The way work is organized has fundamentally changed in the wake of the pandemic as “the boundaries that have traditionally governed the rules of work” have fallen away, according to a Jan. 10 Deloitte report.

But leaders may not be ready to address these trends, the report noted.

One example is the projected push away from the traditional job structure. While 93% of respondents said moving away from a focus on jobs is important to the organization’s success, only 20% said they were ready to tackle the challenge — the “largest readiness gap of all trends surveyed.”

“While jobs remain the primary way we define work, they are not the only way. Strict job definitions can limit workers’ and organizations’ ability to be agile and innovate in the face of disruption,” Michael Griffiths, principal and lead for Deloitte Consulting LLP’s learning consulting practice, said in a statement. “By moving to a skills-based approach, these organizations can unlock their workforce’s full potential and create a workplace where people have more choice, growth and autonomy in their careers.”

Deloitte’s report points to a large leadership gap as the potential cause for the disconnect. Nearly half of respondents to the survey said their organization’s leaders are overwhelmed and struggling to identify what they should prioritize in a new world of work — and only 23% said they believe their leaders have the capacity to lead through today’s disruptions at all.

That’s why manager training — and leadership skills — are top of mind for both organizations and individuals. Project management, communication and leadership topped Udemy’s 2023 Workplace Learning Trends report as the top consumed skill courses overall.

And as manager discretion becomes more important in a hybrid work world, more employers are realizing they must invest in training their up-and-coming leaders, especially since many front-line leaders have had little experience leading teams. Some organizations are upping investment in coaching and inclusive management training to help.

Read the full report here