By Theo Gantos, CCP
Have you noticed that using information technology in your organization can be more trouble than doing the same work by hand? Do you sometimes feel like you're on the "bleeding edge" of technology? That these so-called wonder machines are a like a hole in your desk that you dump seemingly endless money and time into? That pioneers are the people with the arrows in their backs? These are signs that your organization may be suffering from "technophobia", a serious condition which may eventually lead to ruin in this "Information Age".
If your company is not a leader in leveraging technology in today's competitive marketplace then you're on the road to extinction. There are three kinds of companies in this brave new world of infotech: Those who make things happen, those who watch things happen, and THOSE WHO WONDER WHAT HAPPENED. How do you know if your company is technophobic? What will happen? How can you change it? What would you be doing differently? Let's go back to the start to see how it develops and how to turn it around.
To understand the nature of technophobia we need to grasp the two factors necessary for success in using information technology. The first or technical factor should never be allowed to outweigh the human factor. The human factor is ultimately more important to any project than technology. Tools don't build houses, carpenters do. The best tools won't help a mediocre carpenter become a great one, but great tools in the right hands can make all the difference. Information technology is just a tool to get the job of moving, organizing and presenting information done. People use these tools to obtain superior information to provide superior customer service.
Technophobia is the end result of an organization's resistance to change gone wild. This stems from human nature. We are all skeptical about new things. This skepticism can become fear. Fire can either warm you or burn you. Fear of change can either be harnessed or allowed to get out of control and develop into technophobia. When management undervalues the all-important human factor projects fail, market share is lost, productivity drops, and companies may close their doors.
These companies may be the "once bitten" variety. They might tell and retell mythical horror stories of catastrophic information system failures around the water cooler like campfire ghost tales. Their behavior toward infotech may be characterized by fear and avoidance. This is often misleading, because they nearly always buy and use information technology in their businesses. On the other hand, the executive who is not personally a user of technology, but who recants stories of the "Midas touch" variety is blissfully unaware of how to plan for and manage these investments for maximum impact. They may go on at length about how every system they buy works out wonderfully and that there are never any problems. This is pure naivete - there are always problems - no pain, no gain - how you handle the problems determines whether and how well you succeed or fail. This is also a serious red flag that the CEO is avoiding the all-important role of investment pioneer. The technophobic executive often over-generalizes by assigning either too much or too little value to these investments. Remember they are just tools. Either way, the lack of senior leadership commitment plays a key role in the development of technophobia. At Digital we used to say that the difference between involvement and committment is like Sunday brunch. In ham and eggs the hen is involved while the pig is committed.
The undervaluing type sees information technology as simply unnecessary or unimportant; after all, we got along without it for so many years, didn't we? This type rarely uses information technology personally but may invest in leading edge technologies in other areas. The tough ones to spot may have quite a few computers in their business. But discuss information technology and they change the subject or refer you to someone else who "makes those decisions". You get the feeling that there is a Stephen King novel of computer horror lurking in their subconscious.
How do you recognize technophobia? Does your organization seem to have a great deal of inertia or resistance to change where infotech is concerned? The important thing to look for is how these investments are made. Does each professional pick or even have to fight for their own tools in almost chaotic fashion? Are inflexible "one size fits all" edicts imposed by detached computer experts? If you can say yes to either of these it's almost a sure bet that your organization is technophobic. They aren't opposites, just like two ends of the same magnet. The truly technophobic organization may oscillate between these two poles like a pendulum for as long as they may survive.
The anarchy reaction shows up in organizations where you have to fight for every tool you might need to get the job done. People get creative and find all kinds of ways to buy and use information technology within their own departments. The danger is that these investments may not be the best for the organization. They are usually justified on the basis of the lowest possible up front cost. Little if any consideration is given to support, training, networking, software, or other ongoing costs. The individual just purchases information technology like another calculator or typewriter.
There are other perils. Software may be copied illegally from other machines or even worse, brought in from less well known and potentially pirated sources. Pirated software may become damaged, sabotaging the productive use for which it is intended. This piracy may also expose the organization to dreaded computer viruses. The average computer virus infestation costs a firm $20-30,000 in time and lost data and productivity according to industry experts. Software piracy exposes the organization to criminal and civil penalties as well as publicly compromising the ethical position of the firm. Most organizations simply cannot afford this kind of "creativity" in stretching resources.
Worst of all, these purchases represent merely individual solutions, like rowers going in different directions each ignoring or competing with everyone else instead of cooperating toward a common goal - a true anarchy. Professionals are often left to their own devices to choose, purchase and install solutions. Some will be lucky, making better individual choices. Some won't be so lucky. Very few will be able to perceive, let alone integrate or negotiate a strategic vision of cooperation across the entire organization. This environment eventually collapses in upon itself as the ongoing costs and lack of apparent productivity pile up. The leadership reacts by putting tighter and tighter restrictions on buying information technology to stop the spending spree, but this only spurs individualism, chaos and further fragments any attempt at integration. Then the organization may suddenly swing to the opposite extreme - the over structured environment.
