---
id: "quote-misalignment-root-cause"
type: "quote"
source_timestamps: ["¶3"]
tags: ["alignment", "root-cause"]
related: ["claim-misalignment-causes-failure", "contrarian-algorithms-rarely-fail"]
speaker: "Authors"
speakers: ["Cyril Bouquet", "Christopher J. Wright", "Julian Nolan"]
source_url: "https://hbr.org/2026/01/match-your-ai-strategy-to-your-organizations-reality"
source_title: "Match Your AI Strategy to Your Organization's Reality"
sources: ["spine"]
sourceVaultSlug: "hbr-seg-spine"
originDay: 1
articleStem: "hbr-sig-55-match-ai-strategy-to-reality"
sourceUrl: "https://hbr.org/2026/01/match-your-ai-strategy-to-your-organizations-reality"
sourceTitle: "Match Your AI Strategy to Your Organization’s Reality"
---
# The Root Cause of AI Failure

> "The problem isn't usually with what AI can and can't do. More often, it's the misalignment between what leaders want to achieve and what their value chains, operating models, and technology stacks can realistically support."

— the authors ([[entity-cyril-bouquet]], [[entity-christopher-j-wright]], [[entity-julian-nolan]])

The thesis sentence of the article. Anchors [[claim-misalignment-causes-failure]] and the contrarian reframe [[contrarian-algorithms-rarely-fail]].