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Technophobia
Part 1: What is it?

By Theo Gantos

Many people talk about it without ever defining it. This week chronicles the debilitating organizational malaise some call technophobia, that can stop change dead in its tracks.

Just what is technophobia, anyway? Technophobia is an inordinate fear of technology. It is easiest to define this fear by the behavior that it causes in some people. The professional workplace has changed tremendously in the last ten years. More than ever before, it seems no one can overtly opt out of using technology. Many professionals depend on technology to effectively perform their daily work.

How does technophobia manifest itself? In a word, fear. There is the fear of somehow being less competent having to rely on a new set of tools. The fear of not being totally in control. A lack of understanding about the process of getting work accomplished. This fear is almost never verbalized, serving to prove the old adage, "Feelings that don't get talked out, get acted out".

The shift toward reliance on technology is past the point of effective resistance. Many CEOs personally resisted using technology over the last few years. Many of these older executives have since either retired or have adapted to this new style. Many have pushed themselves to learn new skills such as typing for the first time.

The fear of the keyboard is one manifestation of this malaise. The typewriter age was characterized by class distinctions between executives and workers over who used the keyboard. Popular culture and media reinforced this absurd notion that using a keyboard was a sign of a lack of power and status. A keyboard today is an essential device for communication, no less important than a telephone. I recommend Mavis Beacon Teaches Typing, or for the more whimsical, Mario Teaches Typing.

Unreasonable resistance to meaningful change is another symptom. Leaders need to be on the lookout for this one and constantly challenge their team members to question the status quo in search of excellence. A sense of humor helps a lot to ease the tension. Many long established procedures and traditions seem absurd when a new perspective is acquired. Help others to change their perspective and visualize new paths to the goal. Remember, tradition is a poor reason for mediocrity and one your competition may not suffer from.

Blaming the computer, the software, or even the support staff is another tell-tale sign of technophobia. A modern professional leveraging technology will take responsibility for their own destiny and won't be afraid of a few problems or play the victim. Most modern workers today recognize that technology, while very helpful, is not perfect. Cursing the machine or the support people is just moving the focus from the person who is ultimately responsible and is a fear reaction disguised as agression.

A hard symptom to spot is what I call the out-of-touch reaction. These people act blissfully unaware of how their organizations or groups may use technology to get their work done or the nature of the challenges they face. This person seems to have no real awareness of how to succeed in applying technology so he will avoid dealing with it, usually "delegating" (actually abdicating) this responsibility to subordinates.

Technophobia has often biased some leaders against women in organizations. I believe this may be in part because in the past women made up a higher percentage of "keyboard users" in organizations than men. Actually more men than women in my experience exhibit debilitating technophobia. Women in our culture have been socialized more toward venting feelings of frustration and fear of change and this leads to constructive dialog. Problems are identified and solved, and the fear is replaced with confidence. Men may seem more prone to creative avoidance and may be more likely to let frustrations build up. They may also be in a position of influence and feel the need to resist changes that they don't fully understand.

Next week we'll discuss how to recognize technophobia in your organization and why it can be so destructive.

Theo Gantos is president of TEKA, a technology consulting firm. Contact him: