A new survey examining more than 300 Australian business leaders' attitudes has revealed Generation Z, despite their reputation for embracing new technology, display less optimism about the potential of artificial intelligence (AI) in the workplace compared to other generations. This is one of many generational trends identified in the report by Seismic, a global software company specialising in enablement technology with a significant national presence.
The research suggests that 83% of Australian respondents believe Baby Boomers offer the most significant resistance to new technology, struggling to implement enablement technology within their teams. However, a majority of the country's workforce utilises enablement technology, with 73% of respondents indicating its use.
The percentage represents one of the lowest usage rates globally, ranking only above Germany's 71%. Significantly, the report indicates that this enablement technology is not exclusive to sales teams. Almost all (95%) of the surveyed Australian companies using it have implemented it across multiple business departments, with Marketing departments being the second-most common users following Sales.
The report also addressed generational attitudes towards enablement technology. According to the research, Generation Z shows the most openness towards new technologies, with 96% of Australian respondents indicating the group did not struggle with adoption. Their enthusiasm for AI technologies, however, was relatively low, with 85% supporting further investment in enablement due to AI's potential. For Millennials, only 12% of respondents noted challenges with this group incorporating new tools into their workflow, but their optimism for AI was significant. A full 92% advocated for increased enablement expenditure because of AI's promises.
Older generations, including Generation X and Baby Boomers, showed mixed responses. Gen X displayed some resistance to new technology, according to 65% of respondents, but they were notable for using enablement analytics for data-driven decisions. Conversely, despite 83% of respondents indicating Baby Boomers' resistance to new technology and struggles with implementing enablement technology, 63% of the Boomer respondents expressed a preference for companies utilising enablement technologies, and 85% reflected increased job satisfaction from its use.
Another key finding from the report is an 86% majority of enablement technology users assert the importance of effective enablement strategies, stating their significance has increased within the last three to five years. Moreover, respondents agreed that this technology is critical to weathering challenging economic times (86%), offers their team a competitive advantage (85%), and enhances job satisfaction (82%).
The report further highlights that usage and investment in enablement technology are on the rise. While Sales and Marketing are prominent users of this tech, usage is not confined to these departments, with 95% of surveyed Australian companies deploying enablement tech across various departments. The momentum is expected to continue, with 72% of respondents planning to allocate additional funds to expand enablement programmes and functions, and 57% aiming to implement enablement tools in more departments.