C-Suite Survey Demands Faster Innovation, Higher ROI from Tech

A new survey of 4,300 C-suite leaders reveals intensifying pressure for faster business innovation, higher ROI, and stronger resilience from technology investments.

A major new survey of nearly 4,300 C-suite leaders globally has revealed a sharp intensification in executive demands from their technology ecosystems. The data highlights a pressing need for faster innovation, demonstrably higher return on investment, and significantly stronger business resilience. This triad of expectations is creating unprecedented pressure on enterprise software providers and internal IT departments to deliver transformative outcomes at an accelerated pace, moving beyond mere operational support to becoming a core driver of competitive advantage.

The findings underscore a critical gap between the promise of digital transformation and the measurable business value delivered. Executives are no longer satisfied with incremental improvements; they demand that technology investment directly catalyzes new revenue streams, unlocks efficiencies, and future-proofs operations against disruption. This matters because it signals a strategic pivot where IT and business strategy are inextricably linked, with performance metrics tied directly to financial performance and market agility.

For enterprise vendors and Chief Information Officers, the implication is a mandate to justify every project with clear business outcomes. The forecast is for increased scrutiny on ERP systems and legacy platforms that cannot adapt quickly, driving investment toward modular, AI-enabled solutions. Decision-makers must prioritize platforms that offer both innovation velocity and operational stability. The next imperative is to develop new frameworks for measuring the holistic impact of technology beyond cost savings to include metrics for resilience building, customer experience enhancement, and speed-to-market, ensuring that the technology stack is a responsive engine for growth rather than a costly utility.