It is compilation of the DDI annual audit of leadership done for India.

1. GLOBAL LEADERSHIP FORECAST
2008|2009
INDIA HIGHLIGHTS
> D Rajiv Krishnan > Richard S. Wellins, Ph.D.

3. GLOBAL LEADERSHIP FORECAST 2008|2009
INDIA HIGHLIGHTS
> D Rajiv Krishnan > Richard S. Wellins, Ph.D.
A Welcome from DDI India
We are pleased to present this profile of the current status of The current Global Leadership Forecast and this report address
leadership and leadership development within the India business several issues in addition to the state of leadership today. What’s
community. This report grew out of a larger study, the Global working and what’s not in developing tomorrow’s leaders? How are
Leadership Forecast 2008|2009, the fifth in DDI’s research series on organizations managing their leadership pipeline and successions?
global leadership issues and practices. The results presented here How well are managers prepared to lead across national borders?
contrast the responses from HR professionals and organizational
Although no single approach to leadership development is right for
leaders in India with their counterparts on the world stage.
every organization or every country, DDI believes that there are sound
This research could not be more timely. As organizations extend their practices that work in most situations. We are confident that this
reach around the globe and the pace of work life quickens, leadership report will offer you new ideas and insights into leadership
has become an increasingly complex and demanding responsibility. development. Hopefully, it will also stimulate your own ideas about
Worldwide, executives in the study identified improving and leveraging ways that you can significantly enhance the capabilities of the leaders
talent as their top business priority. Never before has the development in your organization.
of the highest-quality leaders been more important to organizational
success.
D Rajiv Krishnan, Managing Director, DDI India

4. ABOUT DDI
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in whole or part without written permission from DDI is prohibited.
2 India Highlights

5. CONTENTS
4 STUDY PARTICIPANTS 13 CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS
5 LEADERSHIP TODAY 14 APPENDIX
5 Business Priorities 14 Demographics
6 Evaluating Leaders 15 About the Authors
6 DEVELOPING LEADERS 15 Acknowledgments
6 Evaluating Leadership Development
Programs
7 Development Methods
8 Executing Leadership Development
Programs
9 HIGH-POTENTIAL LEADERS
9 Identifying High-Potential Leaders
9 Evaluating High-Potential Development
Programs
10 Executing High-Potential Development
Programs
11 Succession Planning
12 MULTINATIONAL LEADERS
12 Identifying Multinational Leaders
12 Treatment of Multinational Leaders
3

6. STUDY PARTICIPANTS FIGURE 1 Organization Size
This report is based on survey responses from 966 human resource INDIA GLOBAL
professionals and leaders based in India. One HR professional filled in a 10,001 10,001
or more or more
survey for each organization or major organizational business unit. The 18%
24%
HR professionals invited representative samples of their organization’s 1 to 1,000
1 to 1,000 38%
47%
leaders to complete leader surveys. Respondents from India are
34%
compared in this report to the total group of HR professionals and leaders 39%
from 76 countries in the Global Leadership Forecast (see Table 1).
1,001 to 10,000 1,001 to 10,000
TABLE 1 Sample Size
India Global
The India sample differed from the global average with respect to
HR Professionals 38 1,493
leaders’ management level. There were fewer first-level leaders and
Leaders 928 12,208
more senior-level leaders in the India sample (see Figure 2). Additional
TOTAL 966 13,701
information about the organizations and leaders in India is in the
demographics section of this report.
The organizations in India were slightly smaller on average than those in
the global sample; that is, there were more small organizations (1,000 FIGURE 2 Management Level of Leaders
employees or less) and fewer medium-sized and large organizations (see
INDIA GLOBAL
Figure 1). Most organizations (70 percent) were multinationals (i.e., they Executive-level Executive-level
owned, operated, or had affiliate offices in multiple countries); in the 13% 10%
First-level First-level
global sample, 61 percent were multinationals. 15% 26%
Senior-level Senior-level
36% 27%
35%
37%
Mid-level Mid-level
4 India Highlights

