The document discusses pressures facing C-suite leaders from disruptive forces like new technologies, customer demands, and stakeholders. It finds a "supergroup" of influential employees and customers expect companies to have a clear social purpose. While C-suites recognize the need for more holistic "whole-brain" thinking, they tend to have more left-brain training and see right-brain skills as weaknesses. Adopting a whole-brain approach correlates with stronger growth and may help address changing expectations.

1. STRIKING
BALANCEwithWhole-Brain
Leadership

2. PRESSURES ARE
CONVERGING
ON THE C-SUITE
Copyright © 2019 Accenture. All rights reserved. 2
Disruptors through the eyes of the C-suite
increasing in impact and intensity…
“Today’s operating
environment is more
complex…I think there is a
compounding effect of
market conditions, political
stress, and regulatory
intervention that takes the
complexity to a considerably
higher level than we operated
in let’s say 10 or 20 years
ago.”
— Board Member, Banking / UK
Say disruptive impact
of new market
entrants has increased
72%
Say disruptive impact
of new technologies
has increased
85%
Say disruptive impact
of constantly shifting
customer demands
has increased
74%
Say investors are
among their most
disruptive
stakeholders
62%
Say employees
are among their
most disruptive
stakeholders
49%
…and creating a
combinatorial effect.

3. “I value what
benefits society.”
EMPOWERED
NOT EMPOWERED
ME WE
“I can challenge companies.”
“I can’t challenge companies.”
“I value what
benefits me.”
Agitators Pathfinders
DisenfranchisedIndifferent
Employees: 31%
Customers: 31%
Employees: 18%
Customers: 21%
Employees: 15%
Customers: 19%
Employees: 35%
Customers: 30%
Copyright © 2019 Accenture. All rights reserved. 3
ADDING PRESSURE: A SUPERGROUP
OF EMPLOYEES AND CUSTOMERS

4. A SUPER GROUP WITH SUPER POWERS
Copyright © 2019 Accenture. All rights reserved. 4
Their
composition
defies
conventional
wisdom
A group you cannot
afford to ignore
…as employees more likely
to be on the fast track to
leadership and possess
critical skills
>2x
…as consumers more
likely to be in the top 10%
of household incomes
84%
Have clear and
different
expectations of
leadership
…of employees more likely to
place a particular emphasis
on working for companies
who have a clear purpose
they can relate to
57%
…of consumers more likely to
place a particular emphasis
on buying from companies
who contribute to society67%
Not gender specific
52% 48%
Female Male
Not generation specific
48% 52%
<40 >40
Both customer &
employee
49% 51%
Customer Employee

5. …AND THEY HAVE CLEAR
EXPECTATIONS OF THE C-SUITE
Copyright © 2019 Accenture. All rights reserved. 5
Pathfinder view of
skill importance
for C-suite
As employees, Pathfinders
indicate that whole-brain skills
and behaviors are important
for C-suite leaders to have.

6. THE C-SUITE RECOGNIZES
THE WINDS OF CHANGE
Copyright © 2019 Accenture. All rights reserved.
C-Suite / GERMANY C-Suite / SPAIN C-Suite / USA
It is a difficult but
necessary combination.
We have to stop and think
about who our end users
are…and what their needs
are. Before, people had
less data and less power.
People now have a
superpower to change
things.
There needs to be a level of
transparency and openness
in how you run your
business today. 10 years
ago, you would have kept
the way that you work and
make decisions to
yourself, but now you need
to be more open.
In a linear world CEOs
could project their
experience into the future.
Today, experience does
not have that same value
because the world is
developing exponentially.

7. 57%
10%
8%
6%
6%
13%
Business, Finance, Economics Science Technology Engineering IT (Information Technology) Other (left-directed) degree
AND THERE ARE NO
SURPRISES ABOUT
THEIR OWN ORIENTATION
Copyright © 2019 Accenture. All rights reserved. 7
of the C-suite have
formal training in
left-directed degrees
89%

8. MANAGE THE RISK BY CLOSING
THE GAP: THE GREAT DIVIDE
Copyright © 2019 Accenture. All rights reserved. 8
Pathfinder
C-suite
View of key skills required:

