Hay Group | Best Companies for Leadership

The 2014 Best Companies for Leadership survey findings

Now in its ninth year, our Best Companies for Leadership study has a simple, single purpose. We identify the organizations with the best leadership practices and then see what we can learn from them. Our study is the largest global research survey of its kind, with more than 17,000 individuals at 2,100 organizations participating. And it’s truly global in nature, with responses from 115 countries.

According to this year’s survey, the Best Companies for Leadership take a determined and disciplined approach to help leaders develop and rise within their organizations. A key finding from this year’s study was that 80 percent of the Top 20 companies had established clear career paths for their employees, compared to only 48 percent of all other companies. Similarly, 80 percent of the Top 20 were well ahead of their peer groups by providing career development experiences for their organization’s highest potentials, ensuring the company has the right people with the right skills when needed to fill their most critical roles.

Click here to download a summary of the 2014 findings

2014Best Companies for Leadership results

Spotlight on the Top 20
2014 global Top 20 Best Companies for Leadership

Top 20 rankings over the last 9 years

The methodology

Hay Group invites organizations from around the globe to be part of the study. The survey is open to all employees of any organization, and asks them to assess the leadership development practices at their own organization on a series of descriptive items. Separately, respondents are asked to nominate three global organizations that they believe are best at developing leadership at all levels. The Top 20 list is compiled using both peer nominations and self-scoring.

  • How the peer nominations work: Respondents are asked to select three organizations that they believe are the Best Companies for Leadership. This gives us an indicator of which organizations are perceived to be doing a good job of growing and developing their talent.
  • How the leadership index self-survey scoring works: Employees complete the survey on behalf of their organization, and we score each company based on what leadership practices the organization uses, how well it identifies and develops future leaders, and how it creates a culture of leadership.

The companies that make the coveted Top 20 list are the rare ones with plenty of admirers both inside and outside the organization. With the latest Top 20 list decided, we then go on to examine exactly how these organizations excel at leadership. Each year, we add questions to learn about specific issues. This time we wanted to know what the Top 20 companies are doing to accelerate the development of their leaders, so that they’re ready to face the challenges of an ever-changing global environment. We also wanted to understand the skills and behaviors that leaders in these organizations need to exhibit.