Transformation Tensions: 65% of executives are losing confidence and clarity amid rising digital complexity
Technology complexity, lengthy planning processes and unclear strategy are among the key barriers to digital transformation success
London, United Kingdom, 13 August 2025 – New research from VML, a global brand creative and business transformation company, reveals that lengthy timelines, rising complexity and shifting goals are eroding business confidence in delivering digital transformation projects, all of which can be avoided with expert guidance.
Nearly two-thirds (65%) of business leaders say transformation teams are losing confidence in their ability to deliver meaningful value, while 67% admit teams are confused and struggling to stay on track due to shifting priorities and the lack of strategic direction.
As transformation efforts build and evolve, the complexity quickly multiplies. For 63%, a growing number of stakeholders has led to internal conflicts, slower decision-making and stalling progress due to different teams having varied objectives, which creates barriers to the success of the project.
But the impact of complexity goes far beyond the financials; it runs a real risk of spanning whole organisations, causing confusion, friction and fatigue along the way. In today’s digital environment, the real human toll of complex transformation is beginning to take hold. With clarity, confidence and team cohesion all under pressure, businesses must begin to unpick the complexity and rebuild the process around people, pace and priorities.
The research, which surveyed 4,000 global mid to senior-level business leaders who have been involved in digital transformation projects, identifies some of the biggest barriers undermining digital transformation success:
- Tech complexity: 69% of business leaders say that senior management teams and budget holders do not fully understand the implementation of new technology.
- Tiresome processes: 65% of leaders said that, due to the complexities and long timescales of digital transformation, senior leadership teams and transformers can lose focus.
- Planning and strategy aren’t keeping pace: 64% of digital transformation projects start without a clear roadmap or end goal.
- People and change management must be central to the transformation plan: 83% say that digital transformation is as much about human beings as it is about new tech, yet 74% say that project failure is often a consequence of a lack of change management around people.
- Shifting goal posts: 74% of transformers reported that over the course of transformation programmes they’ve been involved in, the objectives have changed.
Jeff Geheb, Global CEO at VML Enterprise Solutions, says, “With technology and complexity evolving rapidly, leaders are under increasing pressure to make costly, high-stakes decisions faster, but legacy digital transformation processes aren’t built for that pace.
“Success hinges on a clearly structured, people-centric approach that brings together the right processes, partners and tools from the outset. A human first approach spans both sides, the customer on one side and the staff on the other. Keeping them engaged, motivated, trained and informed is vital to digital transformation. And, of course, all this needs to be aligned to effectively deliver what the customer wants.
“Ultimately, transformation succeeds when people across an organisation are equipped and empowered to embrace new dynamic ways of working, with the right data at their fingertips to make informed decisions. It’s no easy feat, but once the foundations are laid, the business of transformation can bring an agile flair and long-lasting cultural clout that puts a business in a good place to navigate the next developments in the digital transformation era.”
The full VML Enterprise Solutions report, “Unlocking the Power of Digital Transformation,” provides detailed insights across 11 key areas including strategy, leadership, customer experience, and AI implementation, and data governance.
VML Enterprise Solutions is VML’s rapidly expanding $1.5 billion technology and transformation division that unites VML’s commerce, customer experience, consulting and technology transformation expertise, and leverages the strength of WPP Open’s AI-driven operating system.
About VML Enterprise Solutions
VML Enterprise Solutions is a division of VML delivering business transformation for some of the world’s most recognisable brands through the unique integration of technology expertise, consulting acumen, and creative excellence. VML Enterprise Solutions helps clients maximise their sales performance, improve agility, and enhance customer relationships. Powered by more than 28,000 experts, VML’s global network spans 55-plus markets with principal offices in Kansas City, New York, Detroit, London, São Paulo, Shanghai, Singapore, and Sydney. VML is recognised by the Forrester Wave
Reports, which name WPP a “Leader” in Commerce Services, Global Digital Experience Services, Global Marketing Services and, most recently, Marketing Measurement & Optimisation.
VML is a WPP agency (NYSE: WPP). For more information, visit www.vml.com/enterprise-solutions and follow along on LinkedIn #WeAreVML.
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