Bridging the gap

By Nizar Hneini, Hugo Carreira and Max Pueschner

Technology leadership is not just a matter of general awareness; it is an imperative for solving concrete business and societal pain points, from streamlining inefficient operations to closing capability gaps and improving service delivery. A clear, well-executed technology strategy can unlock economic growth, increase productivity, and enhance competitiveness. WIPO’s 2024 Global Innovation Index reveals that generally the most innovative large, high-income economies outperform their peers in GDP per capita.

Yet despite these benefits, implementation remains a challenge. Many organizations struggle to convert their strategic ambitions into tangible results-whether due to misaligned business and IT priorities, lack of leadership commitment, or limited workforce readiness.

However, successful examples do exist and offer valuable insights into what works. In the GCC region, we’ve observed organizations that not only formulated technology strategies but also executed them effectively. The following case studies present concrete success stories that demonstrate how clear business alignment, focused investment, and strong execution capabilities can translate vision into lasting impact.

Unlocking technology benefits – A view from KSA and the UAE

Among GCC countries, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates stand out as regional leaders in embedding technology within their national strategies, driving innovation, digital infrastructure, and data-driven policymaking across government and industry.

Saudi Arabia, for example, is progressing its digital transformation through several large-scale smart city initiatives. The most prominent is Neom, a USD 500 billion mega-city project, which includes The Line, with its 170 km linear smart city designed to house 9 million residents. Another initiative, the Mohammed Bin Salman Nonprofit City, spans 840 acres in Riyadh, focusing on innovation and education.

In parallel, Saudi Arabia is rapidly scaling its AI efforts. In 2024, the Public Investment Fund announced the development of a major AI technology hub , backed by investments of up to USD 100 billion, reflecting the Kingdom’s ambition to be a global leader in technology development.

Similarly, the United Arab Emirates has advanced its AI agenda through initiatives such as MGX, a state-backed investment company launched in 2024 with the mandate to manage USD 100 billion in AI-driven investments. At the same time, G42, an Abu Dhabi-based AI company, secured a USD 1.5 billion investment from Microsoft, which also took a minority stake to deepen AI and cloud collaborations in the region.

With these growing domestic capabilities, economies in the region are rapidly advancing toward a technology-enabled future for both living and doing business. But how have these companies achieved such success in implementing their tech strategies? What are the essential ingredients in their approach?

The main challenge now is for organizations to adopt and integrate emerging technologies effectively. This requires more than investment and implementation - it demands a clear, business-focused approach aligned with company goals. Preparing the workforce for change is essential, including reskilling employees and embedding new technologies into daily work. From our observations, we’ve identified the following success factors to help companies unlock the full potential of their technology strategies and achieve lasting transformation.

Success factors

Business and IT alignment: Ensure close collaboration between the business and technology / IT teams. This involves forming cross-functional teams to align business goals with technology initiatives and to jointly deliver outcomes. For example, MGX established Agile Feature Teams composed of both business and IT staff, each accountable for the end-to-end delivery of specific customer journeys, reinforcing business ownership and driving stronger commitment and measurable results

Intrapreneurial ownership: Foster a startup mindset by creating a culture where teams are encouraged to take ownership and innovate. Establish regular initiatives such as hackathons and innovation days that promote creativity and align projects closely with business goals, empowering teams to drive decisions and make impactful contributions..

Realistic implementation plans: Technology delivers the best results when adapted to business needs. To achieve this, organizations must take time to capture, translate, and share those needs clearly across teams. Realistic implementation requires that management builds this time into project plans, ensuring the change process is both practical and impactful.

Empowered decision-making: Well-informed and timely decisions depend on an operating model that empowers skilled experts across technology and business, a critical part of talent management that ensures effective strategy execution.

Technology partnerships: Strengthen internal capabilities through established partners, ensuring structured knowledge transfer. Openness to adopting emerging technologies (e.g. AI) is critical for driving strategy execution, supported by disciplined make-vs-buy evaluations.

Automated reporting: Efforts on manual reporting bind capacity and talent. The automation of reporting in an integrated environment enables teams to focus on impactful work and can provide executives with readily accessible, near-real-time information about initiatives.

By adopting these success factors, organizations can effectively implement technology strategies and drive meaningful transformation. Building alignment between business and IT, empowering teams to take ownership, developing realistic implementation plans, enabling decision-making at the right levels, forming strategic technology partnerships, and automating reporting processes are critical steps to unlock the full potential of technology investments.

How can Roland Berger help you to achieve these ambitions?

Roland Berger can assist your organization in realizing technology strategies and drive the adoption. We combine business strategy and digital expertise, viewing technology initiatives not only as concepts but always with the focus on creating real impact for our clients.

Roland Berger’s entrepreneurial DNA empowers our teams to turn concepts into action, fosters ownership within your teams, and strengthens your organization’s digital core to achieve a sustainable competitive edge through technology initiatives.

We support clients in both the public and private sectors in implementing their digital and technology strategies. If you are interested in learning more or seeking our assistance, please reach out to our partners for further information.