NEW YORK: Many brand owners believe there is a major "talent gap" which threatens to hamper their future plans across the globe.
The Boston Consulting Group and World Federation of People Management Associations surveyed 5,500 human resources executives from 109 countries, alongside interviewing 153 board-level business leaders.
Half of participants highlighted a "gap" regarding possible ceos, 56% cited the same issue for senior managers and 40% thought their company possessed few "emerging potentials".
Managing talent was currently the top priority in markets like Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Russia, Saudi Arabia and the UK.
Improving leadership development was found to be the primary goal among corporations based in Brazil, China, Italy, South Africa and the US.
More broadly, Western European enterprises displayed the most interest in coordinating change and cultural transformation, becoming a "learning organisation" and enhancing employer branding.
Some 48% of respondents emphasised technical training, 47% held regular development conversations with staff, 44% handed employees on-the-job projects and 40% utilised one-on-one coaching schemes.
Mentoring and cross-functional assignments delivered 30%, with international postings on 22% - equalling the score for firms establishing a "corporate university" - and external secondments on just 8%.
Looking ahead, companies in sectors from manufacturing to communications, financial services, IT and business services predicted there would be a skills shortage covering almost every region worldwide by 2030.
Brazilian and Swedish contributors anticipated having access to a sufficiently capable pool of candidates, but perceptions in Russia, Japan and the US were less favourable.
Google and IBM are already seeking to overcome this obstacle, via partnerships with academic hubs such as The University of Washington, Stanford University and MIT.
This tie-up saw the tech giants provide hardware, software and services to these institutions, creating "virtual IT labs", encouraging the discovery of innovative solutions.
Google has adopted a wide-ranging approach to identifying potential hires, tapping specialists in various fields including traditional human resources and consultancies, said Laszlo Bock, its vp of people operations.
"We are looking for two things: great problem-solving skills - the ability to take a really messy problem, disaggregate it and drive to data-driven answers - and really deep business sense."
Spotting highly-qualified staff boasting PhDs in subjects like physics, statistics and psychology, has also proved vital.
"They let us run all kinds of interesting experiments and raise the bar on everything we do," said Bock.
Elsewhere, Procter & Gamble has forged alliances with other firms and individuals through its Connect+Develop innovation programme, focusing on areas such as eco-friendly goods.
"No one company can do it alone," said Len Sauers, P&G's vice president, global sustainability.
"It is important for companies to collaborate with external partners to tackle important topics that impact both our world and our businesses."
Shifting to fast-growing markets, pharma group Sanofi Aventis intends to double the size of its Chinese arm during the next five years, while driving up annual revenues from $686m (€505m; £433m) to $2bn.
"Everyone is expanding - the industry has a roughly 28% turnover rate," said Thomas Kelly, Sanofi's vice president, Greater China.
In response, Sanofi has built a dedicated "talent centre" to uncover the best local staff, and which eases the path for moving between its divisions.
The Boston Consulting Group and World Federation of People Management Associations surveyed 5,500 human resources executives from 109 countries, alongside interviewing 153 board-level business leaders.
Half of participants highlighted a "gap" regarding possible ceos, 56% cited the same issue for senior managers and 40% thought their company possessed few "emerging potentials".
Managing talent was currently the top priority in markets like Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Russia, Saudi Arabia and the UK.
Improving leadership development was found to be the primary goal among corporations based in Brazil, China, Italy, South Africa and the US.
More broadly, Western European enterprises displayed the most interest in coordinating change and cultural transformation, becoming a "learning organisation" and enhancing employer branding.
Some 48% of respondents emphasised technical training, 47% held regular development conversations with staff, 44% handed employees on-the-job projects and 40% utilised one-on-one coaching schemes.
Mentoring and cross-functional assignments delivered 30%, with international postings on 22% - equalling the score for firms establishing a "corporate university" - and external secondments on just 8%.
Looking ahead, companies in sectors from manufacturing to communications, financial services, IT and business services predicted there would be a skills shortage covering almost every region worldwide by 2030.
Brazilian and Swedish contributors anticipated having access to a sufficiently capable pool of candidates, but perceptions in Russia, Japan and the US were less favourable.
Google and IBM are already seeking to overcome this obstacle, via partnerships with academic hubs such as The University of Washington, Stanford University and MIT.
This tie-up saw the tech giants provide hardware, software and services to these institutions, creating "virtual IT labs", encouraging the discovery of innovative solutions.
Google has adopted a wide-ranging approach to identifying potential hires, tapping specialists in various fields including traditional human resources and consultancies, said Laszlo Bock, its vp of people operations.
"We are looking for two things: great problem-solving skills - the ability to take a really messy problem, disaggregate it and drive to data-driven answers - and really deep business sense."
Spotting highly-qualified staff boasting PhDs in subjects like physics, statistics and psychology, has also proved vital.
"They let us run all kinds of interesting experiments and raise the bar on everything we do," said Bock.
Elsewhere, Procter & Gamble has forged alliances with other firms and individuals through its Connect+Develop innovation programme, focusing on areas such as eco-friendly goods.
"No one company can do it alone," said Len Sauers, P&G's vice president, global sustainability.
"It is important for companies to collaborate with external partners to tackle important topics that impact both our world and our businesses."
Shifting to fast-growing markets, pharma group Sanofi Aventis intends to double the size of its Chinese arm during the next five years, while driving up annual revenues from $686m (€505m; £433m) to $2bn.
"Everyone is expanding - the industry has a roughly 28% turnover rate," said Thomas Kelly, Sanofi's vice president, Greater China.
In response, Sanofi has built a dedicated "talent centre" to uncover the best local staff, and which eases the path for moving between its divisions.
Data sourced from Boston Consulting Group/CNN; additional content by Warc staff
