Organizations Don't Value Leadership Development

Just visiting your local bank, McDonald's, grocery store or accountant you soon realize there are processes for business happening all around you. When the order for the large fries goes in the computer inventory control knows you have one less fry box, one less bag and one less serving of large fries. The guy in the back frying your fries knows. There are forms to fill out, lines to wait in, all around you inventory is being stocked and ordered using particular processes. Accounting tells you the new process you must complete if you expect to get reimbursed for your trip to Kinkos. Organizations have developed processes for sending emails, responding to emails and even writing and reading blogs.

It becomes quite startling when you think of all the processes organizations have in place on every part of their organization human resources, information technology, operations and customer service and then when you consider the research below that points out that 50% of organizations have no formal process for leadership development. Meaning no one, in half the organizations surveyed cared enough to realize that once the current leaders are gone we'll need new ones, so how do we get new ones?

Leadership Development
Companies were asked which phrase best described leadership development in their organization. Less than one in five described what would be considered a well-functioning leadership program (either strategic or focused.

Strategic:	Integrated with talent management and executive engagement	7%
Focused:	Programs aligned with strategy and have executive support	11
Structured:	Programs developed for different levels	23
Inconsistent:	No formal process	50
Nonexistent:	No leadership development	10
Note: Survey of 976 employers.
Source: 2008 Talent Management Factbook, Bersin & Associates

It is hard to imagine that 50% of organizations don't value leadership development but it sure does make you think of the old saw about actions speaking louder than words. Everything of importance in an organization has a formal process, so why then doesn't leadership development? Maybe organizations don't value after all.

If I'm wrong and organizations do value leadership development why do they feel that there shouldn't be a formal process? Do they think leaders just spring up out of thin air? Why don't they feel the same way about inventory? Or customer service? Or accounting?