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I am a Chicago-based Senior Managing Director and member of Accenture’s Americas…
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Chris Roark shared thisAccenture's recurring Pulse of Change research allows boards, CEOs and management teams to gain a longitudinal view of business sentiment and preparedness for disruptions. Three key insights stand out from this July's research from the research conducted 18 months earlier: 1. The conversation has moved from potential value to proof of value. 82% of leaders are increasing AI investment, yet only 23% say AI is generating widespread, sustained business value, down from 32% earlier in 2026. That's an important evolution. The question has changed from “Can AI create value?” to “Why isn't all this AI investment creating more value already?” 2. People have become much more central to the thesis. 57% of employees say their roles have already changed because of AI; only 34% of employees believe their organizations are very prepared for talent disruption; and both executives and employees identify middle management as the largest capability gap. 3. Agentic AI changes the scale of the ambition. In 2026, nearly half of surveyed companies are piloting or deploying AI agents, and 55% of C-suite executives expect agentic AI initiatives to deliver board-reportable outcomes within the next year. That moves AI from supporting humans doing work toward orchestrating portions of the work itself. This leads to a pragmatic question to ask: Are we investing in AI—or are we redesigning the company around what AI now makes possible? John Walsh Manish Sharma Muqsit Ashraf James Crowley David Morgenstern Rodolfo Eschenbach Stuart Henderson Casey Wells Leonardo Framil Brad Michel John Crosthwait Ron Ash Jason Dess Michael Lyman Ravi Chanmugam Chris McManus Kenneth Munie Rachel Barton https://lnkd.in/geG7UWb2Accenture Pulse of Change: Business and Technology TrendsAccenture Pulse of Change: Business and Technology Trends
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Chris Roark shared thisThe AI jobs debate may be asking the wrong question. Stanford University’s research finds little evidence that AI is driving broad-based job losses today. But beneath the aggregate numbers, work is being restructured, hiring patterns are shifting, and early-career development is being strained. That raises a larger policy question: How do we redesign the first 10 years of a person’s working life when AI can perform many of the tasks through which previous generations learned their professions? For secondary education, universities, and the trades, that means: • Make AI literacy foundational • Prioritize judgment and problem solving • Expand applied and work-based learning • Recast trades as technology-enabled careers • Connect college, credentials, and apprenticeships • Make employers active curriculum partners The policy challenge is not simply protecting today’s jobs. It is building a workforce system that starts earlier and stays connected longer—secondary school → university, trades, or applied learning → early career → lifelong reskilling. For corporate leaders, the parallel challenge is redesigning entry-level roles and talent models so AI increases productivity without eliminating the experiences through which people build judgment, expertise, and leadership capability. https://lnkd.in/geHvxBpDWhat is really happening to jobs? Separating AI hype from realityWhat is really happening to jobs? Separating AI hype from reality
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Chris Roark shared thisNearly nine months ago, we stated that agentic AI would force companies to rethink the role of enterprise platforms—not replace them but reinvent them. The market is now moving decisively in that direction. Platforms are becoming systems of action. Agents increasingly work across applications. Interoperability and governance are moving from technical considerations to strategic priorities. And the question is shifting from “Where can we deploy AI?” to “How should people, platforms and agents work together?” What has changed most in the past 3 quarters is the elevated urgency. The five priorities we identified—architecture, digital core, interplay, operating model and culture—look less like a future agenda and more like today’s management agenda at the forefront of shaping the business models and operating models that will define competitiveness and enterprise value over the next 18 to 36 months. The technology pace of advancements is accelerating, but the bigger challenge is whether organizations can reinvent just as fast and do so in an economically viable way. https://lnkd.in/guvtu56mThe New Rules of Platform Strategy in the Age of Agentic AIThe New Rules of Platform Strategy in the Age of Agentic AI
