Tue, 22 May 2012

The most prized employees across the modern world are those who are collaborative (say 75% of respondents), communicative (67%), creative and flexible (each 61%).

This is according to the global results ‘2012 CEO Study’ from technology and consultancy firm IBM, revealed at a roundtable event in London yesterday (21 May), attended by Recruiter.

However, in the UK, flexibility is significantly more prized by 80% of CEOs, with collaborative remaining the most sought-after attribute for 82% of respondents.

These attributes are key for workers able to undertake one of the three “key recommendations” in IBM’s report – ‘amplifying innovation with partnerships’.

Speaking at the event, Steven Leonard, chief executive of IBM UK & Ireland, said: “There’s no longer a single organisation that owns the end-to-end of anything any more… and that’s why horizontal collaboration is so crucial.”

The survey showed that compared with just 28% of global respondents, 47% of UK & Ireland respondents saw partnership networks as a key source of sustained value.

The other two key recommendations were ‘engaging customers as individuals’ and ‘amplifying innovation with partnerships’.

The survey also revealed that while relatively few organisations were looking to draw insight from information in the area of HR (43% globally, 31% UK & Ireland). In fact, it was information about customers that businesses were overwhelmingly (73% globally, 75% UK & Ireland) most interested in.

Nonetheless, human capital was seen as the greatest ‘key source of sustained economic value’ both in the UK and globally, ahead of customer relationships.

Leonard also expressed that importance of information and data in business strategy, saying: “No longer are decisions made grounded in gut feel… but using foresight and insight.”