Another sign of what it means to live in interesting times.

risk, and not people, is now the top priority for executives, according to a survey from the consulting firm Accenture.

According to the survey, managing risk is now ranked as more important than achieving growth without sacrificing profitability.

Increasing shareholder value now ranks down the list at number 7 and attracting skilled staff comes in last at 10. So much for companies struggling with skills shortages!

The findings are interesting because they signal the new risks at play in the market.

These risks are the convergence of products and industries; the rising cost of capital; the end of low inflation; rising raw material costs; the growth of the finance economy; globalisation's transformation of trade; water; terrorism and its impact on the nation state; the rise of China and India; education; Japan, Europe and the US; energy; asymmetric capital markets; the end of managerial capitalism; biotechnology; nanotechnology; governance; the over-supply of materials and products; ageing; climate; networks; the growing importance of intangibles; materialism and its discontents; reflexivity and volatility.

I examine these in more detail here.