At Insight Experience, we believe that effective leadership development goes beyond just delivering content; it’s about fostering an environment where leaders can truly grow and evolve. A key component of our approach is leveraging data and analytics to provide actionable insights that help our clients understand the impact of their programs and make informed decisions for future development initiatives.
Our programs are designed to collect robust data from various sources, including qualitative and quantitative participant feedback, simulation performance, and pre- and post-program assessments. This data serves as the foundation for our analytics capabilities, enabling us to offer a comprehensive analysis of leadership behaviors, decision-making patterns, and areas for improvement. We work with our clients to design a measurement strategy that will meet their needs.
One of our Leading Organizations offerings serves as a great example of our belief in crafting programs that drive real, measurable impact. This program, which was customized to meet the client’s needs, is designed to empower leaders at the Director level and above, equipping them with the skills and confidence needed to navigate the complexities of today’s current business environment.
Program Overview
In this Leading Organizations program, we partnered with a major medical device organization to deliver the program to nine cohorts of senior leaders from late 2022 to early 2024.
Our focus for this program was on enhancing strategic communication, fostering effective delegation, and building leadership skills that drive organizational success.
Measuring Success
To gauge the effectiveness of our leadership development programs, we use a combination of quantitative and qualitative metrics. These insights allow us to track progress, measure impact, and ensure our programs deliver real value to both participants and their organizations.
Program Performance via NPS
We measure the success of our programs using multiple criteria to ensure comprehensive development. For this Leading Organizations program, we utilized the Net Promoter Score (NPS) to gauge overall participant satisfaction. This case study program achieved an impressive NPS of 54, placing it in the "Great" range. This score reflects the value participants found in the program and their likelihood to recommend it to others.
Participant Insights and Learning via Surveys
At Insight Experience, our mission is to empower leaders to inspire their teams and deliver results. With every interaction, we focus on developing their skills and capabilities. One way to measure this learning impact is through pre- and post-program self-assessments, which track improvements before and after a program. Some programs go even further, surveying leaders at three to four points throughout the learning journey, including the months following the program, to assess how well skills are being applied back on the job. In this Leading Organizations case study, for example, participants reported a 10% increase in self-reported confidence across key focus areas:
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Thoughtful delegation to team members.
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Protecting personal time to pause and reflect.
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Managing change effectively.
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Developing team members and setting strategic direction.
Qualitative Feedback
Collecting qualitative data through open-text feedback provides insight into what made a lasting impression on participants. In the Leading Organizations example, here are some of the standout elements participants highlighted:
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Strategic communication: “Learning about the impact of good communication and seeing it from the perspective of the listener. Messages to the organization have to address the stakeholders and be clear and frequent.”
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Delegation skills: “Proper delegation requires clear direction, routine checkpoints, and honest conversations on if the project or initiative is delivering on expectations while developing skills.”
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Simulated business scenarios: “The simulation was the most impactful for me. It was great to see the team pull together, collaborate and leverage lessons learned from the prior discussions to move forward on business decisions. It was both fun and educational!”
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Cross-functional networking: “In addition to advancing my leadership skills, a big benefit of the program was working closely with and getting to know other leaders in the division who I don't regularly work with.”
Simulation Decision Analysis
The practices outlined thus far in this blog post are fairly standard for leadership development programs. However, Insight Experience’s simulation-based leadership development programs go a step further. By analyzing decision-making practices during the simulation exercises, we help organizations gain insights into the cultural dynamics and mental models prevalent among their leaders. For example, we’ve helped organizations identify a leadership gap in developing new employees. Simulation data revealed that while leaders consistently made the best choices when managing high performers, they made optimal choices for young new hire less than 50% of the time. This data-driven approach enables targeted improvements in leadership practices across the organization.
Moreover, we can track the progress of participants' communication skills over time throughout a leadership development program by analyzing the communications teams submit in each round of the experience. In the Leading Organizations case study program, we observed a 47% improvement in average communication scores across all nine cohorts. This improvement is crucial for organizations striving for clarity and coherence in their messaging, especially as they scale and diversify. It also provides powerful data for clients to report to senior leaders within their organization.
Our leadership development programs are more than just training sessions—they are transformative journeys that equip leaders with the tools and confidence to lead effectively. Through a combination of varied measurement strategies, including the unique opportunity to leverage simulation decision-making data, we ensure that our participants are not only prepared to lead today but are also ready to shape the future of their organizations.
Interested in learning more about how our programs and analytics abilities can benefit your organization? Contact us today to start a conversation.
