Digital transformation has become one of the top investment priorities for Spanish companies, but achieving a return on this effort remains a challenge. According to data from Entelgy, while nearly 60% of CEOs of large companies allocate between 20% and 50% of their annual budget to implementing digital tools and digitizing processes, only one in six reports having recovered the initial investment.
Thus, the areas where executives have perceived the greatest impact on the company’s productivity are data analytics (50.7%), automation of administrative tasks (41%), and software development (29.3%). However, despite the high level of investment, monetizing these technologies remains a challenge, with the high cost of implementation (30%) and the lack of specialized talent (36.3%) as the two main barriers to obtaining a clear ROI.
All of this is driving organizations to bolster their internal capabilities as a way to accelerate technology adoption and improve the results of these investments. In this regard, 80% of large corporations already have internal training or upskilling programs focused on technology and digital skills for their employees.
AI Saturation
Artificial intelligence continues to gain ground in Spanish companies. Eight in ten CEOs surveyed say the AI solutions implemented in their organizations are generating a clear return. However, the magnitude of that return remains moderate for a sizeable portion of companies as only about one-third reports that the ROI obtained exceeds the investment by more than 50%, while what is most common is that it sits below 20% of what was invested.
At the same time, signs of some saturation around this technology are beginning to emerge. Although 52.3% of CEOs consider AI indispensable for the survival of their companies, 47.7% acknowledge feeling fatigued by the attention and prominence AI is receiving in the business arena.
The Top Concerns for CEOs
This caution translates into operations as well, since only 31.7% of CEOs of large companies express full confidence in the automated decisions generated by technologies such as artificial intelligence, advanced analytics, or automation. A figure that shows that, despite the progress of these tools and the benefits they bring, there are still reservations about their ability to autonomously undertake decision-making processes.
Beyond technology adoption, business leaders have clearly identified the main threats to their organizations. Regulatory compliance (45.7%) tops the list of concerns, followed by dependence on technology vendors (36.7%), talent shortages (33%), and the loss of corporate knowledge (32%) due to retirements, turnover, or talent drain.
“The study data show that corporate digitization has reached a mature phase. While Spanish companies allocate a significant portion of their budgets to technology, the primary return on these investments does not come from market-oriented innovations, but from improving internal efficiency. Process optimization, data analytics, and automation of administrative tasks have become the main engines of productivity and profitability,” say Entelgy.
