Building culture through technology: Where are you headed?

So, with a feeling there is a semblance of light at the end of the tunnel and the start to easing of lockdown measures, we still continue to be physically isolated from co-workers, clients, the daily commuting grind, the familiar company desk, grabbing the same hot drink, bumping into the same individuals.  As humans we have come to rely and take for granted, the physical presence of working in proximity to each other.  Interacting remotely removes innate senses of touch and smell, voices come through a speaker, sight is from electrically charged devices on brightly radiating screens.  In some respects, our aliveness has been taken away making us feel out of sorts, a sense of missing and being at a bit of a loss when not stimulated by physical interaction. Not drawing upon the habitual nature of the working environment with its banter, movement, coffee machine chats and meeting rooms has consequently meant our reliance on the use of technology continues to be fully tested in how we interact within and across industries. Are we more aware of its benefits?

For many businesses, and entering stage left, technology has popped its head up on centre stage and become the saviour in helping facilitate the ongoing nature of business across industries with its ability to facilitate communication, the transference of information, innovation, scalability and adaptability.  What I do feel though is a sense this usability has taken people a bit by surprise with ‘wow this really works’ or ‘I can make what with it?’ moments, as opposed to having a culture in understanding their technologies and the inherent capabilities it has.  If there was a much better understanding of this as a part of our general consciousness, would we listen to and realise more benefits technology could bring?  Or indeed choose to introduce what I would term technology culture and embed it into and as part of the working life within the company.

This opens up the question of whether many industries actively employ the thought of technology as a culture within their business.  Do they truly understand the nature of the technology they use and its capabilities for productivity?  Are the right people involved in bringing this to light and are many heads better than one?

Just imagine the utopian scenario where employees are actively encouraged and regularly engaged in their thinking of the technology they use.  And instead of their problems being sent off to the brilliant technology departments to decipher and sort out, that there is a feeling solutions can and are sought by those experiencing them, that impacts are always considered, decision makers buy-in and are on the same page because there exists a general understanding of the technology being used ad relied upon. An active culture.

If there is a tangible benefit of instilling this type of consciousness, taking a good look and reviewing how substantial technology investments are working or not and how their employees are working with it is a good start. But what method would you apply? Who would you turn to? So many questions and garnering this information is of paramount importance in finding the source of problems and unlocking potential usually most realised by those experiencing it.

I am not suggesting building a technology culture is easy, far from it, but what we have seen from the current Covid-19 crisis is the ability for people not used to adapting quickly to technology changes doing just that, adapting. People are changing their perception of maybe what technology is for or can be for. People are more aware of its usefulness and the way in which we humans can make it adapt to our problems and have resulted in creating solutions for themselves.

Most business technologies provide far and above the capabilities required but how many succeed in utilising its potential?

It’s not necessarily about having to invest in the latest and greatest innovation on offer which promises to consolidate, streamline and create all sorts of operational efficiencies, opportunities and provide the best reports you have ever seen ‘automatically’. The current technologies most businesses have are already brilliant at what they do, so creating the right thought pattern and method to enable those involved to solve business problems is crucial. Any change implementation is going to impact, change is the easy part, being successful is not so easy. Technology runs on electricity, it takes a human to press the ’On’ or ‘Enter’ key, it also takes a human to asses and understand it, choose a strategy, translate and design it, transition and implement and deliver. This is where I feel building a technology culture with a solid thought pattern and method can provide wider scale future benefits.

Things won’t change if we don’t act on the benefits these realisations could bring through a new way of thinking. Technology as a culture sounds ominous, not understandable, so maybe the culture shift is in the way we view and interact with technology which has to change, our perception of it and more importantly our involvement in it. Before AI takes over the world, we humans are still in charge of it.

A simple little takeaway in how to apply progressive business problem thinking to technology, is a thought pattern I call ACTTD, Assess – Choose – Translate – Transition – Deliver. If you would like to know more, please contact me at GreenKite Associates where I head up the Process Systems and Technology practice.