I arrived home one day to see the new 55 inch flat screen TV with a child’s fingermarks all over the screen. Strange I thought as I started to clean it but then all became clear. My daughter and her 3 year old son were visiting and I watched as he went over to the screen and started dragging his fingers across it. Whats he doing I asked and my daughter informed me that he was trying to scroll the screen as if it was an iPad. In fact he was so tuned into technology that he was able to make a call on her mobile phone and lock her out of it as well. Naturally we were all amused but it led me to thinking about technology and how we use it in our daily life, particularly in business.

For example, when I got my first iPhone I was looking for the manual which shows how old school I am. Its intuitive I was told and sure enough it was with a bit of prompting. However, its simplicity may be the cause of what I am seeing in business more and more these days. Companies buying in technology and management failing to put in a robust training plan because they mistakenly believe that it is intuitive. The net effect is that those who are technically minded spend their time trying to help those around them get up to speed which leads to an overall drop in productivity. This includes management who are equally struggling to cope but failing to report the issue in case they are seen as inept.

There is no doubt that technology can make a significant contribution to productivity but only when it is integrated into the organisation in the right way. This means that there should be a robust assessment made by management to understand the contribution this investment will make and then to ensure it is implemented systematically across the organisation followed by a monitoring and bedding in period. Feedback should be sought from all levels to ensure that the contribution it is supposed to make is in fact happening.

I have seen situations where senior executives of organisations bought in technology that they could not or would not use themselves. This practice sent out the wrong message to other employees and I have seen fantastic systems lying idle as they were eventually abandoned by all levels of the organisation.

This is a cultural issue where there is a resistance to change which can lead to a competitive disadvantage. Technology is changing the business world exponentially and organisations that are unwilling or unable to adapt will be left behind.

Let me ask you a few questions which may help you understand where technology fits within your organisation;

1. 1. What technology are you using and have you the latest version of it?
   2. Who monitors what is available and how it could contribute to your organisation?
   3. Do you put in place a proper training programme so that all employees are using the technology available to them to its optimum?

There are fantastic business tools available to give you a competitive edge over your competitors but you first need to know they exist and then have the mindset to embrace them.

If you would like to know more why not schedule a confidential call without obligation.