Build vs. Buy: How to Choose the Right Manager Development Solution

The moment you realize your manager training isn’t working—what comes next?

For HR, L&D, and Talent leaders navigating restructuring, increased attrition, and growing pressure on frontline managers, the need to rethink leadership development is obvious.

But when it comes time to act, one critical question stalls progress:

Should we build it internally… or invest in a solution?

In this article, we’ll help you weigh both paths—and show how a modern, adaptive approach like Curiosity Led can offer the best of both worlds.

The Stakes Are High: Why the Right Solution Matters Now

With companies flattening hierarchies, promoting first-time managers rapidly, and trimming budgets, many managers are being thrown into leadership roles with little to no support.

According to recent research:

• ✅ 64% of managers reported increased responsibilities post-restructuring (Gallup).

• ✅ 60% of organizations say a lack of leadership is their biggest challenge (DDI).

• ✅ Poor manager training results in 50% higher turnover (ATD).

The old approach—build a custom curriculum from scratch using workshops, spreadsheets, and static LMSs—feels safe. But in today’s environment, it’s no longer sustainable.

Option 1: Building It Internally

You control the curriculum. It’s customized. You can align it to your values and culture.

But here’s the real cost of “building”:

• 🕒 Time – Developing quality manager content, delivery systems, and measurement tools can take 6–12 months—not including pilot, feedback, or iteration cycles.

• 💸 Cost – You’ll need LMS integration, assessment tools, coaching capacity, and stakeholder coordination. These costs add up quickly—and often don’t scale well.

• 👥 Team Bandwidth – Most L&D teams are already under-resourced. Supporting new managers and maintaining momentum post-training puts you at risk of burnout.

• 📉 Behavior Change is Inconsistent – Even if your content is great, the challenge isn’t delivery—it’s application. Without real-time, in-the-flow support, behavior change rarely sticks.

Option 2: Buying a Plug-and-Play Solution

When done right, this approach offers speed, scalability, and structure.

The problem? Most solutions are fragmented:

• ❌ A standalone LMS with no integration into day-to-day work.

• ❌ Off-the-shelf content that doesn’t match your organization’s voice or culture.

• ❌ Zero visibility into whether managers are actually growing.

  
  

Curiosity Led: What If You Didn’t Have to Choose?

We’re building Curiosity Led as the tool we wish we had—something in between build and buy, designed for today’s complexity and scale.

Here’s what sets it apart:

• 🔁 Full Manager Lifecycle – From onboarding to performance reviews, Curiosity Led supports managers across every key inflection point—not just in isolated workshops.

• 💬 Conversational, In-the-Flow Learning – Our AI-driven coaching shows up where managers already work—Slack, Teams, Email—with nudges, check-ins, and real-world prompts.

• 📊 Assessments, Learning & Goal Tracking in One Place – No more juggling disconnected tools or chasing down spreadsheets. It’s all centralized.

• ⚙️ Built With You, Not Just For You – We collaborate with early partners to shape our feature roadmap. You don’t just adopt a tool—you shape the future of it.

• 🧠 Real Behavior Change – With microlearning, mentoring touchpoints, and scenario-based practice, we help managers apply what they learn in context.

Ready to Be Part of the Movement?

If you’re tired of choosing between building a solution you don’t have time for and buying one that doesn’t fit your needs—join us.

We’re building Curiosity Led with modern HR and L&D leaders who are done settling for broken tools.

🚀 Book a discovery call to shape the future of manager development with us.