3 Tips for Handling Technology Disruption in the Coronavirus Era

“Change is inevitable, but it is in us to control it’s content and directions” – Indira Gandhi

There are urgent conversations right now about whether the Coronavirus pandemic has accelerated or slowed down the drive for workplace automation. The answer is easy. The drive towards more workplace automation has not slowed down. To the contrary, McKinsey reports that “we have vaulted five years forward in consumer and business digital adoption in a matter of around eight weeks.” 

The Coronavirus pandemic has caused significant technology disruption at every level across organizations. Consider grocery stores that had never pondered online ordering and delivery but had to rapidly deploy those services.  Schools that had neither delivered instruction online nor had plans for distance education, that had to pivot quickly so that students and teachers could stay connected for instructional hours. Workers, who could, retreated to their homes to work remotely as part of the larger pandemic management strategy to slow virus spread. Although some organizations routinely stay on top of their technology strategy, many others had neither the infrastructure nor the plans to manage the resulting technology disruption. Thankfully though, many of these organizations are in various stages of successful transitions.

In terms of handling this technology disruption, organizations can improve success when they embrace the following three strategies.

Carefully select the technology your organization will embrace. It is easy to go overboard when purchasing new technology. This can happen more easily when organizations get blindsided by the need. Most businesses did not see the Coronavirus coming, nor did they anticipate the statewide shutdowns that forced companies to rapidly make technology decisions. Organizations making their way through these technology disruptions, should be wary of initial easy answers offered by tech vendors. Organizations should take both a short- and long-term view of their technology needs, budget, future operations, the relative advantages of one approach over another and the compatibility of the solution with the organizational culture.

Identify and solve the business problem before adding the technology. It is tempting to let the technology and all the related bells and whistles drive the solution. Instead, let the business needs drive the solution. Consider questions like – will this technology solve a current business challenge? Is the technology disruption worth the potential noise and confusion that always comes with new technology implementation?  Do we have the skills inside of the organization to manage implementation? What will this expenditure do to our balance sheets? Is this technology going to bring a competitive advantage for the business? Will these introductory rates quoted by vendors offer us the comprehensive solutions we need? Using a simple analysis tool like SWOT or PESTEL can go a long way in helping an organization make sure they are solving the right business problem.

Remember the human component. The Coronavirus pandemic has impacted employees from the frontlines to the C-Suite. Keep employee safety and wellness as the top priority as the organization thinks through new technology. Employees working from home are not now available 24/7. Be mindful of their other responsibilities. Organizations should think about the technology skills of staff at every level and allow employees to opt into programs for training and development right where they are. Anticipate varying levels of digital nativity among workers but do not make assumptions. Leaders must engage staff at every level in the organizational reinvention and keep their collective ears to the ground to stay aware of the pulse of employees. Leadership must be thinking about how new technology is going to support the flexibility necessary to support workers in these trying times. 

There is agreement that this is more difficult to do than it sounds. Mega kudos to all the organizations that have engaged workers, created workarounds, and transformed their organizations in a relatively short time.  Gratitude should be expressed for all the employees who have embraced the changes and kept rolling with the punches to keep services flowing.   

The Coronavirus has changed the lives of workers at every level and the technology disruptions are now par for the course. It may be too early to confirm, but if we are sure of one thing in these uncertain times, it is that technology disruption will be the new normal moving forward.

“Change is
inevitable, but it is in us to control it’s content
and directions” – Indira Gandhi