i4cp Study: Leaders Are Defined by Influence, Not Role

global leadership development report 2013

Next Practices for Global-Minded Organizations70% of organizations considered effective at global leadership development define leaders by the role they play, rather than their job title

The Institute for Corporate Productivity (i4cp), a research organization that focuses on the people practices that drive market performance, has released a new report outlining four emerging practices for global leadership development.

The report, Next Practices for Global-Minded Organizations, explores each of the four practices and features case studies with Molson Coors and FedEx Express.

Nearly 1,200 practitioners worldwide were surveyed in partnership with the American Management Association (AMA) and Training magazine as part of an annual study. One of the most noticeable findings was that increasingly, organizations are defining leaders by influence, not organization charts.

Definition of leaders

The largest proportion of participants in this study (39%) said that their definition of leader is “anyone whose role allows them to influence a group, regardless of direct reporting relationships.” Another 14% said “anyone, whether they manage others or not, who is a top-performer in their specific role” is a leader. Together, more than half (53%) defined their leaders not by the individual's job level but by their roles of influence and performance.

"Of the companies that reported having effective global leadership development programs, 70% of companies use a more inclusive definition of a leader,” said Donna Parrey, Senior Research Analyst with i4cp and author of the report.

Erik Samdahl

As vice president of marketing at i4cp, Erik is currently responsible for all marketing efforts for the company and works alongside several departments to execute organizational initiatives. He also oversees web development projects. Located in Seattle, WA, he brings over 15 years of Internet marketing experience, most of which are in the research industry.

Prior to i4cp, Erik worked as Internet Marketing Director at market research panel company GMI, where he was responsible for global online marketing and panel growth in several countries. He also managed the graphic design team and worked extensively with other departments on process improvements and plan development. GMI experienced exceptional revenue growth - several hundred percent - during his tenure. Prior to GMI, Erik founded FilmJabber.com, a movie review and information website that continues to grow in popularity and traffic.

Erik received a B.A. in Business Administration with a concentration in Management Information Systems from Western Washington University.