By Christian Stadler,Contributor

Copyright forbes

Asked about the biggest challenge ahead, business people put artificial intelligence on top, followed by political disruption

For executives, the ability to read a shifting and volatile environment is crucial. So who better to ask what the business world is like at the moment than other executives? So, for the fourth year in a row I asked business leaders what they expect to be the main challenge for their organization in the next 24 months.

The survey was distributed to my Warwick Business School network, both C-suite executives and middle managers. Including the latter was important as companies will only be able to navigate emerging trends if they are fully aligned. Put differently, if C-suite executives see the world differently than the people working for them, companies will struggle.

Of the 241 responses, 46 percent are from senior executives and 54 percent from middle managers and specialist staff. Three graphs summarize the most interesting insights from the survey.

Graph #1: the main challenges are AI disruption and political disruption

There is a strong consensus that the adoption of AI and political disruption will have the biggest impact over the next year. Two thirds of all respondents picked one of these two factors.

Exclusive c-suite and middle manager survey reveals main challenges for the next 12 months.
Christian Stadler

In both cases, the obvious question is how best to respond. In terms of AI adoption, companies are in vastly different stages. For those not at the forefront, there is no reason to panic.

Looking at the history of new technologies makes it clear that the main benefits derive from a second wave of innovation. The main winners will be those who are able to integrate these tools and adjust the way things are done. In other words: don’t overthink what technology you should use. Instead, spend your energy on the question of how to best enable people to use AI and what processes need to be adjusted.

MORE FOR YOU

Finding the right response to political disruption is trickier, considering how unpredictable the consequences are. In the US companies fully aligned with the current administration’s agenda—Palantir for example—have done well. Another strategy is to beef up international business. Although tariffs have grabbed headlines, international trade was up in the first half of 2025. In general, Western executives should spend time with their counterparts in countries where governments have always taken a very active role in business, to learn how to best navigate political minefields.

Graph #2: How challenges shifted since 2022

In the aftermath of Covid, the biggest worry for executives was rising inflation. Even though it continues to be high in many economies, companies have learnt to adjust. The question of how to best deal with technology shifts first moved to the top in 2023 and stayed there. Political disruption climbed up the agenda after the election of Donald Trump as US President.

Over the past four years executives emphasized different challenges. Inflation in particular dropped down their agenda.
Christian Stadler

The graph is a reminder of how quickly the world is changing. In 2022, politics was only 5th on the list, just a percentage point ahead of climate change. It’s possible that after the next US presidential election it is once again a secondary topic. Right now, that seems hard to imagine.

Graph #3: C-suite and middle managers have different priorities

In previous years, the priorities of the c-suite and middle managers have always varied on two different dimensions. One was geography, the other seniority.

This year the results are consistent across regions but c-suite executives once again have a different priority than middle managers. For the former it is political disruption, for the latter technology shifts.

Middle managers and C-suite executives do not agree on what the main challenge is. For the former it is AI, for the later political disruption
Christian Stadler

If top managers and middle managers do not agree on the main priorities, it is likely that big plans are not being executed properly.

In the current situation the consequences could be two-fold. First, middle managers and staff might worry that not enough time and money is spent on AI. Second, in a highly polarized political climate, those not agreeing with the government can feel strongly—and leave—if their leadership is adopting a different ideological stance.

The obvious first step to find agreement, will be mechanisms that executives can use to involved their staff in strategy making, i.e. to open up strategy.

With complex topics such as politics a workshop-based approach is sensible. Importantly, that does not mean that a vote is taken at the end but a discussion of trends and strategic responses will enable those at the helm to take decisions that stick.

Getting ready for 2026

With technology shifts taking the top spot in the annual trend survey both this and last year, it is clear—and not surprising—that this should be on top of the executive agenda.

It’s an opportunity not just for Big Tech, but for those who figure out how to best integrate technology into their organization, to also be winners over the next 12 months.

Editorial StandardsReprints & Permissions