Ways of working
Most firms need outside help to adopt tech. Impartial advice is still hard to find.
DSIT’s survey of 4,595 UK businesses finds a gap in impartial advice and widespread reliance on non-financial external support. Adoption rises with business size. These are survey findings, not evidence that any particular consultancy or tool improves adoption.
Mixed
Outcome we help: Stop tool-first shopping without an operating design. Give mid-market teams impartial practitioner advice scoped to one first deliverable.
What the report found
59%
UK businesses saying it is hard to get impartial advice on the appropriate application of new technologies
Executive summary, section 1.5 Key findings on innovation culture: issues in technology adoption
85%
Technology adoption journeys requiring non-financial external support
Executive summary, section 1.3 Key findings on innovation adoption: Source and support, Non-financial support
71% / 63% / 48%
Medium, small and micro businesses already adopting at least one surveyed technology
Executive summary, section 1.3 Key findings on innovation adoption: Business size
56%
Businesses overall already adopting at least one surveyed technology
Executive summary, section 1.3 Key findings on innovation adoption: opening adoption rate
What it means for leaders
- Mid-market buyers can overpay for vendor-led change or stay stuck between tools without a named operating outcome.
What to do on Monday
Start here: List the last three tech or process buys. Mark each Vendor-led, Internal-only or Impartial advisor. For one stuck buy, write the single operating outcome that would prove it worked before Friday.
Try it in an open workspace
Free tools with sample data. No account.
Source
Insights from the UK innovation diffusion and adoption survey: executive summary, Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT), 2025. Read the original report