The Association for Talent Development’s latest report finds most organizations have or are planning to offer new manager development training.

(Alexandria, VA), August 29, 2023—Seventy percent of organizations have a new manager development program, and of those that did not offer one, 54 percent plan to offer one within the next two years, according to new research from the Association for Talent Development (ATD).

Organizations with 2,500 or more employees (63 percent) were more likely to offer this training than organizations with fewer employees. When asked to rate the success of their organization’s new manager development program, a slight majority (52 percent) of respondents rated it as moderately successful. Twenty-three percent of respondents rated their development program extremely or highly successful at training new managers, with a similar percentage reporting their program as slightly or not at all successful.

“Managers play a crucial role in an organization and … providing training to new managers can give them the tools they need to make the transition and ensure continued success,” noted ATD’s New Manager Development: Building a Foundation for the Future report, sponsored by Third Factor.

Lack of resources—such as funding, staff, or time—was the primary reason that organizations did not offer new programs. Forty percent of organizations that did not offer new manager development programs said it was not considered an organizational priority.

“Managers are the biggest factor in a team’s productivity and engagement, which makes developing capable managers one of talent development’s most vital roles. Providing formal opportunities for new managers to learn and practice skills that allow them to get results through others, build strong team culture, and create the conditions in which employees can grow and thrive is increasingly a strategic necessity,” said Dane Jensen, CEO of Third Factor.

Other key findings include:

• The primary goal of new manager development programs was better performance by the new manager, with 85 percent of respondents citing it as a major goal. Better performance by the new manager’s employees was cited as a major goal by 62 percent. Continuity of organizational culture and values was a goal for 69 percent.

• The majority of organizations used internal staff to train new managers, including internal trainers (74 percent) and internal staff who were not trainers (51 percent), such as senior managers or HR staff. Only 35 percent of respondents used a third-party vendor or content provider for new manager development programs.

• New managers were most likely to receive training in communication skills (93 percent), providing feedback (92 percent), and performance management (91 percent). Organizations that were high performers were significantly more likely to make employee engagement and delegating major areas of focus than organizations that were not high performers.

This research surveyed 287 talent development professionals about their new manager development programs. Of these, 28 percent were directors or above.

The research investigated goals of new manager development programs, who was eligible to receive the training, the type of training offered, and who conducted the training. Of the responding organizations, 20 percent reported performing well across several key business areas and having talent development functions that made strong contributions to organizational performance. The research compared these highly effective organizations with other study respondents to identify new manager development practices with statistically significant connections to high performance.

A free webinar on the report will take place Tuesday, September 5, at 2 p.m.

About ATD

The Association for Talent Development (ATD) is the world’s largest professional membership organization supporting those who develop the knowledge and skills of employees, improve performance, and help to achieve results for the organizations they serve. Established in 1943, the association was known as the American Society for Training & Development (ASTD).

ATD’s members come from more than 100 countries and work in public and private organizations in every industry sector. ATD supports talent development professionals who gather locally in volunteer-led US chapters, international member networks, and with international strategic partners.

For more information, visit td.org.