Discover Technology Trends in Digital Leadership
One of the most influential global studies on technology strategy
About the report
Budget Caution, But Investment Remains
Technology trends show that budget expectations have dropped significantly from last year.
But after the hyper growth that we saw both during and while coming out of the pandemic, technology spend and investment in people could be seen as returning to more ‘normal’ levels.
Almost half of digital leaders expect their overall technology budget to increase during the next 12 months – a figure that’s broadly in line with pre-pandemic years.
AI – the New Wild West?
The arrival of large-scale generative AI trends has led many in the technology industry to believe we are at a tipping point.
But four in ten are unprepared for the implications of generative AI, and there are clear concerns on regulating it, as well as issues with data privacy and data accuracy.
Our respondents wholly acknowledge that AI requires heavier regulation. Nine in ten assert this, but most believe that regulation will not solve the issue.
Cyber Issues Down, But for How Long?
Major cyberattacks appear to be declining. This trend may be surprising for technology organizations; however, many digital leaders are beginning to view cybercrime as a ‘cost of doing business’.
Also, the trend of technology-related attacks in the industry is changing, with the biggest jumps in threats coming from well-resourced foreign powers and competitors.
Many digital leaders are concerned that generative AI, with its ability to mimic humans at scale, will open up a whole new line of attack in the future.
Skills Shortage Less Intense
This year sees headcount growth expectations decline, jumping from an all-time peak during the pandemic to something more in line with the decade prior to the pandemic.
The observable trend for technology organizations is a shift in strategy from growing headcount, to retaining, engaging and building the effectiveness of their existing teams.
The scarcest skills are those of data engineers, enterprise architects, software engineers and technical architects.
Hybrid Working Improves Diversity
Six in ten organizations now have a policy for employees to be in the office at least one day per week with larger organizations more likely to have such policies.
Hybrid working continues to improve diversity. Technology organization trends have shown that digital leaders who limit office time to one or two days tend to hire 27% more women than their peers with five-day mandates.
This is great news for those with caring responsibilities, and one day this might benefit as many men as women.
Net Zero – Almost Half Have No Plans
If you are looking for good news on sustainability, look away.
Just under half of digital leaders said that their organization had no plan to reach net zero.
Where plans are in place, trends show that almost half of technology leaders have set their sights on 2030 and beyond. The good news is that six in ten actually expect to deliver on their plan, with almost everyone else expecting to get close.
Digital Leaders (Re)gaining Influence
In 2017 we began to see a decline in executive committee membership, as a new strategy saw technology being increasingly owned and operated from outside the traditional technology team.
More recent technology trends show that membership has climbed up again to seven in ten, which is close to its highest recorded level.
The influence of the digital leader tends to grow when new technology challenges surface. With the current proliferation of new technology industry trends, digital leaders in the industry can offer an invaluable perspective.
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One of the most influential global studies on technology strategy