If you don’t change, you don’t grow. But….

Not everything new improves; not everything old is gold. Change for change’s sake is never essential and trends may not be your friends. The challenge of every leader is discerning the value of what “got them there” versus the cost of what will move them forward.

In the essential acts of your leadership, adopting and adapting new technology is now a daily implementation of successful long-term strategy.

Effective leaders understand five essential components that shift their company into best practices of technology adoption.

Why would it not be? Two-thirds of those who implemented automated processes improved their reduction of error, focus on strategy and decision-making. If you can improve your production by half and cut your error by a third, you are dialed in on mission and bottom line.

New technology presents itself at the speed of blur. How do you bring it into focus so that you are not trying to keep up with technology, but instead, using technology to leverage your success and customer experience?

Technology always represents a SHIFT in doing business:

• Strategic initiative
• High-outcome processes
• Implementation wisdom
• Financial justification
• Training

Technology adoption that emerges from the above requires that you make a shift.

Strategic initiative

Strategic initiative is the process of identifying real needs, providing end-user solutions, piloting possible solutions, communicating value and offering support.

Strategic initiative is the sum of opportunity plus collaboration plus alignment.

Opportunity exists where efficiency can be improved, duplication eliminated, error reduced, decisions informed and work on the business exceeds work in the business.

Opportunity is defined in collaboration. Collaboration both identifies the need and discovers the solutions. Cross-team communication focused on delineating process-deficits expose the broader needs that need to drive solution. Such collaboration can be fostered through standing agenda items reviewing technology and technology advisory groups. Collaboration continues in practices that promote cross-team testing and review of new tools and processes.

Stakeholder alignment is key to moving strategic initiative forward. Executive stakeholders need to see the value to their company or to the users within the company. Often, executives don’t benefit from the feedback of front-line users whose work is dramatically improved. Internal stakeholders, those who have direct interface with the technology, need to be involved in the communication loop from beginning to end: what is needed, how it is used, what the benefit has been. Stakeholder alignment at each level is the product of clarifying the need, testing the solution and simplifying the implementation.

High-impact outcomes

Technology aligns staff with different responsibilities whether it is a platform for communication, an enterprise system, document management or cloud storage.

High-impact outcomes are those that reduce inefficiency or increase efficiency, enhance communication, and increase employee skills and capacity.

High impact outcomes depend on identifying the right processes to be eliminated versus bad processes to be corrected or discarded. Automating bad processes only results in bad outcomes.

Essentially, a shift in technology requires a clear view on the outcome to be achieved.

Implementation wisdom

When searching for technology solutions, look to those who provide:

• Solutions tailored and customized to your need: They should not only provide a try and buy policy, but be invested from the outset at understanding all aspects of the solution you are seeking.
• Stability as a company: Do they have proven leaders at the helm and do they show profit as a company?
• Security-invested: Do they have a comprehensive security offering?
• Support: Do they assist in your initial decision-making and work alongside you in implementation and on-going support.

Also, look for providers that demonstrate an innovation cycle, constantly improving on their solution, and those that seek to land and expand with your needs.

As a leader, effective implementation depends on your ability to communicate the benefits that new technology will provide. As the process unfolds, effective leaders are open with the goals, impact and expectations they possess, while at the same time, provide feedback avenues and channels for ongoing communication.

Financial justification

Technology needs to justify two cost factors: It will improve efficiency, saving in labor costs, streamlined operations and obsolete tools, and it will provide a better client or customer experience.

Costs are mitigated through consistency and continuity. In the new day of low code platforms, cloud considerations, and vendor merger/integrations, who you work with must be rolled into the justification. Working with vendors who can expand with you is critical not only to smooth operation and growth but to hidden cost benefits.

Training completeness

• Who and what percentage of users is expected?
• Who are the early adopters or power users?
• Who are the champions and influencers that will ease acceptance?
• What forums and documentation is required?
• What processes are directly impacted?
• What current processes or policies need updating?

Adopting and adapting new technology is now in the fabric of how you operate. Effective leaders establish the paradigm that drives the company culture of digital transformation. Strategic initiatives, high-impact outcomes, implementation wisdom, financial justification and training completeness shift your company into the high gear of wow-customer experience.