Your Brother In Arms

International Business Skills in High Demand but Short Supply

A recent study by Accenture revealed that for a number of skills deemed critical for future success companies are experiencing notable gaps. International business skills (such as foreign languages, the ability to manage cross-border teams and cultural awareness) are most commonly cited as being required for success, yet organizations are facing the greatest shortage in this area. The study is based on a survey of 330 C-level corporate decision makers across Europe. However, the results are representative for the whole western world.

Graphical presentation of the percentage of respondents who include following skills within:

-The top 3 skills critical to the success of an organization.

-The top 3 skills available to an organization to a significant or great extent.

(Source: “Turning the tide: How Europe can rebuild skills and generate growth”, carried out by Accenture as a research study for the European Business Summit 2012)