One of the toughest challenges we technologists face lies in justifying the use of technology at an organizational level. Sure, PDAs, flat-screen TVs and the like have made our lives immeasurably better on a personal level. Communication tools, in particular, help us interact quickly and effectively with our friends and families.
But how do these personal benefits translate to measurable organizational benefits? Or is it possible that the era of enterprise IT is coming to an end as IT focuses increasingly on enhancing personal, rather than organizational, productivity? The next wave of communication technology seems focused on improving individual productivity – and is finding its way into corporations almost as an afterthought. Consider instant messaging, which started as a consumer application but has been adopted by more 70% of the companies I encounter.
That would almost imply that enterprise technology should be designed first and foremost from the standpoint of the individual user, which makes a certain amount of sense – after all, if a technology is good for individuals, surely it should be good for organizations, which are basically collections of individuals.
But one thing that gets lost in looking at IT purely from that perspective is that corporations, unlike individuals, tend to have clear and defined goals. Corporations make profits. Hospitals save lives. And so on. IT may be able to help organizations achieve their goals without necessarily improving the daily life of end users. In other words, “easy to use” may have different – even conflicting – definitions depending on whether the ultimate end user is viewed as the individual or the organization.
A striking example dates back to the days of Alexander the Great. One of the many innovations he brought to warfare was the use of the sarissa, a 16-foot pike deployed by his Macedonian infantry, which provided a competitive edge over other armies because of its extremely long reach.
Alexander also changed the rules when he deployed infantry in a square or diamond formation, which yielded the ultimate in flexibility. Instead of confronting individuals one-on-one, the enemies found themselves facing a cohesive unit.
The takeaways? Recognize that individuals and organizations have different and sometimes conflicting goals – and assess the value of the technology according to both. Realize that to provide your organization with the IT edge, it’s not enough to introduce the technology – you also have to adapt your organizational processes to take advantage of it. And finally, empowering groups of people isn’t always the same thing as empowering individuals.
