Gartner: Leadership Instability Is Dragging Down Supply Chains

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Article Date: 2025-12-09T09:10:00-05:00
Article URL: https://www.supplychain247.com/article/gartner-leadership-turnover-hurting-supply-chains
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Summary

Gartner’s June 2025 survey of 227 supply chain leaders finds frequent leadership turnover is materially disrupting operations. Some 54% of leaders reported that turnover had ‘moderately to completely’ disrupted their team’s ability to operate over the past three years. The report warns that current leadership development programmes are not keeping pace with changing role demands, hybrid working patterns and rapid AI adoption, exposing gaps in how future leaders are trained and supported.

Key Points

54% of supply chain leaders say leadership turnover has disrupted operations in the last three years.
Only 22% of leaders demonstrate the team-first behaviour linked to stronger results; most still prioritise individual success.
Nearly 60% report leadership roles now require a broader mix of skills and responsibilities, making them harder to manage.
Less than half (49%) of leadership development programmes were rated effective by respondents.
Just 31% believe work-life balance is part of the path to senior roles and only 37% say promotion processes are clear and transparent.
Gartner recommends three changes: reward team-focused leaders, narrow and clarify leadership roles, and replace slow training with fast, embedded learning.

Content Summary

The Gartner survey highlights a growing problem: leadership instability is not just an HR headache but a tangible drag on supply chain performance. Changes in working patterns and AI adoption are accelerating role complexity, yet many organisations still rely on ‘superstar’ leaders rather than building collaborative, team-oriented leadership benches.

The research finds leadership roles have broadened and become more demanding, while existing training and development programmes are frequently ineffective. Many aspiring leaders are discouraged by unclear promotion paths and a perceived lack of work-life balance in career progression. Gartner urges chief supply chain officers to rethink leadership development by prioritising behaviours that lift teams, narrowing role scope to realistic expectations, and shifting to rapid, on-the-job learning.

Context and Relevance

This piece is important because supply chains are operating in a more volatile environment — AI, hybrid working and geopolitical pressures all raise the stakes for effective leadership. If organisations don’t modernise how they develop and reward leaders, they risk continued disruption, capacity gaps and slower adoption of technologies that could improve resilience. For anyone responsible for operations, talent or transformation, the findings flag where to focus limited time and budget to get better, faster results.

Author style

Punchy. This summary cuts to the core: leadership instability equals operational disruption. If you care about performance, people and the ability to scale AI or new tech, this is a must-see.

Why should I read this?

Look, if you run or rely on a supply chain, you want fewer surprises and fewer firefights. This article shows why exits at the top are causing both — and why your training programme probably needs a rethink. Quick, practical nudges from Gartner on rewarding team players, trimming bloated role descriptions and embedding learning could save you time and headaches down the line.

Source

Source: https://www.supplychain247.com/article/gartner-leadership-turnover-hurting-supply-chains