There’s a growing gap between what organizations expect from leaders and the systems designed to support them, according to research from the American Management Association (AMA), an organization that focuses on professional development.
The report, “Leadership Development in a Transforming Workplace: Emerging Demands, Gaps, and Opportunities for Today’s Organizations,” draws on responses from more than 1,200 professionals worldwide.
The research shows that while leaders are expected to navigate constant disruption and think strategically, they are increasingly weighed down by tactical responsibilities.
For example, a shed business owner or manager is responsible for the strategic growth of the company but has to spend much of his or her time managing construction, sales, and delivery details of customer structures instead of creating and following a long-term plan and vision.
A striking 71 percent of leaders report performing “spillover work” outside their formal role, and 59 percent say it limits their ability to focus on core strategic priorities.
“This report uncovers a critical opportunity in how organizations develop leaders,” says Manny Avramidis, president and CEO of AMA. “Leaders are expected to be strategic, yet tactical work increasingly pulls them away from that role. It isn’t a failure of leadership; it’s a signal to improve organizational design. Leaders best accomplish their goals when they limit the amount of time spent on tasks that can be accomplished by direct reports.”
The findings highlight how leadership expectations are evolving faster than organizational systems designed to support them.
KEY FINDINGS
Pervasive Leadership Spillover: 71 percent of leaders report performing work outside their formal role, with nearly 60 percent stating it limits their ability to focus on strategic priorities.
Influence Is the New Authority: 69 percent of leaders spend at least half their time influencing others without direct authority, highlighting a critical shift away from hierarchical management.
Human-Centered Skills Lead the Way: Leaders rank communication, decision making, and strategic thinking as most critical for success. Artificial Intelligence (AI) and technology are viewed primarily as tools that accelerate execution, not as substitutes for core leadership capabilities.
A Critical Preparedness Gap: Only 44 percent of leaders feel fully prepared for future role expectations, signaling a failure in current leadership development and succession planning.
IMPLICATIONS FOR ORGANIZATIONS
The report provides actionable insights for organizations to close the gap between leadership demands and organizational support. It highlights the need to redefine delegation as a developmental tool, build skills for influencing without authority, and establish clearer role expectations and shared leadership standards.
By treating leadership effectiveness as a matter of organizational design—not just individual effort—businesses can build sustainable leadership capacity, strengthen their pipelines, and turn disruption into an advantage.
“When leadership starts to bottleneck, it’s usually a signal that the system around the role hasn’t kept pace,” Avramidis says. “Organizations with clearer role boundaries and stronger delegation will balance responsibilities across the team, strengthening the strategic capacity of leadership and supporting the development of others.”
