Technology is ever-changing which means what’s going on in your company’s IT department is ever-changing too. One of the most important things a business leader can do is recognize the need to be on top of technological changes. Every industry has its own unique set of technological needs to address from innovative hardware and devices to game-changing software. It can be easy to feel behind as the innovations and challenges just keep coming, including security concerns and cybercrime. Here are four key reasons business leaders need to stay on top of what’s going on in IT.
It’s easy to fall into a trap of thinking you are on top of your company’s technology and ahead of the changes. Just when you feel comfortable, there will likely be something new on the horizon. As a business leader, it’s key to prioritize education for yourself and your IT team. This can include a better understanding of public policy and its implication on IT as changes in administration can mean changes in policy initiatives. It can also mean prioritizing time to attend conferences, participate in webinars, and subscribe to technology news sources to stay abreast of what’s going on and leave you better equipped to make decisions.
Staying on top of technology changes can sometimes feel like a gamble – adapt too soon and you may risk major disruption to your business but adapt too late and you may risk falling behind your competition. Every business leader can likely think back on a technology mistake they don’t want to repeat. How about the networking failure after a business renovation, or the business interruption after a device rollout, the reputation impact of a security breach, or the lack of employee adoption of a new software program? As a business leader, it’s key to prioritize an understanding of what happened with your technology-related failures and why. It will help inform better decision-making going forward, allow you to prepare for changes to come, and avoid the failures of the past.
The concept of workplaces being only physical locations has been under pressure for the last several years. Digital work access was growing in popularity even before the pandemic with worker agency and technology both accelerating at a rapid rate. Add to that employers’ desires to increase worker engagement and well-being. Business leaders will do well to understand how new technology can allow their employees to collaborate and access data from anywhere. Right now, we think about incorporating email, texting, messaging platforms, video conferences, and electronic document sharing. But what’s yet to come? Technology will continue to influence how companies attract and retain employees while maintaining a collaborative workplace.
It’s easy to think of technology in the workplace as being less human and providing more automation. But the reality is that taking a human-centric approach to technology in the workplace can better align people with processes – making work easier and more collaborative for your employees. A good digital transformation strategy should support, not disrupt your employees. It’s important to truly understand the work being done by the employee group that is receiving a new technology and then develops a clear plan to support them with change management. Workplace culture is not just fun events and ping pong in the breakroom. Workplace culture is what employees see, hear, and feel daily – whether they work in person or remotely. The technology employees interact with daily impacts all those things.
Regardless of what industry your business operates in, keeping up with changes in technology is essential for remaining competitive. Ultimately, when business leaders are in-tune with what’s going on in IT, they can take an intelligent approach to technology decision-making, learn from past technology failures, remove boundaries to work, and support their employees better. But all of this can feel especially challenging when your company’s IT resources are limited.
At EO Johnson and Locknet Managed IT, our expertise is unique in being able to provide guidance on taking a human-centric approach to your digital transformation goals along with being a strategic resource for supporting your technology initiatives and cybersecurity position. Contact our team of experts to learn more.