GamaVida Independent Research · SMB Executive Series

The AI Strategy Gap in
the SMB Executive Suite

How are small and mid-sized business leaders actually thinking about AI — and where does understanding fall short of the opportunity? This independent study maps the gap between executive awareness and actionable AI strategy across operations, talent, and competitive positioning.

Approximately 8 minutes to complete
Anonymous — no individual data will be published
Findings published Q4 2026
All participants eligible for a free report
Begin the Survey Learn more about the study ↓
3
Core areas of AI impact examined:
operations · talent · products & services
~8 min
Average completion time.
No account creation required.
2026
Findings released as an open report
available to all participants first.

About the Study

Understanding Where Executives Actually Stand on AI

Most conversations about AI in business focus on technology — tools, platforms, and capabilities. This study focuses on the human side: what do SMB executives actually understand about AI, where are their mental models incomplete, and what's preventing them from turning awareness into strategy?

We're surveying leaders across industries to build a rigorous, sector-wide picture of executive AI literacy — how it varies by company size, industry, and leadership background — and what the data says about the relationship between AI readiness and competitive positioning.

This is not a product survey. GamaVida will not use your responses to contact you for sales purposes. Our goal is to produce research that benefits the broader SMB leadership community.

What we're measuring

Three Dimensions of Executive AI Readiness

Our framework examines how executives think about AI across the three areas where it most directly affects SMB performance:

  • Internal workflow automation and operational efficiency — where AI replaces or augments repeatable work
  • Staff development, skill gaps, and workforce transformation — how teams adapt alongside AI tools
  • Product and service innovation — how AI changes what a business can offer and how it competes
Survey focus areas

What the Survey Covers

Questions are structured around three interconnected dimensions of AI's impact on small and mid-sized businesses. Together, they form a complete picture of executive AI readiness.

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Internal Workflows & Operations

How executives understand, assess, and act on opportunities to automate or augment repeatable internal processes with AI — from administrative workflows and customer communications to financial reporting and supply chain coordination.

🧑‍💼

Staff Development & Workforce Readiness

The talent dimension: how leaders are addressing AI skill gaps, redefining roles, managing team anxiety around automation, and building the human capacity needed to make AI investments actually work in practice.

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Products, Services & Competitive Positioning

The forward-looking view: how executives see AI changing what their business can offer — new capabilities, faster delivery, personalization at scale — and how clearly they've mapped competitive risk and opportunity in their sector.

Why participate

What You Get From Contributing

  • Early access to the full research report Participants receive the complete findings before public release — including sector breakdowns, readiness benchmarks, and strategic recommendations.
  • Benchmark your own readiness See how your organization's AI strategy compares to peers in your industry and company size bracket — a concrete external reference point for internal planning.
  • Contribute to the field This study feeds into GamaVida's ongoing research program on executive capability development. Your responses shape tools and frameworks used by business leaders worldwide.
  • Fully anonymous — no individualized information will ever be published, shared, or sold. Responses are aggregated for research purposes only.
73%

of SMB executives report AI is a priority — yet fewer than 1 in 4 have a documented AI adoption plan. This gap is what we're studying.

Source: GamaVida preliminary research, 2026
Ready to contribute?

Take the Survey Now

It takes approximately 8 minutes. Your answers are anonymous, and you'll receive the full research report when it publishes.

Begin the Survey Anonymous · ~8 minutes · No account required · All participants eligible for a free report