7. LEADERSHIP TODAY FIGURE 3 Executives’ Business Priorities
Business Priorities Improve or leverage talent 77%
75%
Growth 79%
Leaders were asked to identify the most important 69%
Improve customer relationships/service 74%
66%
business priorities for their organization; they could
Control costs 67%
64%
select any of the items that applied. We focused 58% The top priorities for
Improve production/operating efficiency
59%
on the perspectives of executives, whose thinking Identify ways to improve quality 60%
executives in India were
58%
best represents where their organizations are Improve company culture 53% growth, improving and
57%
headed. Figure 3 lists the items from highest to Define a clear or new company strategy 47% leveraging talent, and
54%
lowest priority according to executives worldwide. Develop new technology and/or
processes (innovation) 49%
53% improving customer
52%
The top priorities for executives in India were
Build new company capabilities
46% relationships.
Improve market image or reputation 50%
43%
growth, improving and leveraging talent, and 39%
Enter new markets
35%
improving customer relationships. These Expand or strengthen 25%
international presence 24%
priorities reflect the great need for managing Manage new acquisitions or mergers 18%
19%
India’s rapidly growing economy. Few executives 0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%
in India considered international presence or India Global
new acquisitions to be high priorities for their
organizations. Given their organizations’ high rate
of growth in recent years, the executives seem to prefer
strengthening the leadership and management of their
organizations than introducing additional uncertainties
through expansion.
5

8. Evaluating Leaders DEVELOPING LEADERS
When asked to rate the overall quality of leaders in their organization,
This section looks at how organizations in India approach leadership
slightly more than half of the leaders in India rated them very good or
skills and how well leadership development programs are executed.
excellent. The sum of these two ratings was higher than the global
sample (see Figure 4). Figure 4 also shows the percentage of HR Evaluating Leadership Development Programs
professionals indicating high confidence in leaders’ ability to assure the Almost half of the leaders in India were satisfied with what their
success of the organization. Significantly more leaders in India inspired organizations offered to develop their leadership capabilities (see
high confidence among HR professionals than did leaders worldwide. Figure 5). This proportion was slightly greater than the global norm,
which had declined from DDI’s 2005–2006 Leadership Forecast.
FIGURE 4 Evaluating Leaders
Nevertheless, only a little more than one-fourth of the HR professionals
Quality of leaders (very good/excellent) in India gave high ratings to the quality of their leadership development
leaders
India 52% programs (identical to the global average).
Global 37% FIGURE 5 Evaluating Leadership Development Programs
Satisfied with development opportunities
resources
Confidence in leaders (high)
leaders
India 45%
human
India 50%
Global 41%
Global 35%
resources
High-quality development programs
human
India 29%
Global 29%
6 India Highlights

9. Development Methods FIGURE 6 Use of Leadership Development Methods
HR professionals were asked to review a list of Passive Active
development methods and indicate how often 3.3
they used them on a four-point scale ranging 3.1
2.9
Average Use (4-point Scale)
from “not at all” to “extensively.” Figure 6 shows
2.7
the average ratings for each method for Indian India
2.5
and global respondents. The methods are Global
2.3
arranged on a continuum that ranges from 2.1
passive, external activities (e.g., reading) to 1.9
active methods integral to the job (e.g., special 1.7
projects within a job). Leaders in the global 1.5
ing
g
t
ach
ch
ps
n
t
e job
job
smen
nmen
learnin
positio
al coa
rksho
Read
sample typically found the active methods on
nal co
within
outsid
asses
assig
al wo
Intern
to new
ased
the right side of the graph more effective than
Exter
jects
jects
triate
ostic
Form
uter-b
the more passive ones on the left.
ial pro
Move
ial pro
Expa
Diagn
Comp
Organizations in India
Spec
The organizations in India made slightly more
Spec
use of active leadership development methods made slightly more use
Ratings by HR professionals
than did those in the global study; for example, of active leadership
they made greater use of moving to a new development methods
position, expatriate assignments, and special projects outside than did those in the
the job. The only active method that rated higher globally than global study.
in India is special projects within a job.
7

10. Executing Leadership Development Programs Organizations in India were much better at clearly communicating the
DDI advocates actions in five key areas to assure that a development importance of leadership development than others around the world.
program is executed in a manner that will lead to desired business results. They also were more likely to regularly monitor leadership development
Items relating to each of these five areas—communication, accountability, programs. In general, these organizations showed stronger execution
skills, alignment, and measurement—were included in the Global of their leadership development programs than the typical organization
Leadership Forecast surveys. Respondents indicated whether important worldwide. The exceptions were slightly fewer organizations in India
steps to assure sound execution were taken; they rated each item on a holding leaders accountable for developing their own skills and negligibly
five-point scale ranging from “strongly disagree” to “strongly agree.” fewer holding senior managers accountable for leadership development
programs. Overall, their approach should put organizations in India in a
Figure 7 shows the percentage of HR professionals in India and those in
better position to benefit from their leadership development efforts and
the global sample who agreed or strongly agreed with key questions
help raise the quality of their leaders over time.
around execution. The items are listed in order from the highest to
lowest endorsement by the global sample.
FIGURE 7 Executing Leadership Development Programs
Aligned with business priorities 63%
60%
Accountable for developing own skills 53%
57%
Clear communication of importance 70%
53%
Aligned with performance management 53%
52%
Managers held accountable 50%
49%
Managers have support tools/knowledge 47%
39%
Consistent deployment across locations 42%
37%
Senior management held accountable 34%
35%
Regularly monitored 42%
29%
Results formally measured 29%
26%
0% 20% 40% 60% 80%
Percent Agree or Strongly Agree
India Global
Ratings by HR professionals
8 India Highlights

