The IBM Global CEO Study 2006

Overview

Our 2006 CEO Study takes a comprehensive, global look at a topic that is increasingly important to CEOs and government leaders worldwide: innovation.


We knew, from our 2004 Study, that CEOs were relying on innovation to drive profitable growth. But beyond innovations bottom-line importance, we believed that business and public sector leaders were acutely aware of the phenomenal challenges society faces in the coming decades – and our mutual dependence on innovation to solve these issues. We spoke at length with 765 CEOs, business executives and public sector leaders from around the world – to learn more about their thoughts on innovation. They were remarkably frank, sharing with us their motivations, their plans and even their weaknesses. We learned that two out of every three CEOs expect fundamental changes for their organizations over the next two years.


Surprisingly, CEOs do not seem daunted by this challenge. Instead, they see opportunity – opportunity to be seized through innovation. And what they told us may compel leaders to reevaluate their preconceptions about innovation.