DUBAI, 3rd August, 2026 (WAM) — Global leadership advisory firm Russell Reynolds Associates (RRA) released its Global Leadership Monitor H1 2026, a bi-annual survey of 2,700+ global business leaders tracking organisational health and leadership preparedness against external trends.
The report shows global leadership at an inflection point – with technological change emerging as the single most critical factor influencing organisational performance for the first time since the survey was launched in 2021.
Two in three (63%) global executives identify technological disruption – including AI, machine learning, robotics, big data, IoT, and related technologies – as a significant opportunity or challenge in the next 12 to 18 months. This represents a near doubling of concern since 2022, rising from 32% with a near 10-percentage-point increase in the last year alone.
This is already translating into action on the ground: 35% of leaders report their teams have fully implemented GenAI into daily workflows, nearly double the 19% recorded just twelve months ago.
Despite overarching optimism for the opportunities technology presents, the report nods to an apparent execution gap: only half (51%) of leaders feel confident in their ability to operationalise these technological shifts. This, however, is higher than perceived preparedness for external challenges beyond executive control, such as geopolitical uncertainty (32%) and uncertain economic growth (40%).
This in fact marks the first time uncertain economic growth is displaced from the top of the corporate agenda since 2023. This shift in corporate priorities is particularly visible in the region and the UAE, where top-down mandates and infrastructural investments are positioning digital and AI integration as a force multiplier. Earlier this year, UAE leadership announced a framework to transform half of government sectors and services to agentic AI in the coming two years, followed closely by a Dubai initiative to accelerate the adoption of agentic AI in the private sector. These initiatives send a clear signal that AI is no longer a future consideration but an immediate national imperative.
“The pace of technological adoption in the UAE – particularly when it comes to AI – is staggering,” said Nicolas Manset, Head of the Middle East, Russell Reynolds Associates. “The government’s push for global digital leadership makes technology one of the defining forces facing organisations in this country. The pressing challenge, as shown by our survey, is building the executive capabilities and board-level governance necessary to guide organisations through this transformation. That will ultimately be the differentiator between long-term success and failure.”
In contrast to the UAE’s accelerated integration, most organisations worldwide are still developing the actual capabilities and governance needed to fully capture the value of AI.
Only around 40% of leaders believe their organisation has the technical skills, high-quality data and governance processes needed to effectively implement and safeguard generative AI solutions. Fewer still (29%) believe they have the right expertise on their boards to advise on their AI implementations.
Source: Emirates News Agency