11. HIGH-POTENTIAL LEADERS Evaluating High-Potential Development
Programs
High-potential employees were defined as those designated
Two in five organizations in India (42 percent) had a program
by the organization as having the potential to assume high-
to accelerate the development of their high-potential leaders,
level leadership roles and who are put into a special pool.
slightly more than the typical organization in the global sample
Typically, these employees are placed in accelerated About 4 in 10 leaders
(39 percent). Worldwide, those in high-potential programs
development programs to prepare them for their future roles. in India identified
were much more positive about their development programs
than leaders who were not in such a special group. This was themselves being as in
Identifying High-Potential Leaders
also true in India (see Figure 9). a high-potential
Compared to the worldwide sample, a larger proportion of
program, a greater
organizations in India (61 percent) had a process for identifying
FIGURE 9 Quality of High-Potential Development Programs proportion than being
high-potential leaders (see Figure 8). About 4 in 10 leaders in
in the global sample.
India identified themselves as being in a high-potential program, Percent high or very high
potentials
a greater proportion than in the global sample.
India 53%
high-
FIGURE 8 Identifying High-Potential Leaders
Global 48%
resources
Process to identify high-potentials
leaders
human
India 61% India 36%
other
Global 50% Global 35%
Ratings by leaders
Leader is a high-potential
leaders
India 41%
Global 25%
9

12. Figure 10 shows a similar pattern for leaders’ satisfaction with their Executing High-Potential Development Programs
leadership development offerings. The high-potential leaders in India Perhaps one reason leaders are more satisfied with high-potential
and worldwide were significantly more pleased than those who were not programs is that they perceive them to be much better executed than
in the special program. Both high-potential and other leaders in India programs designed for typical leaders. A comparison of Figure 11 with
were similarly satisfied with their development programs as the typical Figure 7 (Executing Leadership Development Programs) shows that this
leader in the global sample. is the case for India as well. With regard to high-potential programs,
organizations in India do a better job than organizations elsewhere of
FIGURE 10 Satisfaction with Development Offerings
holding managers and senior management accountable for the program,
Percent agree or strongly agree consistently deploying programs across locations, and aligning their
potentials
high-potential programs with business priorities.
India 57%
high-
FIGURE 11 Executing High-Potential Development Programs
Global 55%
Aligned with business priorities 75%
71%
leaders
Consistently deployed 56%
India 37% across locations 49%
other
Managers accountable 63%
54%
Global 37% Senior management accountable 44%
63%
Ratings by leaders Regularly monitored 50%
49%
0 20 40 60 80
Percent Agree or Strongly Agree
India Global
Ratings by HR professionals
10 India Highlights

13. FIGURE 12 Executing High-Potential Development Programs At the same time, organizations in India
were less likely than others to have
Participated in a formal assessment 65%
68%
succession plans at lower levels. The best
76%
Clear communication of importance
69% way to assure a qualified cadre of leaders
Aligned with performance management 81%
75% in the pipeline is to begin at the bottom.
Manager helps me feel personally 79%
connected to organization 73% Failure to assure that those with the Organizations in India
Manager is committed to my development 74%
70% greatest potential will rise into the next rung were more likely to
Get sufficient feedback about my performance 77%
64%
59%
of management could leave organizations have succession plans
Have specific written plan for my development 58%
with a less than optimal pool of candidates for higher-level
0 20 40 60 80 100
Percent Agree or Strongly Agree for higher-level positions. managers compared
India Global Ratings by leaders
to the average
organization
worldwide.
As Figure 11 shows, HR professionals in India were much more FIGURE 13 Prevalence of Defined Succession Plans
positive about the execution of their high-potential programs than 70%
the typical HR representative worldwide. Similarly, the views of 60%
62%
the high-potential leaders in these organizations were also more 53%
50%
49%
positive (see Figure 12). While slightly fewer high-potential 47% 48% 47%
40%
leaders in India had participated in a formal assessment, those 38%
that did reported receiving feedback about their performance and 30% 32%
28%
24%
manager support and having greater alignment in their program 20%
than did high-potentials around the world.
10%
Succession Planning 0
INDIA GLOBAL
A high-potential program is often one aspect of an organization’s Top-level managers (e.g., CEO, CFO, COO)
Multifunction managers
succession-planning process. Organizations in India were more Department, function, or project managers
First-level functional supervisors (e.g., team leader)
likely to have succession plans for higher-level managers
Individual contributors (e.g., professionals, frontline)
compared to the average organization worldwide (see Figure 13). Ratings by HR professionals
11

