We live in a world where disruption is constant, but increasingly no longer exceptional. Geopolitical tensions continue to reshape supply chains and market access, demographics and skills gaps constrain workforces, cybersecurity threats multiply, and technological change—led by artificial intelligence—accelerates at unprecedented speed. Yet, our 2026 data show that something fundamental is shifting in how leaders experience this reality: overall disruption scores have moderated slightly, anxiety is bifurcating, and a growing subset of companies is treating disruption as a source of advantage rather than a shock to be endured.
In its seventh year, the AlixPartners Disruption Index—based on responses from more than 3,200 senior executives across 11 countries and 10 industries—finds that the overall Disruption Index has edged down slightly and the share of executives who feel “highly disrupted” has fallen by 11 percentage points, even as forces such as AI, tariffs, and energy constraints remain intense. Disruption is still high, but confidence and capability are rising in many boardrooms. See what executives at growth leaders are doing differently as they lean into AI, rewire supply chains, and continuously adapt their business models to anticipate, shape, and respond to disruption.
Our seventh annual AlixPartners Disruption Index reveals a complex picture of moderating disruption across most industries and geographies, alongside emerging pockets of confidence and capability.
2026 AlixPartners Disruption IndexFor over 40 years, we have helped companies and their stakeholders around the world harness opportunity, overcome challenges, and achieve outsized outcomes.
