Emerging World Innovation

At Emerging World we explore the frontiers of our rapidly developing sector, bringing together leadership development, corporate volunteering and inclusive business. We are committed to contributing to the global discussion and to taking action to create a world where leaders behave authentically, companies succeed responsibly and every one of us has the opportunity to achieve our potential. Emerging World Innovation is where we share our own proprietary research, articles and presentations, plus practice tools and resources to support you to do the same. 

CISL Impact Benchmark Study

Corporate International Service Learning (CISL) programmes are becoming an increasingly popular tool for companies looking to build the talent and skills of their workforce while simultaneously addressing societal needs in the markets where they do business. CISL programmes offer unique opportunities for employees to travel across international borders and apply their work-based skills to projects that serve a third-party constituency and deliver a positive social impact.

In the past, very little research has been undertaken to establish the longer-term impact of these programmes on participants and the associated return on investment for the company. To address this gap, Emerging World designed and implemented the first CISL Impact Benchmark Study in 2015. The study received responses from over 300 individuals who had completed CISL experiences at least 12 months prior to participating in the research. For the first time, it was possible to generate highly robust empirical data, that demonstrated the considerable value and return on investment that CISL programmes bring to companies in terms of leadership development, career mobility and employee engagement.

The Study was repeated in both 2016 and 2017. For 2017, a new Benchmark has been created from 688 employees from six companies and seven CISL programmes. As these programmes have evolved, so has the Study which now includes return on investment data on leadership development, career mobility, retention, employee engagement, business impact and responsible leadership.