A study commissioned by Gofore reveals that Finnish industry leaders see excessive risk avoidance and dividend-focused strategies as major threats to Finland’s competitiveness. More than half of respondents believe that “when companies distribute a significant portion of their profits as dividends, there is not enough money left for product development, digitalisation, and growth.”

The research, conducted by Verian and based on insights from over 30 leaders of Finnish industrial companies, highlights that cautious owners and short-term thinking have slowed innovation. “In Finland, we play it safe, we don’t take risks, and therefore we don’t grow,” one respondent noted.

Outi Määttä, director of the Intelligent Industry business at Gofore, emphasized the urgency of investing in digital foundations. “If one always plays it safe and the foundations of digitalisation have not been created, we lag hopelessly behind,” she said, calling for bold, data-driven innovation to sustain competitiveness.