At Hewitt, we believe leadership is the largest issue in business today. And while there is a lot of research globally on what makes a good (or bad) leader, there is very little thought leadership on the issue of Leader Building – the discipline of creating a robust pipeline of leaders for future success. Simply put, companies that excel at leader building gain an edge over the competition because they enjoy a surplus of leadership talent in their pipeline and a strong leadership brand, even in the most demanding talent markets.
Initiated in 2001 by Hewitt Associates, the Top Companies for Leaders study is the most comprehensive longitudinal study of leadership around the globe and continues our efforts in the research and understanding of the discipline of Leader Building. This year, The Leadership Consulting Group at Hewitt Associates is excited to be working once again with FORTUNE magazine, our global media partner for this research, and The RBL Group, a firm founded by Dave Ulrich and Norm Smallwood and dedicated to helping clients deliver strong leadership and strategic HR capability. As in prior years, Top Companies for Leaders lists will be identified in Asia-Pacific, Europe, Latin America, and North America, in addition to the Global Top Companies for Leaders list.
Over the years we have used our experience to continuously improve the study. This year, enhancements to the survey not only sharpen our findings but also provide participants with insights into what works and what doesn't. The Top Companies for Leaders study truly is a unique opportunity for all companies, regardless of sophistication or size, to participate in building a common understanding of the most critical and least developed discipline of the 21st century.
Learn More
Click the links below to learn more about Top Companies for Leaders:
Frequently Asked Questions
Global Project Team
We invite you to learn about what you can do to build leaders faster and better than your competition.
Click here to learn more about how you can benchmark your organization against the 2009 Top Companies for Leaders.
Why Participate?
It's More than Just a List. Since its inception in 2001, the Top Companies for Leaders study has always been more than just a list. The study not only provides an opportunity for organization's to be recognized for their leader building efforts, it also provides valuable intelligence for all organizations seeking to improve leadership capabilities, regardless of sophistication or size. Past participants have said that simply completing the questionnaire was thought provoking, and resulted in new ideas and insights.
As a participant, companies gain direct access to our study insights — all participants receive a complimentary research brief, only available to participants, which highlights the global and regional Top Companies' practices.
In addition, study participants are also given the unique opportunity to benchmark against the 2009 Top Companies for Leaders in their region and/or globally at a discount. The Top Companies for Leaders Benchmark is a comprehensive evaluation of your organization's survey results against the Top Companies, and includes hundreds of comparative data points about leadership practices.
Top Companies for Leaders participants also have direct access to our team of leadership experts. In 2007, hundreds of companies met with Hewitt's Top Companies for Leaders experts to better understand their organization's strengths and gaps in terms of leadership.
Clearly, those organizations selected as Top Companies for Leaders gain valuable recognition in local, regional and global media for their leadership practices. At the same time, these organizations strengthen their reputation and brand for growing great leaders.
How to Participate
The first step in becoming a Top Company involves the completion of the 2009 Top Companies for Leaders survey questionnaire.
Hewitt screens all organization survey submissions for responses that are consistent with strong leadership practices. To elicit honest answers and maintain the integrity of the methodology, we do not publish the screening criteria.
Hewitt will contact all finalist companies once their survey questionnaires have been submitted and screened. Finalist organizations will be required to:
- Complete a brief interview with Hewitt to gather supplemental qualitative data on your leadership practices. This interview is typically with the top HR and/or leadership development executive.
- Provide 1-3 senior line executives for brief interviews with Hewitt to understand how leadership practices are applied in running the business.
List Eligibility
Any organization can participate in the survey process, however only select organizations are eligible for the Regional and Global Top Companies lists. The following criteria must be met to qualify for the Regional and Global lists:
- Only one survey response per organization will be considered eligible for the Regional and Global Top Companies lists.
- Subsidiaries are eligible for the list only if they are publicly traded, separate from their parent company. Subsidiaries of non-publicly traded parent companies are eligible only if they have a separate Board of Directors.
- Global organizations may only submit one response, from the country in which they are headquartered, that will be considered eligible for the Regional and Global Top Companies lists. Regional business units may respond to the survey to receive study insights, but will not be eligible for the Regional and Global lists unless they meet the subsidiary requirements above.
- Private companies must provide selected financial information to be considered for the final lists.
Organizations that do not meet these criteria may be considered for other recognition opportunities that may be presented depending on levels of participation.
Timing
2009 Top Companies for Leaders Study —
Important Dates |
| Survey period (Global) |
January 2009 - March 2009 |
| Survey period (China) |
December 20, 2008 - March 2009 |
| Finalist data collection (interviews and brief leader survey for all regions) |
Rolling basis throughout winter and early spring 2009 |
| Selection of Top Companies |
Summer 2009 |
| Announcement of Top Companies |
Winter 2009 |
Our Study Partners
About Fortune
FORTUNE is a global leader in business journalism known for its unrivaled access to industry leaders and decision makers. Founded in 1930, FORTUNE magazine has a worldwide circulation of more than 1 million and a readership of nearly 5 million and is home to some of the strongest business franchises, including: FORTUNE 500, FORTUNE 100 Best Companies to Work For, America's Most Admired Companies, Fastest Growing Companies and Most Powerful Women. FORTUNE Live Media extends the brand's mission into live settings, hosting a wide range of annual conferences for top-level executives, including the FORTUNE Global Forum and the Most Powerful Women Summit. FORTUNE magazine's online home is CNNMoney.com, the most visited and utilized business destination website, attracting nearly 10 million unique visitors per month, according to Nielsen/NetRatings. FORTUNE, along with MONEY, FSB: FORTUNE Small Business, and CNNMoney.com, is part of The Fortune|Money Group, a division of Time Inc, a subsidiary of Time Warner, a leading media and entertainment company.
About RBL Group
Founded by widely recognized HR and leadership experts Dave Ulrich and Norm Smallwood, The RBL Group is a global professional services firm committed to creating value through the effective management of people and organizations. RBL works with clients to implement cutting edge leadership practices and to advance the transformation of strategic human resource management. Their clients include top companies throughout the world and across a wide range of industries. The RBL Group is recognized as the trusted advisor to the world's top HR leaders and their senior executives. To learn more please visit www.rbl.net.
About Hewitt Associates
For more than 65 years, Hewitt Associates (NYSE: HEW) has provided clients with best-in-class human resources consulting and outsourcing services. Hewitt consults with more than 3,000 large and mid-size companies around the globe to develop and implement HR business strategies covering retirement, financial and health management; compensation and total rewards; and performance, talent and change management. As a market leader in benefits administration, Hewitt delivers health care and retirement programs to millions of participants and retirees, on behalf of more than 300 organizations worldwide. In addition, more than 30 clients rely on Hewitt to provide a broader range of human resources business process outsourcing services to nearly a million client employees. Located in 33 countries, Hewitt employs approximately 23,000 associates. For more information, please visit www.hewitt.com.
Benchmark Against 2007 Top Companies for Leaders
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2007 Top Companies for Leaders
Learn more about our 2007 study:
2007 Global Top Companies for Leaders Announced
FORTUNE Coverage
FORTUNE: Top Companies for Leaders Magazine Insert
(Please note: The article is formatted for online viewing only; you can not print it.)
2007 Top Companies Research Highlights (Global)
2007 Top Companies Research Highlights (Asia-Pacific)
2007 Top Companies Research Highlights (Europe)
2007 Top Companies Research Highlights (Latin America)
2007 Top Companies Research Highlights (North America)
