Getting value from your IT investments

Financial Times

Podcast
PA’s IT and change management specialist, David Elton contributed to the Financial Times Digital Business September podcast.

This podcast, entitled ‘Getting value from your IT investments’ looks at how companies can get value from IT investments, instead of adding to their IT costs by investing in technology that the workforce doesn’t use.

In his comments, David points out that technology is a beguiling proposition and businesses invest expecting to save money or increase revenue, but rarely realise either benefit. 

He comments that people are often over looked in the roll out of new technology and that persuading people to change how they do things is the key to successful implementation. Some technology is intuitive, like the BlackBerry, but most requires an ‘energy hump’ before the benefits are realised.  Companies invest in technologies, adding to their costs with little saving.

David continues that if you can get people to a point where they prefer the ‘new way’ of doing things then you will never step back from the new technology.  This can only be achieved through communication on every front as part of the roll out.  This is a business problem and communication must come from the top for the workforce to realise that investing in the ‘energy hump’ to adopt new technology is good for business.  

David concludes that the success of new technology is all about people.  If technology isn’t being used, you need to find out how people work.  Technology is attractive but can take time to realise the benefits.

The other commentator on this podcast is Paul Otellin, CEO of Intel, who talks about the new technologies and anti-trust. 

The interview with David Elton starts 5.20 minutes in to the podcast.

To listen to the podcast, click here.