Building a Technology-Forward Company Culture
Company culture is a big deal in today’s business world. What type of culture do you want to build in your organization? The culture sets the tone for recruiting, hiring, and employee retention. Culture can also play a big role in the forward momentum of your business.
Many executives aren’t necessarily tech experts themselves, but as leaders, it’s important to embrace a technology-forward company culture: one where technology is seen as a tool and partner. If you’re wondering how to make sure your team is embracing innovation, here are a few insights.
The Role of Leadership in a Tech-Driven Culture
As a company leader, you can look at examples of top CEOs, like Warren Buffett at Berkshire Hathaway. These leaders don’t get where they are because they know how to do every task of the job. They trust experts and specialists to know the landscape and guide them with advice that aligns with company goals.
The role of technology itself in today’s business scape can’t be understated. It’s vital for almost every company and every industry. Nearly every role involves at least some level of technology.
But what about mindset? How can you shift company culture to embrace technology as a partner? How do you create an atmosphere where your team constantly looks ahead and works toward solutions that make business easier, safer, and more accurate?
A technology-forward company culture embraces digital solutions and emerging technologies as a way to enhance and support efficiency, collaboration, and competitive edge. That means prioritizing the integration of leading tech tools like automation and data-driven decisions into everyday operations.
To be technology forward, a company needs to embrace:
- Continuous innovation, experimentation, and a growth mindset
- Data tools like analytics, AI, and automation to inform strategies and workflows
- Improving productivity and communication with digital solutions like cloud computing and collaborative platforms
- Empowering employees to explore and use the latest digital tools to enhance their capacity and productivity
- Agility and adaptability to new tools and methodologies
- Customer-centric technology that enhances customer experiences, privacy, personalization, and engagement.
- Robust security measures and cybersecurity awareness to protect digital assets
- Flexible work models with virtual collaboration options
- Sustainable and ethical tech use, particularly with eco-friendly initiatives and ethical AI practices
To get to that place of technology-forwardness requires a mindset and culture shift. It’s not just about using or implementing the latest tech offerings (and you certainly don’t need to use all available technology), but rather, it’s about continuously asking how the strategic use of technology could make our team even better. How can it grow our business and bring us more success?
Trusting Expert Guidance
Although most CEOs have to be flexible and knowledgeable in a wide range of operations relating to their organization, they don’t need to be the sole expert or an expert in every facet. The best leaders are good at what they do because they know how to hire and listen to the right experts.
That means finding CIOs, IT leaders, and digital transformation specialists who can guide your company on the journey to become more technology-forward.
It also means that you should encourage cross-functional collaboration between the tech experts and the non-tech teams in your organization. This cross-functionality is often where companies struggle. There are almost always roles within a company that rely on a human touch and other jobs where technology is the better-suited solution. It’s important to strike the right balance so the ‘techies’ and ‘non-techies’ aren’t seen as adversaries but rather as mutual supporters.
How can this be done with team members or sections of your organization that are perhaps more resistant to change? It’s important to find and appoint technology champions within the teams. These leaders know their individual groups and understand how to move them forward in a way that isn’t threatening or overwhelming.
Upskilling is also crucial to retaining talent and institutional memory. It’s often far easier to train someone on the team to enhance their role with technology than to hire someone from the outside. Invest in ongoing technology education for your employees at all levels. See it as a reinvestment into your company culture and a way to hold on to the joyous work of your team.
There should be clear, unfettered feedback between leadership and IT teams. You should feel comfortable approaching them, and they should feel comfortable letting you know what is working and what innovations might be a bit too advanced for your organization. They should also be ready to push you forward.
Building Team Trust in Technology
Fear is one of the biggest areas of resistance in technological advancement in business. Many employees resist changes because of a fear of complexity—the new technology will be too hard to learn. There’s also a fear of displacement or replacement—the new technology will eliminate their role.
Any time your organization moves toward new technology solutions, it’s crucial to communicate transparently with the team. What are the benefits of the new technology, and how will it make their job easier, safer, or more productive?
Offer training and support with hands-on learning opportunities and upskilling team members as you work on each new initiative. Consider it a solid investment in employee retention.
Another solution is to incentivize the adoption of technologies. Recognize employees who are leveraging technology to increase their department’s efficiency. Acknowledgment goes a long way, and even entry-level team members are motivated by recognition.
Aligning New Technology with Your Business Goals
Technology should always support strategic objectives. It’s difficult when some new technologies include a high level of buzz and hype. As a business leader, you need to know how it will directly and clearly benefit your organization. Simply because your competitors seem to be embracing a certain technology or because it’s prevalent in the news doesn’t make a solid case for adoption by your organization.
Instead, leaders should ask the following:
- How will this new technology improve efficiency, decision-making, accuracy, or customer experience?
- What are the risks of implementing this new technology?
- How can we mitigate those risks?
- Is the technology scalable? Can we adopt it to fit our needs now as well as in the future?
- How will we measure the successful implementation of this technology?
For example, cloud adoption can greatly enhance the agility and scalability of almost any organization, but it may be a longer-term transition, especially if your business doesn’t have a hybrid or remote staff. Focus on what’s necessary and what will offer clear, measurable results for your company.
It’s also important to ensure you have the infrastructure and support for a secure rollout that minimizes downtime and risk. Fractional IT support and expertise can be helpful, especially in the implementation and training periods of a move to a new technology.
Fostering a Culture of Continuous Innovation
No matter your business focus, you can embrace a culture of continuous innovation. Encourage communication and feedback. Listen to your team and your customers.
Innovative environments encourage and support experimentation without fear of failure. This sounds ideal in theory but can be more difficult in practice. Look at the flexibility for exploration of new technologies as an investment in your company’s future success.
Innovative teams have a strategic and competitive edge, but it’s also about taking a measured and structured approach. Establish a clear innovation process, such as implementing a pilot program and appointing team technology leaders to make rollouts successful.
Recognize and reward your forward-thinking employees who are willing to identify and leverage emerging trends like AI, automation, and cloud computing. These are the leaders of your company culture and your key allies in moving your company into the future.
Leaders don’t need to be technology experts, but they need technology experts they can trust. They need experts who will empower their teams and help them ensure that their new technologies align with business goals and desired outcomes.
How is your company embracing a technology-forward culture? If you need guidance or are hoping to take the next steps forward, IBA Group can help you navigate a seamless and smooth digital shift. No matter where you are today, we can help take you and your team into tomorrow.