More companies plan to revive employee development and training programs in the coming year after putting them on hold during the recession, according to AMA Enterprise, a division of the American Management Association.

Forty-seven percent of organizations surveyed by AMA report having delayed at least one management development program during the past four years, and 36 percent delayed several.

"The kind of projects that were implemented in lean times tend to be those that met specific short-term needs or were prompted by pressing business challenges," says Sandi Edwards, senior vice president of AMA Enterprise. "As the economy picks up, programs that are longer term in focus but equally critical to business strategy are expected to gain traction." She says that among the stalled programs, management training and leadership development are most likely to benefit organizations this year.

Edwards asserts that "companies want to make high-value investments, so I expect we may see more programming in communications, critical thinking, collaboration, and creativity. They're all essential ingredients for empowering employees and enhancing productivity." Additionally, she notes that companies are looking for more effective ways to manage remote groups, as well as synthesize often overwhelming amounts of information.

AMA Enterprise surveyed top managers and executives from more than 300 U.S. organizations during the summer of 2012.