This might sound like your average teenager, but in fact these are the qualities companies will need to thrive in the near future, according to the 2008 CEO study published earlier this year by IBM.

Every two years, IBM talks to some 1,000+ CEOs and public sector leaders worldwide and asks: What are they thinking about? Where are they investing? What do they believe the Enterprise of the Future will look like?

Reporting on its third global CEO survey, IBM found the following.

Hungry for change - Coping with change is nothing new. What’s different is the head-spinning rate of change today and the fact that it’s coming from so many different quarters. In 2004, CEOs worried about market factors. In 2008, while the market still dominates the agenda, executives now face additional socioeconomic, geopolitical and environmental challenges including people skills, technology advances and environmental concerns.

And companies are struggling to keep up: The survey found there is a gap of 22% between how CEOs rate their ability to manage change successfully versus their expected need for it-a gap that has nearly tripled since 2006, when it was only 8%.

Innovative beyond customer imagination - In India, 400 million consumers will demand new housing in the next 20 years. That’s more real estate than the United States has built since the Second World War, pointed out one real estate CEO. Globalization is producing a new prosperity around the world and two thirds of CEOs are investing to capture this opportunity.

These new-and existing consumers-are more demanding and knowledgeable than ever. With the billion-user Internet, customers can broadcast their opinions about a product. They can link up with like-minded consumer groups and sway public opinion, not to mention company behavior.

Three quarters of CEOs view these newly empowered consumers with enthusiasm. Here is a chance to get customer input and develop products that differentiate their company and justify premium pricing. This can be much quicker and more effective than developing products in a vacuum, only to find they missed the mark and the market.

Globally integrated - Two years ago globalization meant paring off a function and moving it abroad: a factory in China, a call center in India. The key driver was cost. Today, CEOs see globalization as intrinsic to their business, the means of accessing the best resources wherever they are. It is the gateway to new markets.

To fully realize their globalization strategies, 57% of CEOs will make fundamental changes to their organization’s capability and skill mix. What will they do? Of those interviewed, 85% plan on partnering; 66% will use mergers and acquisitions. One such company is Hong Kong-based Li & Fung. They used acquisitions-more than 20 in less than 10 years-to grow market share in their target geographic markets.

With a network of 10,000 suppliers and staff in 40 different countries, Li & Fung can source from virtually anywhere in the world. Cotton can be purchased from America, knit and dyed in Pakistan and sewn into garments in Cambodia. When Li & Fung acquires a company, it typically preserves the front-end customer interface, which is often the reason for the acquisition, but merges the back end with its own operation within 100 days of deal close.

Disruptive by nature - A common theme that emerged from the interviews: virtually all CEOs are changing their business models. Two thirds are implementing extensive innovations. Why now?

Because it’s possible. The Internet is allowing them to enter niche markets and reshape their processes, delivery channels and ways of partnering. Companies are innovating in three ways:

• Rethinking their enterprise business model: which processes are kept in house or spun out to partners?
• Changing their pricing models, such as Gillette which switched its primary revenue from razors to blades
• Reshaping the way their industry conducts business, such as the way Apple ipod turned the music business upside down

U.S. pharmaceutical maker Eli Lilly turned to business model innovation to meet an ongoing industry challenge: bring new medicines to market faster. Its newest model is based on pioneering risk-sharing relationships, such as its 2007 agreement with Nicholas Piramal India Limited (NPIL). NPIL will develop one of Lilly’s molecules at its own expense, from preclinical work to early clinical trials. If NPIL is successful and the compound reaches the second stage of human testing, Lilly can reacquire it in exchange for milestone payments and royalties.

Genuine, not just generous - The next generation of socially minded customers, workers and investors is watching every move a company makes. CEOs recognize this and corporate social responsibility (CSR) is climbing higher on the agenda. It’s critical to attracting talent, breaking into new markets and protecting the brand.

As a result, 25% of companies will increase their investment in this key area, generally focused on developing new "green" products. One challenge will be how to make CSR a more holistic aspect of company processes.

Much of this article was extracted from the May 5, 2008 publication "Ideas from IBM."  The full report is available for download. IBM is interested in hearing what you think about this article. Do you have a question, comment, suggestion or story idea to pass along? Please e-mail Ideas from IBM.