Technology, whether you notice it or not, is playing a significant role in your job. And, with each passing day, it is only becoming more prominent. To drive home this point, here's a list of technology used just to facilitate conversation...
- Emails
- Video Conferences
- Phone Conferences
- Text Messaging
- Social Media
- Discussion Boards
- All Encompassing Software
- Slack
- Dropbox
- Google Drive
This isn't a short list, and it's only going to get longer. Now don't get me wrong, this perpetual growth is extremely valuable; each day there's a new tool that can take your business to the next level. But it is a double edge sword.
By implementing new technologies, you're naturally going to create change. This change will either, damage the trust between your staff and the company, or make it that much stronger.
Take the communication tools for example. On the surface, they appear to have minimal impact on a company and its culture. However, when you really look it, you'll see that they influence trust in a number of profound ways. Including ...
- Level of Intrusiveness
- Connecting Outside of Work Hours
- Confidence in Sharing Ideas
- Ability to send messages quickly
- Ability to send information from certain locations
- Level of Privacy
- Type of Information that is Shared on a Platform
These are pretty profound effects for something that can seem like a minor update. That's why I highly recommend taking the time to identify the potential impact these changes have on your company. Once you do that, your next move is to decide whether or not these shifts are going to build or destroy trust with the staff.
To ensure trust is being built, the new technology must meet the following criteria; improve performance and stay within the boundaries of your staff's core values.
Knowing this, let's take another look at the list above, and use "the ability to send information from certain locations," as an example. This certainly improves performance. But, if you expect your staff to send/receive messages outside of work hours, you may be crossing the line in terms of their values (Work only during my schedule). Betraying this value, will ultimately cause tension and effect the worker's performance.
This is a useful point to showcase because it also demonstrates how different segments of culture are connected to one another. By defining and hiring around your views on overtime, you'd immediately know whether or not this use of technology would be infringing on your staff's core values. This is saves you time, money, and a lot of headaches.
It's important to note, if a new technology is truly beneficial to the company, but has certain capabilities that impose on your staff's values, you don't have to miss out on it. Just be sure there are rules in place that make the new technology work within your culture.
One more point I need to highlight, is the addition of more consequential technology - something like the implementation of highly functional robotics inside a manufacturing plant. What do you think that would do to the culture? What impact will this automation have on the employee psyche? What will it do to their trust? These are important questions to ask, even if this type of technology is years away from being implemented. Remember, each new technological installment, whether small or large, is going to send reverberations throughout the company, especially the culture. And that's why taking the time to analyze your company's technology is so vital.
About the Author
Tom is the creator of Fulfillingly. He absolutely enjoys giving people the tips and tools they need to find a satisfying career or dependable employee. Tom does this by combining years of experience with incredible outside sources.
Tom is the creator of Fulfillingly. He absolutely enjoys giving people the tips and tools they need to find a satisfying career or dependable employee. Tom does this by combining years of experience with incredible outside sources.
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