Analysis shows manufacturing sector failing to produce quality leaders

Analysis from the largest global leadership study paints a gloomy picture for leadership quality in the manufacturing industry. According to Development Dimensions International (DDI) and The Conference Board, manufacturing leaders surveyed rank themselves and their peers in last place for leader quality and readiness to take on current and future challenges.

Only 37 percent of manufacturing leaders rate their organizations' leader quality as high, and 16 percent of organizations rate their future bench strength as strong. On the upside, plants that implement best-in-class talent management practices with high leadership quality and engagement are nine times more likely to outperform their peers financially.

This manufacturing report is part of DDI and The Conference Board's “Global Leadership Forecast 2014 | 2015, Ready-Now Leaders: Meeting Tomorrow's Business Challenges.” It identifies findings on the current state of leadership and leadership practices in manufacturing, based on survey responses from 3,143 leaders and 1,332 human resource executives in that sector.

As manufacturers face issues such as skill shortages, baby boomer retirements, and constantly changing technology, their people challenges become more pressing. When leaders are subpar, their ineffective leadership and skills gap cannot adequately drive business and negatively impact production and quality within all departments.

“To respond to these challenges effectively, manufacturers need to optimize their talent supply chain as they would their product supply chain in regards to the quantity, quality, cost, and timing of talent moving through the organization," said Jill George, DDI manufacturing practice leader.