Stop buying technology for the sake of "digital transformation." Instead, buy based on your business goals and with your user in mind.
In a post-Marie Kondo world, minimalism has become not only a statement and lifestyle, but a means to achieve personal and professional goals. When we deliberately acquire less, we are forced to evaluate our choices under a microscope. The mindset of the minimalist, in time, shifts from "more is better" to "intentional is better."
A similar approach could benefit digital decision making. Many times intentionality is lacking in current technology buying cycles, and it's hurting the transformative efforts of businesses.
For the minimalist, each object must pass stringent tests that prove its value. Why?
The answer can be different for different people. Some may look only for practicality and durability, while others place a high value on design and aesthetics.
The user knows what they deem important and will go to great lengths to ensure their purchases align with those values.
When it comes to technology, the same thing should be happening. How a CIO addresses the question of "Why this?" determines how the organization utilizes its digital purchases.
CIOs should be measuring the value of digital systems and purchasing new platforms only when they drive business goals. Instead, enterprise software purchasing tends to look more like the mismatched cart of a hungry grocery shopper.
This reason for this slapdash purchasing is, first, with the rapid onset of the digital era, businesses rushed to acquire the tools needed to stay relevant. As digital expanded, buying power shifted from IT to the various business units that were better in tune with their own needs. To scale quickly and efficiently, each department bought and implemented its own digital tools. Second, with the explosion of the cloud, SaaS and best-of-breed mentality, business units became empowered to define their own needs based on individual goals.
Creating individual digital strategies allowed for business units to purchase and implement specific platforms to improve their work. And yet, because business units each hold just one piece of the organizational pie, gaps and overlaps have arisen between these business units. In theory, departments should be working seamlessly together to complete tasks and collaborate on a macro level. With different departments using different platforms and systems, this becomes complicated.
Most business departments across the organization share digital transformation goals. And yet, there is little to no technological alignment across the numerous business units and departments. Two departments within an organization often implement different productivity and analytics tools for the same job. Then there are the many platforms and systems that are role-specific. At any time, each employee within a department can be required to wield between 11 and 14 different platforms. The weight of platform usability falls on the employee. Organizations expect employees to decipher and extract value from platforms even when leadership is not streamlining digital goals.
How do decision makers cultivate intentionality and alignment within this paradigm?
Collect Data On Current Cloud Software
CIOs need visibility into what is working, how it is working and why it is working (or not working). Instead of onboarding additional software as a Band-Aid fix, digital leaders need to understand what they already have on their plate. The path to acquiring this visibility is by tracking platform analytics against business goals and across technology silos.
Promote Adoption Above All Else
Minimalism, digital or otherwise, means learning to use each tool to its fullest extent. Once CIOs grasp what a platform is offering the company and how employees are using it, the next step is to improve that relationship. Standardizing the application of tech in the workplace sets the stage for breaking silos and creating a more dynamic, digitally connected organization.
Champion The Employee Experience
Organizations must take into account the cultural differences and the digital dexterity of employees that dictates the usability of digital tools. When different departments within the organization work in silos, the employees become an afterthought. When employees become an afterthought, transformative efforts fail.
In this frustrating and overwhelming technology-oriented world, the urge to stop buying all technology is a common and real feeling. Is this actually attainable? No. But you should drastically change the way you look at technology buying and implementation. Ultimately, buy less, and buy smart.
