There has been an increase in demand for multilingual skills among global leadership candidates, according to a study of more than 1,000 companies on six continents by AMA Enterprise. Currently, approximately 14% of high-performing global companies hire only multilingual candidates for management positions, up from 10% in 2010.

As further indication of a desire for a multilingual global leadership team, the percentage of high-performing companies that report providing language training for all employees has more than doubled, from 10% in 2011 to 23% in 2012.

Which statement below best describes your company’s perspective on the language skills of managers who serve in international or global roles?

(percent of respondents indicating “high” or “very high” extent)

We do not require multilingual skills nor do we provide language training of any kind       = 23%
We provide language training/reimbursement for all employees       = 23%
We generally select managers for assignments based on their language skills, but we don’t require multilingual proficiency       = 21%
We provide language training/reimbursement for employees who are considered to be “high-potentials”       = 15%
We hire only managers who have basic spoken competencies in multiple languages       = 14%
We advise “high-potential” employees to obtain multilingual proficiency, but we do not provide resources for them to obtain these skills        = 4%

“English is currently perceived as the predominant language of business throughout the world, but that may be changing,” said Sandi Edwards, Senior Vice President for AMA Enterprise, a specialized division of American Management Association that provides assessment, measurement and tailored learning solutions to organizations. “This is a trend to watch. There is an emerging realization that English may not be the exclusive business language in the future. And forward thinking organizations clearly see the value of the multilingual leader and look for greater language proficiency in their global leadership candidates.”

The study also found that customization of the content of global leadership development programs has dropped somewhat. “About 40% of high-performing companies indicated in 2011 that they customized the content of their global leadership development programs to a “high” or “very high” extent for various regions or countries,” noted Edwards. “In the 2012 survey, just 23% of high-performing companies report that their global leadership programs are customized to such an extent.”

“The drop notwithstanding, our experience with clients tells us that for companies with global ambitions customizing programs isn’t just a best practice, but a necessity,” said Edwards. “When programs are uniquely developed for companies, they usually involve several dimensions. At the core are the organization’s strategic needs. The content, methods and evaluation techniques follow. Effective global leadership initiatives are always being adapted to meet changing business requirements and new competency areas.”

“It’s evident, based on the study, that what may have originally served for global leadership development is changing,” said Edwards. “There are continuous innovations in both content and methodologies to meet the needs of the global marketplace and the most successful companies are leading the way.”

AMA Enterprise partnered with the Institute for Corporate Productivity and Training magazine to explore what high-performing global companies do differently. The study population consisted of primarily senior-level business, human resources and management professionals. These were surveyed via e-mail and 1,050 usable responses were collected. A majority of the companies represented in the survey are headquartered in North America.

With more than 85 years’ experience and headquartered in New York, American Management Association is a global leader of comprehensive talent development. AMA Enterprise, a specialized division of AMA dedicated to building corporate and government solutions, transforms enterprise-wide talent to fuel a culture of innovation, high performance and optimal business results.