Monday Morning Impact – December 29

Published On: December 28, 2025Categories: Buzz

Gartner Survey Shows Leadership Turnover Is Harming Supply Chain Performance

More than half (54%) of supply chain leaders report that leadership turnover has moderately to completely disrupted their function’s ability to operate over the past three years, according to a survey from Gartner.

This disruption, combined with the impact of artificial intelligence (AI) and the evolving nature of work, is exposing weaknesses in legacy supply chain leadership development strategies and forcing chief supply chain officers (CSCOs) to take a more proactive role in building a viable bench of future-ready leaders.

“Effective supply chain leadership has to shift from an overreliance on individual superstars, who our research has found are less collaborative, to leaders who are motivated and equipped to amplify the performance of their teams and organizations,” said Tess Frenzel, Senior Principal Analyst in Gartner’s Supply Chain practice. “CSCOs who are able to adapt their leadership strategies to build these types of leaders and design the roles and development programs to help them succeed will improve supply chain performance, despite the disruption inside and outside of their organizations.”

Only 22% of supply chain leaders exhibit collectively motivated behaviors that correlate to stronger organizational business outcomes, with the majority exhibiting individually motivated performance. Meanwhile, supply chain leadership positions continue to expand in responsibility and scope, with 59% reporting positions at their organization require a broad range of skills and competencies.

Less than half (49%) of leadership development programs are rated as effective, highlighting a need for more dynamic, tailored approaches that keep pace with the rate of technological change. Additionally, supply chain leaders have a negative view of the path required for higher leadership positions, with few reporting work-life balance as part of the path to leadership (31%) and less than half (37%) agreeing that the process for promotions is transparent.

Gartner recommends that companies take steps to reward motivated leaders, provide clear scoping of specific roles, and leverage new technologies, partnerships, and embedded learning to accelerate leadership growth and adaptability.

Gartner surveyed 227 supply chain leaders in June 2025 across industries and regions, aimed at identifying leadership development strategies that enable CSCOs to have employees fully capable and prepared to assume head of function roles.

Gartner clients can read more in “Supply Chain Executive Report: Build the Next Generation of Leaders.” Nonclients can learn more in the webinar, “Build the Next Generation of Supply Chain Leaders.”

Channel Impact^®
As AI transforms how individual tasks are completed, and future work trends emphasize new competencies, the ability to collaborate, adapt, and lead collectively becomes the greatest differentiator.

Rising Third-party Risks and Ransomware Threats to Drive Increased Cybersecurity Investments in 2026

In a global cyber environment marked by major security lapses, cyberattacks, and technology outages, new research released today by Marsh, an insurance broker and risk advisor, reveals that organizations around the world are more confident in how they approach cyber risk management and are planning to invest even more in cybersecurity defenses in 2026.

Among the key findings, nearly 75% of organizations globally express high confidence in their overall cyber risk management strategies. Confidence varies by regions, with organizations in India, Middle East and Africa region expressing the most confidence at 83%, while organizations in Asia are the least confident at 50%.

Additionally, nearly two-thirds (66%) of organizations worldwide plan to increase their cybersecurity investments in the coming year, with more than a quarter (26%) planning to increase their budgets by 25% or more. Top investment priorities include cybersecurity technology and mitigation, incident planning and preparation, and talent acquisition. According to the report, UK organizations lead the way in planned cybersecurity spending increases, with 74% intending to increase their spending over the next 12 months.

“Today’s evolving threat landscape demands not only increased investment but a strategic, holistic approach to cybersecurity,” said Thomas Reagan, Global Cyber Practice Leader at Marsh. “Our survey clearly shows that while many organizations are boosting budgets, true resilience comes from balancing technology, talent, and preparedness—especially in managing third-party risks. This momentum is crucial as ransomware and privacy breaches remain top threats globally, reminding us that cyber defense is no longer optional but a business imperative.”

Among other key findings: 70% of organizations experienced at least one material third-party cyber incident in the past year, underscoring the critical and growing importance of managing third-party and supply chain cyber risks as an integral part of overall cyber resilience strategies; and 29% of global respondents ranked ransomware attacks and privacy breaches as their leading cyber concerns.

Channel Impact^®
The report, which draws insights from more than 2,200 cyber risk leaders across 20 countries and eight global regions, provides a snapshot of the rapidly evolving cyber risk landscape, revealing critical trends, challenges, and strategic priorities that shape how organizations worldwide manage and mitigate cyber threats.

CompTIA: Latest Employment Data Reflects Drag on Tech Hiring

Key measurements of technology-related employment declined in November, impacted by a combination of factors that are slowing hiring activity, according to CompTIA, a suburban Chicago-based industry association.

Technology companies reduced staffing by an estimated 6,878 workers inclusive of all types of positions, according to CompTIA’s analysis of data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. The bulk of reductions occurred in the IT and custom software services and systems design category.

Tech occupation employment, which encompasses employers across all industry sectors, declined by an estimated 134,000 workers. The unemployment rate for technology occupations rose slightly in November to 4%. More than 6.6 million workers hold positions in tech occupations.

“On the heels of the government shutdown, the latest tech employment data is in line with expectations,” said Tim Herbert, chief research officer, CompTIA. “Employers face a tricky balancing act in needing to expand the skill and capability of their tech workforces while navigating uncertainty on the economic, geopolitical, AI and other fronts.”

Employer job postings for technology positions totaled nearly 436,000 last month, including 174,085 new postings. Both totals were down from the prior month and well off the average monthly volume rate for the year. Year-to-date through November, total job posting volumes are up slightly over the same period in 2024.

The highest volumes of job postings were for positions in software development and engineering, tech support, systems engineering and architecture, cybersecurity engineering and analysis and artificial intelligence (AI) engineering.

Channel Impact^®
Tightened budgets may generate additional opportunities for channel partners seeking to deliver services on a fractional basis.

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