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Chris Roark reposted thisChris Roark reposted thisSince returning to Accenture, I’m often asked what influenced my decision. Our market-leading capabilities were a key factor. This Gartner assessment, released during my transition back, reinforces that choice. I’m proud to be part of our Supply Chain & Engineering practice. Access a complimentary copy of the full report here: https://accntu.re/4yj4jeg
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Chris Roark shared thisI am proud to see Accenture recognized by Forbes as the most recommended management consulting firm, with 27 five-star ratings. Our investments in people, assets, data, and methods are all in service of helping our clients reinvent—by reimagining work, reshaping workforces, and redesigning their data architectures, applications, and infrastructure for a market in which applying AI intelligently, securely and responsibly shifts enterprise valuation multiples and redefines the competitiveness of business and operating models. That is what reinvention looks like: combining technology, talent, and industry and functional depth to create measurable advantage. Manish Sharma Muqsit Ashraf James Crowley Ajoy Menon Andy Tay Tracey Countryman Peter Frandina Karalee Close Irene Blecher Ndidiamaka Oteh Ami Palan Craig Richey Arundhati Chakraborty Harpreet Sidhu David Fitch Jason Dess Lan Guan Rajendra Prasad (RP) https://lnkd.in/gJx39pTzMeet The World’s Best Management Consulting Firms 2026Meet The World’s Best Management Consulting Firms 2026
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Chris Roark shared thisA key finding Accenture's July Pulse of Change research focuses on the impacts of AI on employees and organizational readiness. The workforce story is more positive than many disruption narratives might suggest. 81% of employees say AI has improved their productivity, and 71% say job satisfaction has increased since AI tools were introduced. Among companies piloting or deploying agents, seven in ten C-suite leaders say the productivity impact has exceeded expectations. But organizational change is lagging technological change. 78% of executives expect jobs to change within the next 12 months, while 57% of employees say their roles have already changed. Only 41% of leaders—and 34% of employees—believe their organizations are very prepared for talent disruption. CEOs therefore face a synchronization problem: AI is changing work faster than organizations are redesigning roles, operating models and talent systems. This isn't simply an issue tailored for a Chief Human Resource Officer or Chief People Officer. It is one of competitiveness that warrants intense CEO and Board attention. Muqsit Ashraf James Crowley Karalee Close Irene Blecher Jason Dess Manish Sharma Paul Jeruchimowitz Rob Rubin Kent McMillan https://lnkd.in/geG7UWb2Accenture Pulse of Change: Business and Technology TrendsAccenture Pulse of Change: Business and Technology Trends
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Chris Roark shared thisIf benchmarking tells you where you stand but not what to do next, it has stopped short of creating value. The real constraint is rarely measurement. Most organizations know where they lead and where they lag. The harder challenge is diagnosing why—and deciding what to protect, scale, transform, stop, or fund. In the age of AI, benchmarking must move from insight to intervention. That means connecting decisions across three dimensions: • Work – Redesign how value is created • Workforce – Align people and capabilities • Workbench – Enable new ways of working AI can accelerate insight, but leadership still owns the outcome. The question is no longer, “How do we compare?” It is, “What does the evidence tell us to do next?” Reframe. Define. Act. #benchmarking #productivity #performance #value Part 1 - Reframe: https://lnkd.in/g5YAH9WX Part 2 - Define: https://lnkd.in/gmbEpMxh Elizabeth Coulton Matt Savage Sterling Wilde Ryan Pearce Amaury Reychler Dr. Stefan Hoffmann Jen Y. Jen Y.
