2026 KPMG Adaptability Index
This data-driven framework for anticipating and responding to change helps leaders understand how to position their organizations for growth in an era of constant disruption. Learn what it takes to adapt at the speed of change.
Discover how to translate intention into impact.
Read the reportOverview
81% of executives say boards and owners have increased expectations for their organizations’ ability to adapt to disruption, but many leaders struggle to translate that ambition into action. As volatility compounds across economic, political and technological forces, the divide between intending to adapt and executing that vision becomes more pronounced—and costly. The KPMG Adaptability Index helps leaders bridge this divide between intent and impact by analyzing how leaders in six industries are anticipating change, responding under pressure, and pursuing continued growth in a world of accelerating shifts.
By examining adaptability across three pillars—culture, ecosystems, and strategy—and the structural factors influencing each industry’s performance, the Adaptability Index translates adaptability into measurable outcomes.
The KPMG Adaptability Index
What's driving adaptability in your sector?
The Adaptability Index sheds light on relative strengths and opportunities to improve in each industry grouping. See what’s working, what’s not, and what leading organizations do differently.
Key findings
Why do so many tech investments fall flat? It’s because new tools alone don't drive performance. Adaptability is a recipe. It comes from aligning how organizations work, how they develop people, and how decisions are made. The companies getting ahead are moving beyond isolated fixes to disciplined, coordinated execution.
Atif Zaim
Deputy Chair and Managing Principal, KPMG US
Methodology
The KPMG Adaptability Index analyzes how organizations adapt across three dimensions—cultural, ecosystem, and strategic adaptability, along with structural readiness—spanning six broad industry groups: Consumer & Retail, Financial Services, Healthcare, Manufacturing & Energy, Private Equity, and Technology-Media-Telecom (TMT). Index scores are derived from a weighted formula that combines multiple data sources: a quantitative survey of 300 C-suite and senior leaders, representing public and private US-headquartered companies, conducted from December 19, 2025 to January 14, 2026; analysis of 2025 earnings call transcripts and year-over-year revenue change from 177 publicly listed, US-headquartered companies, using the proprietary KPMG earnings summarizer; analysis of 2025 media coverage of public and private US-headquartered companies; and investment and capital signals that include workforce hiring trends (from LinkedIn) and reported research and development investment and capital expenditures from the last fiscal year.
Disruption is accelerating. Is your organization built to respond?
Adaptability isn’t just measurable—it’s tied to business performance. Explore what leaders should do next.
Meet our team
KPMG helps leaders translate insight into action by strengthening the capabilities that underpin adaptability. Whether you’re investing in your workforce or enabling digital transformation, let’s talk about how we can help your organization move with greater clarity, speed, and confidence.
