How Organizational Strategy Is Shifting in 2026

Over the past year, we’ve seen a meaningful shift in the areas organizations are building their strategies around. 

Yes, AI is a big part of that.

From 2024 to 2026, we saw a 183% increase in AI-centric Themes across the industries and organizations we serve at Elate. In fact, AI-centric Themes are the most commonly used Theme in 2026. 

That didn’t surprise me.

What did stand out was the growing emphasis on operational efficiency. 

That shift feels important. 

Because while AI is changing how organizations work, the broader strategic response isn’t just “move faster.” It’s also: be more focused, be more efficient, and be more intentional about what actually drives results.

From “Growth at All Costs” to Measured Effectiveness

Back in 2024, three of the most common Themes we saw were:

• Revenue
• Growth
• Culture

AI was close behind, but just outside the top five.

Fast forward to today, and the picture looks different. The most common areas of focus now include:

• AI
• Financial
• Operational / Organizational Excellence

That’s more than a language change.

In my view, it reflects a broader shift in how organizations are thinking about success. A couple of years ago, the focus was often on expansion: grow revenue, grow headcount, grow market share, invest in culture to support momentum.

Today, the conversation is more measured.

Organizations still care about growth, of course. But they’re being more explicit about efficiency, profitability, operating discipline, and whether the work is actually translating to meaningful outcomes.

You can see how this shows up in real decisions.

A company focused on culture during a growth phase might invest heavily in hiring, benefits, and flexibility to attract talent and move fast.

A company focused on financial performance might look at the same environment and ask a different set of questions: Where are we overspending? What’s actually driving returns? What benefits or costs need to be tightened so we can operate more sustainably?

I’m painting with broad brushstrokes, but the patterns are worth paying attention to.

Not because every organization needs to go rewrite its strategy tomorrow. But because these macro shifts tell us something about the environment strategy leaders are operating in right now.

And I think there are a few practical takeaways for how we build and execute our strategies.

1. Differentiation Matters More When Focus Gets Tighter

When organizations can’t pursue everything, they have to get clearer about what is actually worth betting on.

That means understanding what truly sets them apart.

It might be product IP. It might be a vertical-specific go-to-market strategy. It might be brand trust, customer proximity, or a capability competitors can’t easily replicate.

Whatever it is, this is not the moment to be vague about it.

In a market shaped by AI, information is abundant and polished output is easier than ever to produce. That makes clarity around your real advantage even more important.

The organizations that know where they have an edge will make better decisions about where to focus, where to invest, and what not to chase.

2. Chaos Can Kill Clarity

The speed of change right now is fast.

And while that creates opportunity, it also creates noise.

When Leadership teams feel that pressure, one of the most common mistakes I see is trying to respond by adding more priorities. More initiatives. More areas of focus. More “just in case” bets.

But that usually creates the opposite of resilience. It creates confusion.

Instead of setting a clear direction, Leaders take a shotgun approach and hope something rises to the top. But as we all know, if everything is a priority, nothing really is.

In this environment, focus is a competitive advantage.

3. Execution Matters More Than the Plan Itself

At this point, nearly every organization has a strategic plan.

That’s not the differentiator.

The differentiator is whether the plan actually shapes how the organization operates.

That’s where great Strategy Leaders separate themselves.

The organizations that navigate change best are usually not the ones with the longest plans or the most polished decks. They’re the ones that treat strategy as a living and breathing part of the organization. Something that gets reviewed, challenged, adjusted, and reinforced consistently.

That requires a shift away from activity and toward results.

Because completing a long list of projects does not guarantee strategic progress. In many cases, it does the opposite. It distracts your teams, takes away your ability to focus on the right things, and makes it harder to see what’s actually working.

This commitment to results over activity starts at the top.

Leadership teams have to proactively review the strategy, not just approve it and move on. And they have to create operating rhythms that keep the right conversations front and center.

If Leadership meetings are bogged down by trivial topics, urgent-but-not-important fires, or slide decks that simply recap what already happened, then the organization is probably going through the motions.

That’s not strategy execution. That’s theater.

And to be fair, it’s easy to fall into the trap of least resistance.

Getting Executives to move beyond roll-call updates, surface real blockers, and have honest conversations about where progress is lagging is hard. For many Leaders, that’s not how they’ve been conditioned to use meeting time.

But that’s exactly where the cultural shift happens.

What This Shift Requires from Leaders

Organizations become more strategic when Leaders create the conditions for purposeful work, not just transactional tasks.

That means clearer priorities. Better visibility. More honest conversations. And a stronger connection between long-term strategy and day-to-day execution.

That’s the work.

And it’s one of the main reasons we started Elate in the first place.

We believe strategy should be dynamic. It should help organizations adapt, stay aligned, and focus energy where it matters most.

Because in a moment like this, the organizations that win won’t be doing the most. They’ll be the ones doing the right things, with clarity.

If you’d like to talk about the trends we’re seeing across the strategy landscape, I’m always happy to compare notes.

-Brooks

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