Business leaders have been promising reinvention of their operating models for decades. Talk of reshoring, automation, and modernizing operating models has echoed through boardrooms and strategy decks alike. But for many, action has lagged aspiration. Now, tariffs—those blunt instruments of trade policy—may finally compel businesses to move beyond talk and deliver meaningful change.
That’s because tariffs aren’t the cause of disruption. They’re the accelerant.
In new research from HFS Research, in collaboration with KPMG U.S., that surveyed 402 senior leaders from large companies across the United States, more than half of the respondents report that U.S. trade policy is already disrupting their strategic plans. But the real danger isn’t the policy shifts—it’s the illusion that enterprises can simply wait them out.
A striking 69% of leaders acknowledge they’re stuck in tactical reactions or freezing strategic investments pending “more clarity.” But CEOs can ill afford to halt strategic investments as they attempt to wait out tariffs. That’s a dangerous misread of a moment that demands proactive moves, not hesitation.
The stable world of predictable business cycles is history. Disruption today is built-in—an ever-present reality, not just an occasional glitch. In our current complex global economy, success will belong to enterprises built to thrive amid volatility, not those waiting for the turbulence to pass.