14. MULTINATIONAL LEADERS Treatment of Multinational Leaders
Although 44 percent of multinational organizations in India had a process
Multinational leaders were defined as leaders who work on projects,
to identify multinational leaders, only 26 percent had a process to
assignments, or business units that require a great deal of collaboration
develop them (compared to 29 percent worldwide).
with associates in multiple countries. Multinational leaders may be
located outside the home office country (i.e., expatriates) or inside that Half of the multinational leaders in India described their preparation for their
country. Multinational leaders include regional, international, and global assignments as fair or poor. Although this was better than that reported by
leaders. Although national organizations claimed to have a small the worldwide sample of multinational leaders (see Figure 15), it is not a
proportion of multinational leaders, we focus here on the experiences positive finding. Development of multinational leaders appears to be a
of those in multinational organizations. universal problem.
Identifying Multinational Leaders FIGURE 15 Preparation and Support of Multinational Leaders
Among multinational organizations around the world, only two in five
100
had a formal process for identifying potential multinational leaders. This 12%
23% 19%
proportion was slightly higher for organizations in India (see Figure 14). 28%
80 27%
Compared to the worldwide average, a slightly larger percentage of leaders
26% 33%
in India identified themselves as having multinational responsibilities. 60
38%
FIGURE 14 Identifying Multinational Leaders 40
61%
51% 48%
resources
Process to identify multinational leaders 20 35%
human
India 44%
0
India Global India Global
Global 40% Preparation Support
Poor/Fair Good Very good/Excellent
Ratings by leaders
Leader is a multinational
leaders
India 23%
Global 18%
12 India Highlights

15. Support for multinational leaders in their assignments was not more likely to communicate about the importance of leadership
much better than their preparation. Once again, the leaders in development and regularly monitor their programs—signs of
India rated their experience better than the typical global good program execution that increase the likelihood of positive
leader, but one-third of leaders calling their support poor or fair results down the line.
still suggests that this is a problem area that deserves more
High-potential programs in India also were rated more
management attention.
effective than programs around the world. HR professionals
used processes to identify high-potentials with greater
CONCLUSIONS AND frequency in India, and slightly more programs were rated
RECOMMENDATIONS higher in India compared to worldwide. Organizations in India Although 44 percent
were particularly adept at holding senior management and of multinational
The primary business priorities for organizations in India,
managers accountable and aligning their programs with organizations in India
according to their top executives, are growth and improving
business priorities. They also were more likely to have had a process to identify
and leveraging their talent. Economic developments in India
formal succession plans at top levels, but less likely than multinational leaders,
have put the focus on how to develop and prepare leaders to
organizations worldwide to have succession plans at lower only 26 percent had a
manage in the growing economy. The good news is that the
levels. Organizations in India would benefit from paying process to develop them.
quality of leaders in India and the confidence in them is
higher compared to the global average, but it hardly seems attention to managing progression from the lower levels if
satisfactory when only half of the leaders in India are rated they want to optimize the quality of their leadership pipeline.
as very good or excellent. Similar to organizations around the world, organizations in
The leaders in India were more positive than HR professionals India also could benefit from more focus on multinationals.
about their leadership development programs. Nearly half the Half of multinationals rated their preparation for global
leaders were satisfied with their development opportunities, but assignments as poor or fair. Although multinational leaders
only slightly more than one-fourth of the HR professionals rated in India were more positive about their experiences than the
development programs as high quality. The methods used to typical multinational leader elsewhere, over a third of them
develop leaders in India differed in only small ways from those rate the support they receive for multinational assignments as
in organizations worldwide. However, organizations in India poor or fair. Organizations in India could greatly benefit from
might get more from their development efforts because their creating and implementing a strong development strategy for
programs are executed better. Compared to the typical this seemingly forgotten group of leaders.
organization in the global sample, organizations in India were
13

