Tech resistance holding back one in five organisations

One in five organisations are being held back by limited digital skills or tech resistance, according to research from Virgin Media O2 Business.

The survey of 1,200 decision-makers in public and private sector organisations in the UK found that 18% see employee resistance to new tech or improving their digital capabilities as the biggest barrier to improving operational efficiency.

One in three said old software and hardware or incompatibility between systems or applications were a major hinderance, while nearly three-quarters think their outdated tech is hampering their ability to operate efficiently.

Half of leaders believed that less than 50% of their workforce were using communications and collaboration tools like Teams and Zoom to their full extent.

Jo Bertram, managing director, business and wholesale at Virgin Media O2, said: “The last three years have seen the biggest change in the way we work since the Industrial Revolution, but many companies are being left behind. It would be easy to assume that most organisations have embraced new technology and digital transformation to support their workforce, however that’s clearly not the case.

“With companies facing complex operational challenges and a tough macro-economic environment, the lessons learned from the pandemic should not be forgotten – it’s key businesses make smart tech investments, challenge partners to get the most out of their existing technology and give employees the tools they need to succeed.”

The biggest concerns for 2023 were energy costs (24%), inflation (23%), the digital skills shortage (15%) and recruitment challenges (10%).

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The survey also found that:

• 65% noticed a need to demonstrate results faster when making a care for new tech investment in the past six months
• 24% of professional services firms still have limited remote working capabilities
• Increasing the value of existing investments was the most important operational priority for 37% of decision-makers.

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