"CEO Challenge 2004"
No author cited
Conference Board, December 2004.
Available Online
According to this Conference Board report, 88 percent of the global business
leaders surveyed said that “speed, flexibility, and adaptability”
were top priorities for their companies. Two-thirds of all U.S. executives
and almost 90 percent of Asian executives interviewed designated capitalizing
on knowledge, ideas and practices within their organizations as a key to
their organizations’ success.
The report suggests that talent and innovation were seen as key contributors
to creating an adaptable operation. Sixty-six percent said that finding
talent at the managerial level was a key focus for their firms.
Availability of skilled labor in general was also a concern for a majority
of the respondents. Sixty-six percent of Asian business leaders tabbed finding
skilled workers a top priority, compared with 51 percent of CEOs from Europe
and 42 percent from the United States.
540 CEOs were asked to rate the challenges they faced on a scale from 1
to 5. Top priority challenges are those rated either 1 or 2 by the respondents.
The survey was completed in conjunction with Heidrick & Struggles International,
Inc. (an executive search firm), and Peoplesoft.
