
at play, including:
• Managers and directors are closer to the front line and more likely Still – given serious issues with employee stress, conflict, turnover,
to see the symptoms of poor morale and other employee problems. morale, and disengagement – we point out that our survey meas-
ured the frequency, not the effectiveness, of the leadership skills
• For a range of reasons, managers and directors may
and tools listed above.
be reluctant to share this news with executives.
In particular, we identified at least three areas in which leaders
Some Positive Signs would clearly benefit from new knowledge and skills:
Not quite offsetting our gloomier findings, the survey finds a few • While leaders cite positive communication as the top way to
positive trends: motivate employees, low scores on the impact of communication
indicate that leaders could be doing a much better job.
• 51.6 percent of leaders report increased company communication
about the local impact of the flailing larger economies. • 46 percent of leaders say that recognition has actually declined in
their company – a sad fact when verbal recognition requires no
• 52 percent say that company communication emphasizes
money, just a few skills and the will to use them.
opportunities over challenges.
• With productivity declining in 21.1 percent of the companies
• 66.4 percent say that top leadership is honest with employees
surveyed, leaders clearly need to rethink priorities, re-assess
about challenges and plans.
employee workloads, and retool systems and policies for a
More good news: Only about 20 percent say that leadership is less smaller workforce.
open about the company impact of the recession.
The Strategic Take-Away
But in part due to the severity of the recession, it makes sense
Our survey clearly spotlights the value of continued coaching
that only 20.4 percent of leaders say that company communica-
and development of leaders at all levels, executives no less
tion succeeds in answering questions or easing fears.
than supervisors.
In addition, this disconnect between the amount and the impact of
Today’s slow-motion global catastrophe in fact drives up the value
communication points to weakness in the content, methods, or
of skilled leaders, engaged themselves and able to engage other
skills of communication.
employees in immediately vital work.
While they can’t halt or reverse the course of global events,
skilled leaders at all levels can rally employees to protect the
organization until this economic firestorm finally burns itself out.
World Headquarters
8875 Hidden River Parkway, !"st400
Developing the Suite
Tampa, Floridacentury workforce
TM
33637 USA
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www.achieveglobal.com
© 2008 AchieveGlobal, Inc. No. M01253 v. 1.0 (4/2009)