Fortune study ranks IBM as world's best company for leaders

IBM is being recognized as the No. 1 Global Company for Leaders, in a study by Fortune magazine to be featured in its December issue.

A panel of independent judges select and rank winning companies based on numerous criteria, including strength of leadership practices and culture, examples of leader development on a global scale, impact of leadership in communities in which they operate, and overall business performance and company reputation.

The study is generally regarded one of the most comprehensive analyses of organisational leadership in the world. IBM was one of 537 organizations under consideration in the study.

In the report, the survey partners noted that an important distinguishing characteristic set the global top companies like IBM apart from their peers was that even during the economic downturn, top companies remained committed to building leadership capability within their organizations.

"All global companies today are facing a number of complex business and economic challenges," said Bob Gandossy, global practice leader of the Leadership Consulting practice at Hewitt Associates, a global consulting and outsourcing company that partners with Fortune and others to conduct the leadership analysis.

Gandossy said, "Through our research, it's clear that global top companies such as IBM do not abandon key leadership and talent efforts in favor of short-term goals… . This mindset is not only what sets global top companies apart from the rest, it's what differentiates successful businesses from unsuccessful ones."