16. APPENDIX APPENDIX Leaders Age
928 Number in sample 4% Less than 25
Demographics Management Level 31% 26–35
Organizations 15% First-level (supervisor, 44% 36–45
38 Number in sample team leader, foreman, 15% 46–55
etc.)
5% 56–65
Number of Employees
35% Mid-level (leader of first-
1% More than 65
0% 1–10 level leaders)
0% 11–50 36% Senior-level
0% 51–100 (leader/manager of Gender
mid-level leaders) 90% Male
19% 101–200
13% Executive-level (leader in 10% Female
12% 201–500 a policy-making position)
12% 501–1,000
19% 1,001–5,000
12% 5,001–10,000 Organizational Tenure
8% 10,001–20,000 5% Less than 6 months
8% 20,001–50,000 7% 6–11 months
8% 50,001 or more 19% 1–2 years
27% 3–5 years
19% 6–10 years
Presence in the Global Market 9% 11–15 years
30% National 13% More than 15 years
70% Multinational (own,
operate, or have affiliate
offices outside own
country)
NOTE: Numbers may not add up to 100 percent because of rounding.
14 India Highlights

17. About the Authors Acknowledgments
Rajiv Krishnan is Managing Director of DDI This study was a true global effort, and the authors would like to
India. A well-known name in talent management acknowledge the invaluable contributions of the following people.
and leadership training, Rajiv’s knowledge and
experience is sought after by DDI’s clients, such Research Advisor
as Volkswagen, Microsoft, Citibank, Aditya Birla Bob Rogers is President of DDI. In addition
Group, HSBC, Mahindra, and two of the top four IT service to overseeing day-to-day operations, Bob
companies. Rajiv also has helped many DDI clients craft continues to consult with clients and is a
effective selection and development solutions. Under his recognized expert in assessment leadership,
leadership DDI India has completed over 10,000 assessments performance management, and organizational
and 250 days of leadership training. Rajiv has spoken at change who presents at major conferences around the world.
various industry and HR forums and is a frequent commentator In his 30 years at DDI, he has authored and coauthored
in national, HR, and business media. numerous articles, monographs, and books, including
Organizational Change That Works: How to Merge Culture
Richard S. Wellins, Ph.D., is Senior Vice
and Business Strategies for Maximum Result and Realizing
President at DDI. Rich is responsible for leading
the Promise of Performance Management.
DDI’s global research programs, launching new
solutions, building strategic alliances, and
executing marketing strategies. During his
tenure at DDI, Rich has authored five books on leadership
and teams and written for more than 20 publications on global
talent management. Rich designs leadership development
programs and provides executive coaching services to
organizations including AXA, Texas Children’s Hospital, and
Nissan Motors.
15

18. International Partners Research Team
Philippe Cavat, Rajiv Krishnan, Elmar Kronz, Vic Magdaraog, Steve Jazmine Boatman, Stephanie Neal
Newhall, Ricardo Padilla, Vina Pendit, Kiyoyuki Takeuchi, David
Tessmann-Keys, Bruce Watt. Editorial
Mike Crawmer, Shawn Garry
Project Management
Julie Hogan Graphic Design
Mike Lawley, Susan Ryan, Janet Wiard
Participant Recruitment
Dwiputri Adimuktini, Malu Arredondo, Mary Ann Buffington, Mark Busine, Web Team
Monica Chen, Lorena Contreras, Cheryl de la Porte, Nikki Dy-Liacco, Noelle Conover, Mark Hamilton
Andrew Eisenhauer, Barbara Endemann, Denise Flaherty, Ramon
Fontaine, Dylan Gleue, Lisa Han, Kumiko Hashimoto, Rodrigo Infante,
Claudette Johnson, Arati Karve, Michelle Lai, Doris Lam, Dorothy Lo,
Yvonne McGowan, Simon Mitchell, Mary Etta Nader, Stephanie Nam,
Panmanee Ong-Art, Marianne Peterson, Zig Rabara, Dr. Devashis Rath,
Dian Rosdiana, Dr. Arunima Shrivastava, Mehzabeen Sitabkhan, Lily
Sun, Julie Vedrinne, Jane Viehman, Christien Winter, DDI sales and
consulting associates globally.
16 India Highlights

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