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Chris Roark shared thisAccenture's recently released Pulse of Change research puts data to what many of see and feel many days. AI conviction is strong—but the ROI gap is widening. 82% of C-suite leaders are increasing AI investment, and 55% expect agentic AI initiatives to produce board-reportable outcomes within a year. Yet only 23% report widespread, sustained business value from AI, down from 32% earlier in 2026. The message for CEOs: the next phase isn't more pilots; it's scaling AI into how the enterprise actually operates. Now is the moment to reframe how reimaging work, reshaping workforces, and redesigning the workbench of data, platforms and tools creates new possibilities in business models, productivity, and experience. The research opens the door to critical insights for reinvention, which may be tailored by industry and geography. https://lnkd.in/geG7UWb2Accenture Pulse of Change: Business and Technology TrendsAccenture Pulse of Change: Business and Technology Trends
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Chris Roark shared thisAccenture has released our most recent Pulse of Change insights. The takeaway for CEOs, management teams and their board of directors is the following: The strategic question has shifted from “How much AI are we deploying?” to “How quickly can we redesign the enterprise so AI produces measurable, repeatable value?” This invites 4 potential priorities to consider: 1. Demand business outcomes, not adoption metrics. Move the conversation from AI models, licenses and pilots to revenue, margin, cycle time, customer outcomes and enterprise productivity. 2. Redesign work—not just automate tasks. The 23% value-realization figure suggests incremental AI layered onto existing processes isn't enough. 3. Make middle managers a transformation priority. They sit between strategy and frontline execution and appear to be the emerging capability constraint. 4. Treat workforce readiness as part of the AI investment. Technology deployment, role redesign, leadership behaviors and skills need to move together. https://lnkd.in/geG7UWb2 David Morgenstern Rodolfo Eschenbach Stuart Henderson Casey Wells John Crosthwait Brad Michel Ron Ash Leonardo Framil Irene Blecher James Crowley John Walsh Jason Dess Andy Tay Craig Richey Peter Frandina Manish SharmaAccenture Pulse of Change: Business and Technology TrendsAccenture Pulse of Change: Business and Technology Trends
Chris Roark commented on a post
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Marty Rodgers I am grateful for you sharing aspects of your family’s journey. The actions of your mother helped lift up a generation just as the leadership you have and continue to provide is inspiring today’s and tomorrow. Courage and kindness changes the world!
Chris Roark commented on a post
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Marty Rodgers I am grateful for you sharing aspects of your family’s journey. The actions of your mother helped lift up a generation just as the leadership you have and continue to provide is inspiring today’s and tomorrow. Courage and kindness changes the world!
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Chris Roark liked thisChris Roark liked thisWe continue to build the next generation of #AITalent across Accenture! To celebrate #NationalInternDay, more than 120 interns from across #MetroDC came together for our flagship intern community event, representing #CyberAI OnRamps, the DC Government Learning to Earning summer interns, and our traditional Summer Analysts, representing many east coast Universities! The day centered on a shared theme: building the skills, mindset, and connections needed to thrive in an AI-powered future of work. Highlights included: - A leadership fireside chat featuring Marty Rodgers and me, moderated by Charles C. Patton. - An employee panel exploring "Building a Career in the Age of AI". - An interactive professional presence workshop led by Toni Purvis From discussions on #AIfluency and continuous learning to practical career development strategies, every session reinforced the importance of curiosity, adaptability, networking, and career ownership. The feedback was overwhelmingly positive, with many interns, recruiters, supervisors, and employees calling the day a highlight of the summer experience. A special thank you to all our speakers, panelists, volunteers, and participants who helped make this event a success and invested in the future of our talent community. Thank you to our amazing entry level talent team, who make our intern programs a success every year! Ali Wickwire Caroline Shook Sara Fadli Nicole Jeskey Thank you to Kaiwei Hsu driving an amazing workforce program in #MetroDC. Accenture Federal Services The Economic Club of Washington, D.C. OnRamps University of Maryland Virginia Tech University of Virginia William & Mary Howard University Marymount University Cornell University Duke University George Mason University The George Washington University Georgia Institute of Technology Hampton University Morehouse College Norfolk State University Penn State University University of Florida The University of Georgia University of Notre Dame Genesys Works KIPP DC Per Scholas Academy of Hope Adult PCS #NID #MetroDC #FutureOfWork #AI #EarlyCareers #InternExperience #AccentureLife
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Chris Roark liked thisChris Roark liked thisThe March on Washington isn't just history. For many, it's a family story. Alongside hundreds of thousands, my mother marched 63 years ago today so I could stand here, and her life reminds us that progress is never finished.Carrying the Dream Forward: Reflections on the March on WashingtonCarrying the Dream Forward: Reflections on the March on Washington