9. …and compounds the impact of a growing
left-brain weakness: Understanding of
new technology & having the right tech
skills to advise teams
THE C-SUITE’S SELF-
DESCRIBED GAPS CLEARLY
DEFINE THE STARTING POINT
Copyright © 2019 Accenture. All rights reserved. 9
65%of the C-suite say a
right brain skill is
their weakest
Intuition
Empathy &
Self awareness
Vigilance to
the external
environment
The top 3 weakest skills

10. IT’S WORTH THE EFFORT:
THERE IS EVIDENCE OF A
BOTTOM LINE IMPACT
10
…and they report stronger
average growth & profitability
Use a whole-brain
approach today…
8% avg 3-yr
Revenue
growth
avg 3-yr
Profit (EBITDA)
growth
+22% +34%
Copyright © 2019 Accenture. All rights reserved.
Intend to use a whole-
brain approach in the
next 3 years
82%

11. A CLEAR PATH FORWARD:
SEIZING THE OPPORTUNITY
Copyright © 2019 Accenture. All rights reserved. 11
Redefine
leadership to
gain relevancy.
Drive change deep
and wide to realize
the enterprise
potential of whole
brain.
Diversify
the C-suite’s
strengths.
1 2 3

12. 1. DIVERSIFY THE
C-SUITE’S STRENGTHS
Copyright © 2019 Accenture. All rights reserved.Source: New Rules of Engagement, C-suite Survey
re-skilling
C-suite members
55%
bringing in new
talent from outside
46%
9 in 10of C-suite executives are already
addressing current skills gaps

13. 2. REDEFINE LEADERSHIP
TO GAIN RELEVANCY AND
CURRENCY
Copyright © 2019 Accenture. All rights reserved. 13
more likely to take action
in numbers against their
employer
5x
have already taken
disruptive action, voicing
their disappointment as a
customer
61%
High Risk
more likely to be completely
motivated to give their best
for their employer
2x
more likely as a customer to
choose a more expensive
brand because they prefer
what it stands for
2x
High Reward

14. Copyright © 2019 Accenture. All rights reserved. 14
Applying new,
richer depths of
the left…
• Data science
• Analytics
• Visualization
• Machine learning
• AI
with more tangible
applications of the
right…
• Creative thinking
• Experimentation
• Innovation
• Empathy
• Intuition
…to solve the highest value problems with data-led
and human centric design approaches
3. THE ENTERPRISE POTENTIAL OF WHOLE
BRAIN: GREATER THAN RIGHT + LEFT

15. {
LEARN MORE
New Rules of Engagement
for the C-suite
Striking Balance
with Whole-Brain
Leadership
VISIT www.accenture.com/strategy-index
@AccentureStrat
linkedin.com/company/
accenture-strategy
READ THE REPORT

16. About Accenture Research
The Whole-Brain Leadership: The New Rules of
Engagement for the C-suite report from Accenture
Strategy is based on insights from research
including interviews with 200 C-suite executives
from France, Germany, Italy, Spain, the United
Kingdom and the United States; survey responses
from more than 11,000 employees and consumers
in China, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, the UK and
the US; and in-person focus groups in Spain, the UK
and US. The study found that leadership teams that
actively acquire, deploy, demonstrate and embed
diversified whole-brain thinking across the
organization fare better financially than those that
don’t. Visit us at www.accenture.com/wholebrain
About Accenture
Accenture is a leading global professional services
company, providing a broad range of services and
solutions in strategy, consulting, digital, technology
and operations. Combining unmatched experience
and specialized skills across more than 40 industries
and all business functions—underpinned by the
world’s largest delivery network—Accenture works at
the intersection of business and technology to help
clients improve their performance and create
sustainable value for their stakeholders. With
approximately 477,000 people serving clients in
more than 120 countries, Accenture drives innovation
to improve the way the world works and lives. Visit us
at www.accenture.com
Accenture, its logo, and High Performance
Delivered are trademarks of Accenture.
About Accenture Strategy
Accenture Strategy combines deep industry
expertise, advanced analytics capabilities and
human-led design methodologies that enable
clients to act with speed and confidence. By
identifying clear, actionable paths to accelerate
competitive agility, Accenture Strategy helps
leaders in the C-suite envision and execute
strategies that drive growth in the face of digital
transformation. For more information, follow
@AccentureStrat or visit
www.accenture.com/strategy
Copyright © 2019 Accenture.
All rights reserved.