There are different dangers in the overstructured reaction. This may stem from the alienation or possibly adversarial relationship that can develop. Professionals feel that the "experts" haven't taken the time to understand their needs. The vision is not openly communicated or supported by corporate leadership - who often want to stay out of the fray. So any technology advisors and resources become vastly underutilized and the wasting asset of experience withers away without practice and challenges. Or the opposite may occur and resources may be overutilized and stretched beyond the limits that they were designed for. Either way, the cycle of alienation, reaction, poor fit to needs, poor response, and more alienation continues. Finally the users revolt and return to chaos and anarchy. And round and round we go wasting time, money, and productivity.
The only way to end this tragic cycle is for the leaders of the organization to take over. There are a few factors that are necessary for this move to be successful. The most important is for leaders to take the initiative in actively using and learning about ways that information technology can leverage their business. Then work with and focus the efforts of technologists in the directions that are strategic to success rather than leave them or business professionals to their own devices and plans.
Infotech is an important weapon in the arsenal of a company, the modern equivalent of the gunpowder revolution that occurred in the 14-16th centuries. Countries were conquered overnight because they were too slow to either adopt and use gunpowder weaponry or develop new techniques for defense in light of this destabilizing technology. Phenomenal bravery and skill weren't enough for those soldiers who fought without guns and were crushed by the gunpowder-wielding Turks in the 1500's.
Success in applying information technology can have the same effect as gunpowder did for the Turks. It can give your people an almost unfair advantage over your competition in the struggle for customers and market share. Companies have to focus and apply technology effectively in order to gain this advantage and keep it from becoming a handicap. He who hesitates is lost...either use this weapon effectively or have it used against you...with disastrous consequences.
The point is that the CEO and top leaders are just too darned important to leave out of the infotech equation which is Success = Knowledge + Experience + Clarity + Perspective. The wisdom leadership brings is based on the quality of the individual elements of this equation. The Knowledge consists of how and where to apply information technology to best benefit the organization. Experience is needed in managing information technology investments for their maximum benefit and minimum disruption. In order to have experience, leaders must also be users. The Clarity of the presentation and communication of the investment as a long-range vision is important. Only the leadership of the firm can have the long-range strategic Perspective necessary for the maximum return on investment.
This leadership team needs to support and advocate change openly and actively, otherwise the organization can develop this schizophrenia-like condition. Leaders can't hoodwink people by whispering or even saying they're supporting a project when their actions scream out the opposite. The process of evolution will then stop, people will dig in their heels, subconsciously sabotaging change, and leaders will then often withdraw completely. The truth is nobody ever "got" in the first place why this is good for the company or themselves.
An excellent way to convince people to support change is to lead by example. Professionals will make up their own minds that they want to get the same benefits. Seek out and eliminate any double standards since most professionals will resent them and they will compromise trust. Take the initiative to gain personal experience using infotech so you'll understand what the problems are and how to prevent them. You'll learn on the way that it's a great tool but that it can also be a frustrating one. You may also get experience that will help you to direct your technology advocates into areas that will get the most out of your investments and increase morale and productivity.
Does you leadership team roll their eyes while the technology experts make presentations full of technobabble? Or are major projects presented clearly in English to everyone in the organization repeatedly to successfully communicate the vision and the importance of the end result? Successful infotech projects spend as much or more time and energy on the human factor as the technical one. The savvy CEO and their team grasp the vision early and are instrumental in communicating and selling it (if not responsible for actually developing it from the start).
Only an active leadership team knows the long-term direction of the company. Use this perspective to advantage in crafting solutions that will impact success not only in the present, but guarantee the triumph of new ventures. Individual contributors seldom can have this kind of perspective without the support and coaching of the leadership. Individuals deal in the here and now of day to day tactics. Solutions that are adequate by today's standards may be ineffective, or worse, may become hindrances to future plans and growth.
Why let infotech chaos or fascism, those twin devils of technophobia, rule your company? Get your entire leadership team to take the initiative in proposing, using and championing information technology. Then you'll unleash the true power of the human factor, that special quality of creativity and dedication inherent in a team of strong, productive, and motivated professionals. Success will then bring confidence, high morale and ultimately more success. Don't watch or wonder what happened. Business is war. Infotech is a mighty weapon. Study it, pioneer it's use, and seek out ways to exploit it so you can take the offensive and MAKE things happen in your industry.
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Copyright© 1994 Theo Gantos, CCP - All Rights Reserved.
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