Generative AI (Gen AI) is ready to rework the office—boosting productiveness, enhancing worker engagement, and enabling hyper-personalised digital experiences. But Lenovo’s newest report reveals that the majority organisations aren’t prepared.
Our new world research, Igniting Actual Office Transformation, the second in our Work Reborn Analysis Sequence 2025, reveals a serious hole between aspiration and motion. We surveyed 600 IT leaders worldwide and located that whereas 97% recognise the necessity for digital office transformation, over 60% haven’t even began the journey.
This delay is stalling progress on one of many largest alternatives of our time. Greater than 80% of leaders see Gen AI’s potential to enhance productiveness, cut back prices, and streamline IT operations. However Gen AI doesn’t work in a vacuum—it have to be deployed inside a contemporary digital office that helps flexibility and personalisation and enhances the worker expertise.
Transformation permits Gen AI to thrive, permitting companies to function extra intelligently, automate routine duties, and adapt instruments to how folks work. But many organisations wrestle to take step one. The report identifies three core obstacles to progress—and, extra importantly, suggestions for unlocking Gen AI’s full potential.
Limitations to reinvention
Many CIOs lack a transparent imaginative and prescient for the way digital office transformation can assist their strategic objectives. Greater than half (55%) mentioned creating such a imaginative and prescient is a prime problem. Too typically, organisations chase transformation traits with out defining what success appears like for his or her enterprise, leading to unclear objectives and stalled initiatives.
A powerful digital technique should start with a imaginative and prescient rooted in each enterprise wants and the worker expertise. Relatively than replicating the strategy of different companies, organisations should take into account their very own objectives, tradition, and workforce dynamics. Transformation ought to replicate these goals—balancing short-term wins with long-term worth—and align absolutely with their organisation’s broader mission.
Secondly, CIOs advised us that different IT initiatives are taking priority over digital office transformation, with 44% rating this amongst their prime three challenges. From cybersecurity and sustainability to infrastructure upgrades and Gen AI itself, digital transformation is commonly seen as simply one other merchandise on an already crowded agenda. It is a false impression. Transformation is just not a competing precedence—it’s the muse that can allow all the opposite tasks.
The third main barrier is that 44% of IT leaders don’t know start remodeling their digital office. Many are overwhelmed by the dimensions, complexity, and potential dangers. Nonetheless, whereas transformation is a major enterprise, I imagine that complexity doesn’t must stall progress.
Key concerns
Digital office transformation isn’t a one-off tech challenge—it’s a cross-functional initiative that should deliver collectively folks, processes, and platforms.
Listed below are a few of my prime suggestions for CIOs to get began:
- Organisational buy-in
Success is dependent upon enter from throughout the enterprise, together with HR, finance, and different key departments. Partaking these friends from the outset is vital. - Know-how integration
Transformation typically means transitioning from legacy programs to extra agile, hybrid cloud-based platforms. Whereas this may introduce danger and disruption, the correct digital options can assist navigate the change. - Change administration
Staff typically resist change on account of uncertainty or issues over job safety. A powerful change administration framework and clear communication are important to easing the transition. - Abilities and coaching
New applied sciences require new abilities—for each frontline staff and IT groups. Any transformation plan should subsequently embrace a sturdy coaching programme to assist this evolution.
True transformation takes greater than new instruments. It requires a cohesive technique, a transparent imaginative and prescient, and alignment throughout folks, platforms, and enterprise priorities. From management to frontline staff, each a part of the enterprise have to be concerned.
With the correct alignment of abilities, infrastructure, and technique, CIOs can flip ambition into motion and create a digital office the place Gen AI accelerates efficiency and innovation. Those that lead this cost received’t simply adapt to alter—they’ll outline it.
For extra on realising your imaginative and prescient for the digital office, obtain our newest report from the Work Reborn Analysis Sequence.
