Study of 3,185 decision-makers across 26 countries shows organizations with mature knowledge foundations outperform peers on growth, trust, and scalable AI adoption
CHICAGO, Feb. 11, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- iManage, the company dedicated to Making Knowledge Work, today released findings from its iManage Knowledge Work 2026 Benchmark Report, a global study of 3,185 business and technology decision-makers across 26 countries, showing that professional services firms with mature, well-governed knowledge foundations significantly outperform their peers on AI adoption, business performance, and client trust.
The research builds on iManage's Knowledge Work Maturity Model (KWMM), an established framework that assesses how effectively organizations govern, connect, and activate knowledge across people, processes, and technology. Findings from October 2025 further substantiate that higher levels of knowledge work maturity consistently correlate with stronger business outcomes - regardless of industry or geography.
The study finds that while AI has reached a tipping point across professional services, only organizations with strong knowledge foundations are translating experimentation into sustained, everyday value. Although 85% of firms are piloting, implementing, or using AI, just 17% have embedded AI into daily operations, highlighting a growing gap between ambition and impact.
"What this data shows is that AI success isn't about who experiments fastest - it's about who has done the foundational work," said Laura Wenzel, Global Insights Director at iManage. "Organizations with mature knowledge environments are better positioned to deploy AI consistently, govern it responsibly, and earn trust from both clients and employees. Without that foundation, AI simply amplifies existing friction and risk."
Key findings include:
- AI maturity drives measurable business outperformance. AI maturity drives measurable business outperformance. Organizations with higher knowledge work maturity are nearly twice as likely as less mature peers to report year-over-year revenue growth and are more likely to self-report profitability and stronger financial performance, according to the study.
- AI adoption is widespread - but operational use lags. While 85% of organizations are piloting, implementing, or using AI, only 17% have integrated AI into daily operations, underscoring the gap between experimentation and real-world impact.
- Customer demand is accelerating AI strategy. Overall, 57% of respondents say customers influence their AI adoption, rising to 74% among knowledge-mature organizations, which are also twice as likely to deploy AI in client-facing tools.
- Governance gaps are slowing progress. Nearly one-third of organizations report experiencing a policy-impacting incident related to unregulated AI tools, and almost 30% have delayed AI adoption due to security concerns.
- AI enhances roles rather than replacing them. 57% of respondents say AI is primarily enhancing existing job roles, while knowledge-mature organizations are significantly more likely to report productivity improvements from AI-enabled workflows.
- Search friction remains a productivity drain. Despite 86% of decision-makers expressing confidence in their ability to find and reuse knowledge, professionals still spend an average of 37 minutes per day searching for information.
"This research confirms that investment in knowledge systems, architecture and AI is non-negotiable. Law firm strategy cannot be a wait and see, or be a second follower," said Reena SenGupta, Executive Director at RSGi. "Competitive advantage is being won by the advanced knowledge organizations and now we have the data to prove it."
Why this matters in 2026
Organizations that take a unified, organization-wide approach to knowledge management and governance are far more likely to move from AI experimentation to confident, scalable adoption. While 72% of organizations plan to invest in a new document or knowledge management platform within the next two years, the research shows that investment alone does not guarantee results - outcomes depend on having a trusted, governed foundation that enables AI to be used consistently across the business.
The Knowledge Work 2026 Benchmark Report provides a global benchmark for how organizations are approaching AI today - and a practical reference point for assessing whether their foundations will enable scale or compound risk in the year ahead.
About the Research
The iManage Knowledge Work 2026 Benchmark Report is based on a survey of 3,185 business and technology decision-makers across 26 countries, spanning legal, accounting and tax, financial services, and asset management organizations. The research was conducted between September and October 2025.
To explore the full findings and assess your organization's knowledge work maturity, download the iManage Knowledge Work 2026 Benchmark Report athttps://imanage.com/benchmark-report-2026/?utm_medium=pr
About iManage
iManage is dedicated to Making Knowledge Work. Our cloud-native platform is at the center of the knowledge economy, enabling every organization to work more productively, collaboratively, and securely. Built on more than 30 years of industry experience, iManage helps leading organizations manage documents and emails more efficiently, protect vital information assets, and leverage knowledge to drive better business outcomes. As your strategic business partner, we employ our award-winning AI-enabled technology, an extensive partner ecosystem, and a customer-centric approach to provide support and guidance you can trust to make knowledge work for you. iManage is relied on by more than one million professionals at 4,000 organizations around the world. Visit www.imanage.com to learn more.
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Press contact:
Alicia Saragosa, iManage
press@imanage.com
