A Crisis24 survey found many executives report missed warning signs and costly disruptions, illustrating how a single gap can set off a chain reaction across an organization.
A new survey from Crisis24, conducted by The Harris Poll, found that while U.S. executives describe their organizations’ crisis planning approaches as proactive, many report challenges in detecting and responding to disruptions.
The survey included 303 U.S. executives. All respondents said their organizations take a proactive approach to crisis planning. At the same time, 93% said their companies have missed warning signs of crises or disruptions, with about one in four indicating this occurs frequently or consistently.
Nearly half of respondents, 48%, said leadership teams are often caught off guard by market shifts and external pressures.
All respondents reported financial impacts from recent disruptions. Twenty-eight percent said a single disruption resulted in losses of $25 million or more, while the median reported loss was $2 million.
Executives said an estimated 46% of leadership time is spent responding to immediate crises. Sixty percent said a significant portion of lost market share over the past decade could have been avoided with earlier access to relevant intelligence.
Seventy-nine percent of respondents said geopolitical events have led them to rethink their crisis management strategies. Forty-five percent said they feel underprepared for geopolitical risks.
The survey also found that 67% of executives said they struggle to translate data into actionable insights, and more than half reported difficulty using data to make timely decisions during crises.
Eighty-five percent of respondents identified increased use of artificial intelligence as a top growth opportunity in 2026. Sixty-three percent said artificial intelligence will play the most important role in strengthening their organizations’ ability to anticipate and respond to disruptions over the next three years.
Cybersecurity threats, artificial intelligence-driven misinformation and geopolitical instability were identified among the areas where respondents feel least prepared.