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Chris Roark liked thisChris Roark liked thisSuper proud to see Accenture recognised as the #1 company on Forbes' World's Best Management Consulting Firms 2026 list. In a time when every organisation is exploring how AI, data and technology can reshape their business, the real challenge isn't just adopting new tools. Lasting value requires more than technology alone. It takes deep industry expertise, innovation, and human ingenuity working together to help clients move faster, grow, and create sustainable outcomes. Helping organisations build a strong digital core, harness the power of data and AI, and reinvent how they operate creates the foundation for continuous reinvention and new sources of value and I'm incredibly proud of the work our teams do every day alongside clients to turn that vision into reality. Thank you to our clients, teams, and partners who make this possible. https://lnkd.in/eQxHNxww
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Chris Roark liked thisChris Roark liked thisAI is showing up in layoffs before it shows up in earnings. More than 100,000 announced job cuts in the first half of 2026 cited AI. Yet Goldman Sachs found that in Q2 earnings, 46% of S&P 500 companies talked about AI in the context of productivity or efficiency, 11% quantified the impact in a specific use case, and only 2% quantified an impact on earnings. The problem is that the decisions are moving faster than the evidence. Companies are already making workforce decisions based on the value they expect AI to create, while very few can yet show that value in the P&L. The spending data adds another dimension. Goldman cites the Ramp AI Index, where median AI spending per employee has gone from $5 a month at the start of the year to about $12 in July. At the top decile, it is already $650. So why is the earnings impact still at 2%? Our research at Accenture points to part of the answer. 86% of organizations plan to increase AI investment this year, but only 21% have redesigned end-to-end processes with AI at the core. National Bureau of Economic Research's survey of nearly 6,000 executives found that 89% reported no impact from AI on labor productivity over the last three years. For a long time we called this a pilot problem. It is a value-realization problem, and solving it requires reinvention. Organizations that bolt AI onto existing ways of working will struggle to move the P&L. The ones bold enough to reinvent the work, the workforce, and the workbench (the technology) around AI, then deploy at scale, are the ones who will turn productivity into earnings. The ones that hire and partner with AI engineering talent, industry and process expertise with solutions that focus on adding replicable value will be the future winners. The real test will be how long it takes for more than just 2% of the S&P 500 companies to start showing that AI impacted their earnings. Comment "data" below if you want the links to the sources. Muqsit Ashraf, Chris Roark, Lara Wozniak, Suzanne Randall, James Crowley, Ray Pressburger, Oliver Wright, Praveen Kishorepuria, Chris McManus
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Publications
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The new rules of platform strategy in the age of agentic AI
Accenture | Five priorities to help companies align people, platforms and intelligence
See publicationAgentic AI is redefining platforms1. It is transforming how work gets done, how value is created and how humans and machines collaborate. Strategy alignment unlocks value. Companies that align their AI, platforms and business strategies achieve on average 2.2x revenue growth and a 37% EBITDA lift. Winning in an AI-first world requires a new platform strategy. We outline five priorities to help companies seize the opportunity.
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The Complexity Dividend
Accenture | Turning scale into revenue, margin and market share
See publicationLarge companies are often encumbered by their size, with operations so complex and layered they have trouble moving fast and making quick decisions. AI is built for complex environments, making it possible to address performance variability and inertia—two forces that allow complexity to grow unchecked. Today’s dual imperative: embrace rather than try to remove complexity, and rethink the role of AI to turn operational complexity into a competitive strength.
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How top firms redefine productivity as a key metric
People Matters
See publicationFirms that achieve high productivity growth are embracing a broader definition of productivity
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The productivity payoff
Accenture | Unlock competitiveness with gen AI
See publicationDespite major advances in technology over the past decade, global productivity remains flat with 40% of large companies we analyzed reporting negative growth. However, the top 25% of companies are seeing real gains – boosting productivity over 8% per year. These leaders are widening the productivity gap and gaining a competitive edge. We identified 5 behaviors that set productivity leaders apart. This report offers a blueprint others can follow to reach their productivity payoff.
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Productivity, the next competitive edge
Accenture | A breakthrough in managing costs
See publicationCompanies often are hyper-focused on managing costs
when facing economic uncertainty and geopolitical
volatility. But others are taking a different course. They are
making the most of this moment to strengthen financial
resilience, increase competitiveness and drive growth. -
The Big Zero
Penguin Random House
While zero-based budgeting (ZBB) has been wielded for decades to cut costs, it falls short when it comes to spurring growth. But a zero-based mindset (ZBx) does that and more. ZBx facilitates forensic oversight into resource allocation that funnels savings back into growth initiatives and encourages new sources of innovation. The Big Zero shows how a ZBx approach focuses on agility over austerity, visibility over guesswork and the future over the past to fuel growth and competitiveness.
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