Leading Through Technology Disruptions

When feeling the urgent pressure of new technologies, disruptive change and fast-moving markets, inspirational leaders focus on a surprising question: why does our organization even exist? It’s easy to get caught up in the whirlwind of the latest tech or what the competition is doing, but deeply understanding your core purpose can cut away distractions, focus you on what matters and create a vision for what’s next. 1/ Start by looking at the very nature of your organization and strip away the packaging, pricing and delivery. Ask yourself: what unique role does this organization play in the world? Why do we exist, and what about that has remained consistent across our past and our present, and should inevitably drive our future? 2/ Craft a vision for the future that is disrupted by change but grounded in purpose, envisioning how the world will continue to rely on our existence, as needs are timeless. Resist picking specific technologies, products, packages or solutions that this value is embedded in, because these are not timeless. 3/ Engage your organization in using this purpose to inspire what might be next. Ask yourselves, what are other ways that we may fulfill our purpose beyond what we’re doing today? What are the different shapes, business models, packages or delivery vehicles that might look different but magnify our purpose? Which of these might help us not just survive, but thrive in a future shaped by disruption and new technologies? Look closely at organizations that have thrived through previous disruptions to recognize how this successful pattern of returning to their purpose has fueled success. Take Disney - an organization that has embedded magical family experiences through immersive storytelling into everything it does (its purpose), whether it’s hand drawn animation, theme parks or CGI. The core idea here is to resist simply reacting to markets or chasing trends, but rather to follow purpose-driven innovation: getting inspiration from how we reimagine ourselves to reinforce our reason for existing, not distract from it. #LIPostingDayMay

Last month, I watched an AI agent debug a production issue, write a fix, create tests, and deploy the solution in twelve minutes. Two years ago, this would have taken days of engineering effort. This isn't about AI replacing developers. It's about what I call "The Great Inversion of Coding"—the shift from humans writing code that machines execute to humans defining intent that machines implement. After leading technology at The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Conde Nast, and Reddit, I've seen how transformative moments reshape entire industries. We're living through one now. The CTO role is evolving from chief builder to chief orchestrator. Instead of managing coders, you're curating capabilities—orchestrating AI agents alongside human judgment and creativity. Traditional technical debt meant code that was hard to change. Now you're managing model drift and AI-generated code that no humans fully understand. The CPO transformation is even more dramatic. When AI can generate features faster than users can adopt them, sustainable differentiation comes from holistic experiences that blend functionality with emotion and purpose. The constraint shifts from building to choosing. Five things technology leaders must do now: 1. Build AI literacy throughout your organization, not just in engineering 2. Redesign hiring for learning agility over current skills 3. Experiment with radical organizational models today 4. Develop clear AI ethics frameworks before you need them 5. Cultivate strategic patience with tactical urgency The leaders who thrive won't resist change or blindly embrace it, but thoughtfully navigate this transformation. We're not choosing between humans or AI—we're orchestrating their collaboration to create something neither could achieve alone. I've written a complete playbook for technology leadership in the AI age, including frameworks for human-AI work delegation and architectural principles for AI-first organizations: https://lnkd.in/eyNyNPA5 What changes are you seeing in your organization? How are you preparing your teams for this shift?

Leadership matters. This maxim is always true, but never more than when an organization is confronting the volatility and uncertainty from disruption. In our 6th annual AlixPartners Disruption Index, those companies that are performing best have leaders that are pushing their organizations to do more at greater speed. A subset of companies within our study—about 7% of the total—are leading their industries in both revenue and profit growth. These are the superstars within their industries, best able to confront the challenges from disruption and seize its opportunities. The leaders of these companies are asking more from their teams and are more frustrated when they encounter organizational inertia. These best-performing companies are 27 percentage points more likely to expect their business models to change significantly over the next 12 months (65% vs. 38% of everyone else). Almost unanimously (96%), they expect to make transformational or material acquisitions over the next 12 months, and they are more likely to be shifting their manufacturing and supplier footprint due to geopolitical concerns. They worry more about the future of their organizations and their personal ability to meet the challenges they face. However, these leaders are also more confident. Seventy-five percent are “extremely optimistic” about the impact of AI on their company (compared to 30% of everyone else), and they are much more likely to be leaning into their digital investments. They are more likely to say that productivity among their employees is rising and that their organizational culture is a competitive advantage in the face of disruption. The pace of change is increasing. The impact from an interconnected web of disruptions is expanding. A productivity revolution is emerging. Tomorrow’s leaders will be those that position themselves for these opportunities today. Read more in the 2025 AlixPartners Disruption Index: https://lnkd.in/e_TyXrBw

