1.3 Global Leader Index (GLI)
Purpose
The Global Leader Index (GLI) is a comprehensive assessment tool designed to evaluate leadership capabilities within organizational contexts, helping to identify both strengths and weaknesses across various leadership domains. The GLI aims to provide a detailed analysis of leadership effectiveness by measuring competencies in 16 organizational domains, such as vision setting, motivation, analysis, and task management. It assesses leaders on a global scale, providing insights into their capabilities and areas for improvement. The instrument’s primary goals are to enhance leadership development, drive organizational performance, and support strategic growth by offering actionable feedback based on comprehensive data.
The tool targets executives, assessing leadership development based on how peers in the same industry have progressed. It is also used to benchmark executives within similar industries. The GLI has been used primarily within the corporate sector, particularly by multinational companies seeking to develop and refine their leadership teams.
Description
The GLI emerged out of two decades of academic research. It was developed by Dan Denison and Robert Hooijberg, Professors of Organizational Behavior and Leadership at the International Institute for Management Development—a global business school based in Lausanne, Switzerland.
This assessment tool employs a seven-point Likert scale across 48 questions to evaluate strengths and weaknesses within 16 organizational domains. Respondents rate statements related to leadership behaviors and organizational practices, indicating their level of agreement from “strongly disagree” to “strongly agree.”
The GLI includes questions designed to measure various aspects of leadership, such as:
“My leader sets a clear vision for the organization.”
“My leader effectively motivates the team to achieve our goals.”
“My leader uses data and analysis to make informed decisions.”
“My leader ensures tasks are completed efficiently and effectively.”
Results are benchmarked against a database of over thousands of business executives who have completed the assessment, indicating a focus on global leadership within the corporate sector (instrument development and output comparisons).
A study by IMD (2011) demonstrated the GLI’s strong internal consistency (alpha coefficients ranging from .86 to .92) and high inter-rater reliability (mean inter-rater correlation of .78). This suggests the instrument yields consistent results across administrations and raters. Additionally, the GLI has shown predictive validity; IMD’s research in 2013 found it to be a significant predictor of CEO performance.
Limitations of the GLI may include response biases and the influence of organizational culture on the results. Additionally, the instrument’s focus on the corporate sector may limit its applicability in non-corporate or nonprofit contexts. Researchers and users are encouraged to consider these factors when interpreting the results.
Access
The tool has been discontinued.
References
Denison, D., Hooijberg, R., Lane, N., & Lief, C. (2012). Leading culture change in global organizations: Aligning culture and strategy. Management Decision 51(5), 1108–1110. https://doi.org/10.1108/MD-11-2012-0788
IMD. (2011). Global Leader Index: Technical report.
IMD. (2013). Global Leader Index: CEO performance study.
