Think Differently About Technology

This is Part 7 on a series of posts inspired by the book Good to Great by Jim Collins. Read Part 1. Read Part 2, Read Part 3, Read Part 4, Read Part 5, Read Part 6.

Chapter 7, “Technology Accelerators”

I have to believe the results of the research for this chapter came at a bit of a surprise to Collins and his research team. What they discovered in the good-to-great companies is that “they never use technology as the primary means of igniting a transformation.” The good-to-great companies were, however, “pioneers in the application of carefully selected technologies.” They didn’t just jump on board a new technology because it was the “in” thing to do and they didn’t rely solely on technology to advance the company. They first determined what their needs were and then found the best solution for those needs.

For instance, Walgreens goal was to be the best at convenience in the drug store industry. How did they use technology to advance this goal? They pioneered the application of satellite communications and computer network technology and tailored their stores to the unique needs of specific demographics and locations. Genius!

So while we certainly promote the use of technology at the Center for Technology & Business, we also caution you to focus on what you really need and challenge you to think differently about technology.

Laurie Morse-Dell is the Marketing & Technology Coordinator at Center for Technology & Business.