"CEO Challenge 2004"
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Conference Board, December 2004.
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.