At Nordic Business Forum last month, my fellow panelist Risto Siilasmaa shared a striking story: a CTO of a major law firm suddenly realized his 15,000-person organization was about to be blindsided by AI disruption. The startup threatening them had just raised $300M specifically to demolish his industry using artificial intelligence. This perfectly illustrates what I've found in my research: having foresight isn't about predicting the future; it’s about being ready when it arrives. The most dangerous position in business today isn't being wrong about what's coming. It's seeing the tsunami approach and failing to move to higher ground. Every company in my Future Readiness Indicator that survived major disruption had one thing in common: They had already built new capabilities while competitors were still debating whether change was coming at all. Three steps that separate future-ready organizations from the rest: 1. Kill your information gatekeepers. One company that consistently scores high on our Indicator, Booking Holdings, allows junior engineers to see every product experiment in the pipeline. Meanwhile, traditional banks hide information "for privacy reasons" (translation: to protect power structures). Future-ready companies ruthlessly pursue a single version of truth. 2. Make fear irrelevant through action. In 2025, I'm still finding employees desperate to experiment with advanced AI tools while their companies restrict them to Microsoft Copilot—with performance everyone knows is subpar. This isn't just frustrating; it creates learned helplessness. Smart organizations build sandboxes where people can learn by doing. 3. Face uncertainty as a tribe, not solo warriors. When I interview executives who navigate disruption successfully, they mandate collective learning outside comfort zones: visiting startups explicitly trying to destroy their business model, then debriefing as a team. The social context transforms paralyzing fear into productive action. The AI revolution is exposing which leaders understand this: Deployment requires deep domain knowledge. In pharmaceuticals, it's navigating FDA regulations for protein folding. In banking, it's preventing money laundering within Basel frameworks. Leaders who thrive amid uncertainty are focused, curious, calm, and creative: able to explore new worlds while remaining centered on what truly matters. Watch our full discussion here: https://lnkd.in/eep8fmH5

One of the hardest parts of leading change is this: You’re expected to drive transformation, while also keeping people grounded. On one hand, you’re introducing new systems, new ways of working, and possibly a whole new direction. On the other, people are looking to you for clarity, consistency, and calm. That’s the paradox. You have to lead disruption, without making everything feel uncertain. Leaders who lean too far into transformation can create chaos. Everything becomes urgent. Priorities shift too fast and teams start to feel like nothing is stable, so they hold back. Leaders who lean too far into stability can stall progress. They wait for certainty. They try to protect the old way and change loses momentum. The real work is in holding both. You need to be clear about what’s changing and what isn’t. You need to communicate the vision for the future and reinforce the strengths that still matter now. You need to push for progress and create space for people to process and adapt. Leading change isn’t about choosing between stability and transformation. It’s about helping people move forward, without feeling like the ground is falling out from under them.

Here is my latest Harvard Business Review article with Michael Wade (and our collaborator, Shih-Han Huang) — the third in our trilogy on the seven tensions leaders must navigate in times of digital disruption. In this new piece, we asked: Which of these tensions matter most when it comes to leading digital initiatives successfully? Our study of 300+ leaders across industries surfaced a clear answer: The leaders who thrive are those who can balance curiosity and focus. Curiosity: scanning widely, staying alert to shifts in technology and markets. Focus: going deep, committing resources, and seeing promising ideas through to impact. It’s not either/or — it’s about going wide, then going deep, and then repeating the cycle. You can read the full article here: https://lnkd.in/dr256kmT (Links to the first two articles are in the comments.)

What does it take to lead through digital disruption? It’s not the flashiest technology, or the latest platform. It’s something more human, and far harder to cultivate. Leading through disruption means staying curious when others are overwhelmed. It means asking what’s changing, but also what’s still worth holding on to. It means embracing uncertainty without confusing it for chaos. While leading, I like to ask myself a few questions now and then ✅ Do we feel safe to challenge assumptions? If not, why? ✅ Do we treat learning as a muscle? I believe that the best leaders create environments where change isn’t a threat but a shared opportunity. Disruption is hard. But leadership through disruption is a skill one can build - one question, one experiment, and one bold decision at a time. Scale, for me, isn’t just about growing bigger; it’s about growing wiser, more resilient, and better equipped to solve problems together. According to the McKinsey insights report of 2025, the future of operations in 2025 is promising. Companies that lean into tech, cross-functional collaboration, and curiosity can power up productivity. Competitive advantage relies not just on technological integration but on a disruptive mindset.

Most leaders pride themselves on being agile—but is that really enough anymore? In a world where disruption is not only constant but accelerating, agility helps you survive. Anticipation helps you lead. In my latest piece, I explore how forward-thinking organizations are shifting from reacting to predicting. They’re leveraging Hard Trends, pre-solving problems, and transforming disruption into their greatest strategic advantage. If you’re still relying on agility alone, you may already be behind. Discover how to move beyond agility—and gain the certainty you need to confidently shape the future of your organization. #FutureReady #StrategicForesight #AnticipatoryOrganization #LeadershipStrategy #DisruptionManagement #BusinessInnovation #HardTrends #TransformationLeadership #DanielBurrus #InnovationStrategy

Beyond the Disruption: Leading Positive Change in a World of Resistance In leadership, disruption is often seen as a necessary catalyst for change. However, creating lasting, positive transformation goes beyond simply challenging the status quo. While 84% of executives recognize the importance of leadership-driven change, only 6% believe their companies can sustain it, according to McKinsey. This gap reveals a crucial leadership challenge: how do we lead change that not only disrupts but also guides teams through resistance toward a shared vision? From the Vanderbilt Disruption Project and research lab, we found that effective leaders approach resistance with empathy and clarity, turning objections into opportunities for collaboration. Leading beyond disruption requires vision, persistence, and alignment. By articulating the purpose behind positive disruption and aligning it with a broader, meaningful vision, leaders can guide their teams through resistance and create sustainable, positive change. What strategies have you found most effective in overcoming resistance to change within your organization? Comment your insights below. #PositiveDisruption #PositiveDisruptors #Leadership #DisruptEverything #Disrupteverythingbook #disruption #disruptivediscussions