Reflections on the McLean & Company HR Trends Report 2026
Organisations are living through one of the most intense eras of change in decades. AI adoption is accelerating, business models are evolving, employee expectations shift faster than policies can be written, and economic and regulatory uncertainty has become a constant companion. Yet, despite all this momentum, a critical challenge has emerged.
According to The McLean & Company HR Trends Report 2026, organisational change is moving faster than leaders can keep up.
This isn’t a small imbalance. It is a structural tension with real implications:
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Leaders are expected to guide teams through both technological and human-centred transformation, but many are stretched thin.
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Employees report rising change fatigue as expectations multiply without clear direction or sustained support.
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Innovation is rising on organisational priority lists, while leadership capability remains inconsistent, slowing progress where it matters most.
In short, the world is changing faster than people are being prepared to lead through it.
What the Data Tells Us
The 2026 HR Trends Report aggregated insights from over 1,600 HR and leadership professionals worldwide across technology, financial services, healthcare, manufacturing, and more. The findings paint a compelling picture:
1. Leadership Development Is the Top Priority
Developing leaders remains the #1 priority for HR professionals in 2026, a clear signal that organisations recognise capability as a competitive advantage. Yet, fewer than half of HR teams feel highly effective at developing leaders.
This gap suggests that while most organisations know leadership matters, fewer are equipped to grow leaders in ways that truly prepare them for ambiguity and complexity.
2. Innovation Surges Ahead But Leadership Lags
Innovation has jumped from #10 to #2 among HR priorities. A dramatic shift that shows organisations are eager to adapt and explore. Yet innovation without aligned leadership slows progress, reducing organisational agility and responsiveness.
3. HR’s Role Is Evolving From Reactive to Strategic
The report emphasises that HR is not just a support function anymore. It is being looked to as a stabilising force that helps organisations navigate rapid transformation, maintain cohesion, and strengthen culture amidst uncertainty.
This shift is significant: when HR sits at the strategic table alongside business leaders, organisations are more likely to stay anchored amid change.
4. Culture and Leadership Must Move in Tandem
While innovation and technology push organisations forward, cultural alignment and leadership capability are what carry people forward. Organisations that neglect culture risk disconnection, mixed signals, and fractured decision-making, especially when change is constant.
Where the Real Risk Lies
The risks highlighted by the report are not abstract. They manifest in everyday organisational life:
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Change fatigue among employees
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Leadership overload as individuals juggle strategy, people, and technology
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Misalignment between strategy and culture
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Slow decision cycles when speed and adaptability are required
These are not HR problems alone. They are leadership and organisational issues that require cross-functional solutions.
What This Means for Founders & C-Suite Leaders
The McLean report is an invitation to reframe how we think about leadership and organisational change:
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Leadership capability isn’t a luxury, it’s infrastructure. Strong leaders reduce risk, anchor culture, and help organisations innovate with intention.
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Culture isn’t collateral, it’s a compass. When culture and strategy align, change becomes navigable rather than daunting.
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HR isn’t reactive support, it’s strategic design. HR can be a partner in shaping not just talent systems, but organisational direction and resilience.
In other words: why a team changes matters as much as how it does.
Where BEP Can Help Close the Gap
At Best Events Productions, we see this leadership gap not just as a trend but as an opportunity for thoughtful, experience-based design.
When organisations treat development as episodic training, the gap widens. But when leadership capability, culture alignment, and shared organisational experiences are woven into ongoing strategic practice, the gap begins to close.
This is why building in partnership, for example, with industry experts in leadership development, culture strategy, and change facilitation creates:
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Shared sense-making spaces for leaders and teams
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Experience-based learning that reinforces values and behaviour
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Cross-functional conversations that align strategy, culture, and execution
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Collective resilience, not just individual competence
Workshops and team experiences don’t fix everything, but they can be a bridge:
From overwhelm → to clarity
From fragmentation → to alignment
From reactive change → to strategic resilience
They can help organisations design the systems of leadership and culture that people can rely on, especially as the pace of change accelerates.
A Strategic Invitation
If the McLean report has one message for this year, it’s this:
Organisational success in 2026 won’t be shaped primarily by technology or market.
It will be shaped by how people lead, how teams experience change, and how culture supports both.
And that is something leaders can and should influence.
Sources:
McLean & Company HR Trends Report 2026- growing gap between organisational change and leadership capacity; top HR priorities including leadership development and innovation; HR as strategic stabilising force.