This Executive Research Brief is a condensed study highlighting the findings from 238 organizations concerning their outlook on the learning and development industry. The year 2011 appears to be when leadership gets its due. Not only are baby boomers retiring at ever greater numbers, but companies are reporting they have needs in aligning and integrating leadership development with other talent management functions. A trend analysis highlighted that there was an overall lack of optimism as we rounded out 2009 into 2010 and the lack of budget significantly contributed to the pessimistic state. Via regression analyses, it was revealed that an increased budget was the factor that most influenced optimism for 2011. Clearly, organizations are seeing the purse strings loosen and plan to invest in more partnered solutions. The learning outlook themes addressed in this Executive Research Brief are:

•    Leadership.
•    Informal learning and social networking.
•    Outsourcing vs. partnered solutions.
•    Budgets, investments and forecasts.