Technology--Can be an Asset or a Liability
Technological change has prompted the quick erosion of some companies and the overnight success of others. Whether a new technology becomes an asset or a liability is not necessarily embedded within the technology itself, nor what many technology consultants term the implementation process. The difference is more complex, involving the human desire to learn and interact with the new medium.
In any system of human interaction, the “why” question needs to be addressed first—why should we use this, what will it do for us, how can it improve our current processes. Therefore, an effective way to introduce new technology to your company is to begin with the dynamic human systems thinking before advancing to the static computer systems implementation
Unfortunately many technology system consultants implement under the assumption that the receivers of the technology possess the same level of fascination and desire as the creators of the technology. This results in the new technology being transposed upon an old methodology, which produces partial usage at best. At worse the new technology reduces business efficiency and becomes a hindrance. Management can overcome this by including the users of the new technology is the meetings that answer the above questions. And by doing so management can gain valuable insight into how the technology will be embraced and the type of problems that may evolve during the implementation process.
Small companies are often better at implementation, as it is common to have all employees involved in company-wide decisions. Contrarily, in large corporations upper management may decide upon the new technology and then use a top-down strategy for implementation. The worse situations I have experienced have involved large corporations, sales departments and the implementation of a new CRM process. The new technology did not align with the salespersons existing behaviors, such as filling out forms or accessing client information from their desktop when an internet connection was not available.
The opportunities technology brings are evident by the fact that those that embrace its capabilities can quickly gain a competitive advantage. However, if you view the other side of the equation, the threats are significant for those who do not consider the human side and therefore do not properly leverage its use.
In any system of human interaction, the “why” question needs to be addressed first—why should we use this, what will it do for us, how can it improve our current processes. Therefore, an effective way to introduce new technology to your company is to begin with the dynamic human systems thinking before advancing to the static computer systems implementation
Unfortunately many technology system consultants implement under the assumption that the receivers of the technology possess the same level of fascination and desire as the creators of the technology. This results in the new technology being transposed upon an old methodology, which produces partial usage at best. At worse the new technology reduces business efficiency and becomes a hindrance. Management can overcome this by including the users of the new technology is the meetings that answer the above questions. And by doing so management can gain valuable insight into how the technology will be embraced and the type of problems that may evolve during the implementation process.
Small companies are often better at implementation, as it is common to have all employees involved in company-wide decisions. Contrarily, in large corporations upper management may decide upon the new technology and then use a top-down strategy for implementation. The worse situations I have experienced have involved large corporations, sales departments and the implementation of a new CRM process. The new technology did not align with the salespersons existing behaviors, such as filling out forms or accessing client information from their desktop when an internet connection was not available.
The opportunities technology brings are evident by the fact that those that embrace its capabilities can quickly gain a competitive advantage. However, if you view the other side of the equation, the threats are significant for those who do not consider the human side and therefore do not properly leverage its use.
Posted by LW and Associates at 8/11/2010 12:22 PM 
Categories: Change Management, Leadership
Tags: technology; lw and associates; small comapnies; implementation
Categories: Change Management, Leadership
Tags: technology; lw and associates; small comapnies; implementation
Interesting topic. Research on technology implementation is limited for small business. Usually it's difficult to find anything other than a sales pitch online. As a small business owner, it's vital that I have a thorough understanding of the real-world impact a new technology investment will have on my staff and work flow. Sometimes it's best to leave what is working well...even if it is a bit "low tech."
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I completely agree--I always say "don't use technology purely for technology sake"
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I couldn't agree more, technology systems in business need to be designed so that people can build around them. We are surrounded with successful and unsuccessful model inside the business world, we might as well learn from that.
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