Lenovo’s global report Reinventing Workplace Productivity surveyed 600 IT leaders and found that while 79% believe AI will enable employees to focus on more meaningful work, fewer than half think their current digital workplace solutions effectively support productivity, engagement and innovation.
Key findings:
- Only 36% believe their systems support employee engagement “very effectively”
- A staggering 89% say organisations must first overhaul their digital workplace to fully unlock AI’s potential.
- Nearly half (49%) of IT leaders surveyed say that creating a productive and engaging employee experience (EX) is their top priority for the year ahead
Key challenges:
- While 63% of IT leaders surveyed agree that a highly personalised digital workplace is essential, a lack of configurable devices and applications remains a top barrier. This one-size-fits-all approach leaves employees underserved.
- 61% of IT leaders acknowledge the need for AI-driven IT support automation, but many organisations still struggle to integrate these systems effectively.
Lenovo’s Reinventing Workplace Productivity survey explores the opportunities and challenges that Generative AI presents for the future of work, highlighting the urgent need for digital workplace transformation to ensure its successful adoption. AI is positively viewed, in areas such as:
- Enhanced Collaboration: AI-powered tools such as virtual co-authoring and real-time translations break down barriers, enabling seamless teamwork across geographies and languages.
- Creative Empowerment: By automating repetitive tasks, AI frees employees to focus on more strategic and innovative work, driving creative problem-solving.
- Productivity Boosts: AI-driven insights streamline workflows, improve efficiency, and accelerate day-to-day operations.
Nearly half (49%) of IT leaders surveyed say that creating a productive and engaging employee experience (EX) is their top priority for the year ahead. This echoes IDC research commissioned and published by Lenovo last month – its global 2025 CIO Playbook, It’s Time for AI-nomics, found that improving employee productivity is this year’s top business priority.
Despite the urgent need to transform the digital workplace around AI, several key challenges remain in its widespread adoption:
- Personalisation Gaps: While 63% of IT leaders surveyed agree that a highly personalised digital workplace is essential, a lack of configurable devices and applications remains a top barrier. This one-size-fits-all approach leaves employees underserved.
- Support Automation: 61% of IT leaders acknowledge the need for AI-driven IT support automation, but many organisations still struggle to integrate these systems effectively.
Lenovo has a vision for an AI-driven future, simply put by Rakshit Ghura, VP and General Manager of Digital Workplace Solutions, as:
“Transforming your workplace is essential to using AI effectively. Simply automating existing workflows will only yield incremental benefits. AI changes the rules of productivity, but to realize its potential, IT leaders must work alongside their executive teams to rethink how AI can augment their organization’s value-creation levers and competitive differentiation. AI must be seamlessly integrated into core operations, creating a personalized and efficient digital workplace that enhances the employee experience and drives long-term productivity.”
Core Recommendations
The report provides three recommendations for businesses looking to harness AI in the workplace:
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- Simplify and Personalise the Employee Experience: Tailor tools, workflows, and experiences to individual roles, ensuring maximum productivity and innovation.
- Automate IT Processes: Use Gen AI to efficiently manage devices and meet diverse employee needs, freeing up resources for higher-value tasks.
- Transform Workflows for Value Creation: Rethink existing workflows and processes to fully capitalise on Gen AI’s capabilities and drive innovation.
Reinventing Workplace Productivity is the first report in the Lenovo Work Reborn Research Series 2025, which will be published throughout the course of the year. For more insights, or to download the report, visit Lenovo Digital Workplace Solutions.
