Barriers to technology adoption
Our research shows that technology plays a critical enabling role in this transformation. It powers everything from sustainability and innovation to workforce agility and cost efficiency. But technology alone isn’t the answer. When treated as a standalone IT initiative, it risks becoming a costly distraction. When embedded within a broader organisational strategy, it becomes a catalyst for adaptability and long-term impact.
Leaders are facing five core barriers to successful technology adoption.
Failure of technology to address business needs
Technology adding complexity to existing workflows
A lack of aligned goals across the business
Competing priorities
A lack of integration with the existing tech landscape
Championing behaviours that drive adaptability
The most adaptable organisations rely on modular business architectures – systems made up of smaller, independent and interchangeable components. These modules deliver value on their own, but also work together seamlessly.
This makes them high-performing, flexible and ready to shift with market demands.
BEHAVIOUR 1: CHAMPION YOUR DATA (LIKE YOU CHAMPION YOUR PEOPLE)
Strong data foundations ensure quality and consistency – critical for strategic investments, especially in AI. And with scalable, flexible systems, these organisations can adapt quickly to change without losing control.
73
%
of leading organisations say that AI adoption has significantly accelerated their transformation.
BEHAVIOUR 2: PROTECT YOUR SPARK (WITH CLEAR PRIORITIES FOR STOPPING)
Protecting your spark means strategically stopping. Adaptive organisations know that doing fewer things better creates space for experimentation and impact.
63
%
say they find employees becoming fatigued by continual waves of transformation challenging.
BEHAVIOUR 3: FIND YOUR VALUE COMPASS (AND MAKE SURE EVERYONE SEES CLEARLY)
Adaptability starts with leaders who can clearly see value and ensure everyone else does too. Leading organisations clearly and explicitly define what value means for both their customers and their organisation – and ensure everything they do is tightly aligned to that definition.
64
%
of survey respondents say they find demonstrating a clear impact on business outcomes challenging.
Make adaptability your advantage
The data is clear: leading organisations that embed adaptability into both their system and people engines don’t just deliver transformation – they deliver lasting change.
Organisations that thrive are those whose leaders embed adaptability into every decision, every system and every team.
