Research

Leadership Reports From Our Experts

At CCL, research is central to our mission. We believe that pursuing knowledge and sharing insights from our team of leadership experts makes leadership development more accessible and creates positive change. Explore our leadership research papers, publications, and leadership development reports, or learn more about our leadership research and pioneering history.
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Disruption, Uncertainty & PolycrisisTeam Leadership & Team DevelopmentTrust & Psychological Safety

Research Papers & Journal Publications

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Format, Motivation & Support Predict Persistence in Virtual Leadership Development
Research Paper
Format, Motivation & Support Predict Persistence in Virtual Leadership Development
Social connection, strong motivation, and manager support help people stay engaged in virtual leadership programs. Even small changes — like light check‑ins or early encouragement — can boost completion and impact.
Reading the Room: Behavioral Signals Leaders Can Use To Foster Psychological Safety
Research Paper
Reading the Room: Behavioral Signals Leaders Can Use To Foster Psychological Safety
This research identifies the key behavioral signals leaders can use to ”read the room“ and strengthen psychological safety. A practical, evidence‑based framework helps teams build trust, invite voice, and create conditions for better performance.
Preparing Business Graduates for a Polycrisis World: A Literature Synthesis on Educational Transformation
Research Paper
Preparing Business Graduates for a Polycrisis World: A Literature Synthesis on Educational Transformation
Explore how business schools can transform for a world of cascading crises — revamping pedagogy, curriculum, and governance to prepare leaders for complexity and systemic change.
Leading Multiteam Systems in Polycrisis Conditions
Research Paper
Leading Multiteam Systems in Polycrisis Conditions
This research examines leadership challenges in coordinating multiteam systems during polycrisis scenarios, identifying critical competencies and structural mechanisms for empowering leaders to successfully coordinate complex multiteam responses.
Succession Planning Reimagined: Research for Navigating Leadership Transitions
Research Paper
Succession Planning Reimagined: Research for Navigating Leadership Transitions
A unique convergence of 1,000 scholarly articles, 190 industry cases, and 161 TV shows defines the Succession-Centric Era, offering the ICG Framework (Immediacy, Continuity, Generativity) to transform leadership transition into a strategic, anticipatory action.
Threading the Needle: 10 Practices for Navigating Polycrisis While Advancing Socio-Ecological Wellbeing
Research Paper
Threading the Needle: 10 Practices for Navigating Polycrisis While Advancing Socio-Ecological Wellbeing
Discover the 10 practices that enable organizations to “thread the needle,” turning polycrisis disruptions into opportunities for simultaneous business success and social and ecological sustainability.
When More Is Less: The Role of Social Capital in Managing Talent in Teams
Journal Publication
When More Is Less: The Role of Social Capital in Managing Talent in Teams
Learn how too much talent can hurt performance; align team workflows and connection patterns with star levels to boost results and overcome diminishing returns.
The Working Wounded: The Effect of Bereavement Grief and Organizational Policies and Practices on Employee Outcomes
Journal Publication
The Working Wounded: The Effect of Bereavement Grief and Organizational Policies and Practices on Employee Outcomes
This empirical examination explores grief’s workplace impact and analyzes organizational support systems and their effectiveness in supporting bereaved employees’ wellbeing and performance.
Seeing Leadership More Clearly: Applying the Johari Window to Enhance 360 Leadership Assessments
Research Paper
Seeing Leadership More Clearly: Applying the Johari Window to Enhance 360 Leadership Assessments
This research applies the Johari Window framework to 360-degree feedback processes which improves self-awareness and leadership development outcomes through structured reflection.