Why you don’t need to Reinvent the Wheel in the Digital Workplace
Do you remember when the fax machine was a revolutionary technology? Or when the type writer went electric? What about your first time using the internet? All of these technological advancements had one thing in common. They improved the speed and means of communication in business. As leaders in our organizations it is important to remember, although we live in a rapidly accelerating Digital Workplace, fundamentally many of these technical advances find their origins in basic human functions such as lifting, communicating or walking.
Take for example the advent of the wheel. Prior to this invention, man was a custom to getting from point A to B using our own two feet. The wheel was no more than an advancement in our means of transportation. So unless you work for Goodyear, you will most likely never reinvent the wheel. We can, however, reinvent the means in which we travel.
When confronted with any new technological platform, it is best to first focus on how it improves our own human abilities to communicate more effectively, travel greater distances or help improve our cognitive capabilities for greater decision making. Instead, many of us find ourselves focusing on how complex or “innovative” a particular technology appears to be. No matter how fast or slow technology drives your industry, the bottom line is, advancing technology is about allowing people to do more with less.
Whether you like it or not, there will be disruptive advances in technology within your business. However, one thing will never change, your goal in business will always be about meeting your customer’s needs and exceeding their expectations. For example, if you could travel back in time 200 years and open up a business, you would most likely find it was still about hiring the best people you could as well as providing goods or services at an attractive price. Although technology has the ability to disrupt entire industries, the fundamentals of business will always be relevant. So what implications does this have on the Digital Workplace? Consider all tech as a force multiplier and not a replacement of your best people.
When evaluating your Digital Workplace strategy, consider the following questions. What implications does this tech have on my firm’s ability to effectively communicate to our customers? How does this new machine increase my people’s ability to do more with less? How does this platform speed up the means of transportation of my organization’s goods and services to our end-user? By asking these questions, you can slow down the perceived speed of change, much like NFL players describe the speed of the game slowing down at the end of their rookie season, and determine how each technology helps to either meet your customers’ needs or exceed your customers’ expectations.
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Dr. Paul Campbell is one of the co-founders of Brown Venture Group, LLC. Launched in 2018, Brown Venture Group, LLC is a venture studio venture capital firm exclusively for Black, Latino, and Native American technology startups. Brown Venture Group is writing a new playbook for both those interested in launching a minority-owned technology startup and those interested in investing in new technologies. For more information go to brownventuregroup.com.
