New Research Investigates the Gaps Between Learning & Development's Approach to Training Technical Leaders and What Those Leaders Ask For

ELKRIDGE, Md., May 13, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Global performance improvement solutions provider GP Strategies Corporation (NYSE: GPX) announces the release of a new research study called "Leading Technical Professionals."

Training Industry, Inc. and GP Strategies recently conducted a comprehensive study based on feedback from over 900 leaders/managers of technical professionals, 300 technical individual contributors and 100 learning professionals. The perspectives collected represent a broad spectrum of industries and departments, indicating how all organizations today depend on the skills and proficiencies of expert employees.

The study discusses insights into the specific challenges of leading technical professionals, the required skills and learning preferences of technical professionals and how to design learning initiatives for this unique audience.

Key findings in the study include the following:

• The majority of learning leaders (53%) said that their organizations do not offer specialized courses, workshops or a standalone program for Leaders of Technical Professionals. Click to Tweet this message.
• Significant misalignment appears when comparing the leadership challenges faced by managers and the assumptions made by the L&D community. Click to Tweet this message.
• L&D's top three leadership challenge assumptions are: self-development, encouraging team engagement, and leading teams through organizational changes. Click to Tweet this message.
• Technical leaders top five leadership challenges are: delivering on projects with fewer resources, recruiting needed talent, balancing team coaching needs versus project needs, team skill development, and encouraging innovative thinking. Click to Tweet this message.
• Effective organizations dedicate an average of 32% of their overall training investment to Leaders of Technical Professionals but misunderstand some of the learning preferences of this population. Click to Tweet this message.
• When providing training for Leaders of Technical Professionals, Learning Leaders cited live face-to-face, instructor-led workshops or courses as the most effective delivery method. Individual contributors and leaders of technical professionals disagree. Click to Tweet this message.

Fraser Marlow, head of research for GP Strategies' BlessingWhite division, will conduct a one-hour webinar, Meeting the Learning & Leadership Needs of Technical Employees, on Tuesday, May 14, 2013, at 2:00 p.m. EDT. Join us for this informative webinar and Twitter discussion using #leadtechs or download a copy of the study: http://trainingoutsourcing.gpstrategies.com/research.aspx.

About GP Strategies
GP Strategies Corporation (NYSE: GPX) is a global performance improvement solutions provider of training, eLearning solutions, management consulting and engineering services. GP Strategies' solutions improve the effectiveness of organizations by delivering innovative and superior training, consulting and business improvement services, customized to meet the specific needs of its clients. Clients include Fortune 500 companies, manufacturing, process and energy industries, and other commercial and government customers. Additional information may be found at www.gpstrategies.com. 

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