It seems every day brings news of a new technology designed to improve functionality and efficiency for our businesses and firms. If a task exists in your office, chances are there is an app or software or artificial intelligence (AI) designed to make it easier: collaboration, billing, office management, social media presence, marketing.
However, as Jeff Goldblum taught us all in Jurassic Park, just because you can adopt a technology doesn’t mean you should. A 2010 study found 70% of all changes in organizations fail, and a lot of those failures were technological roll-outs. That’s a lot of apps and software hanging around offices, unused, and a lot of money wasted on failed implementation. So, how do you know if you should adopt new technology, and how do you make sure your dollars are well spent?
Focus on People
If any new initiative, technological or otherwise, is going to succeed in your organization, you need buy-in from the people who will actually take part in the initiative and use the technology. It’s imperative to talk to your people and conduct an honest assessment of what they do well, what they can do better, and what they believe will help them. Be clear about your plans and how you plan to use the feedback and input from team members. Once decisions are made, you should also have a plan for roll-out and training, leaving room for experimentation and trial-and-error.
Focus on Goals
Technological innovations are too often driven by the features of the technology instead of a clear assessment of whether or not those features really fit the organization’s needs. Careful assessment of your needs—again, this is where input from your team can be vital—allows a clearer understanding of your organization’s goals and needs. Instead of jumping on whatever technology is trendy or looking for the application with the most bells and whistles, research your options and see which ones line up with your needs and goals.
Small Changes Add Up
Instead of implementing large-scale, sweeping changes, your chances of successful changes in your organization are more likely to come from a series of small changes that accumulate over time. Small-scale changes are easier to adopt and tend to be less intimidating to members of the organization because the stakes appear lower. They feel they have room to learn and adapt. Small-scale changes also tend to be easier to measure because they address single specific goals, one at a time.