Keep up with technology to keep your company strong

By Brian J. Nichelson, Ph. D.

[tEW businesses could survive I-' without some form of technology working in the background.

Whether it's a simple cash register program that tracks the inventory and daily purchases or a sophisticated network that links people and places around the globe, technology helps organizations maintain a competitive edge and build a strong presence in today's business world.

Because technology is so important to your company's success, it only makes sense that you and your employees gain a better idea of what is going on inside the technology you use every day.

Unfortunately, most business owners and managers delay technology training until it's time to make a new purchase, install new software, or figure out why something suddenly quit working. Between the time required for a lengthy training session, the usual learning curve, and the loss in employee productivity as a result of not knowing the information in the first place, such a last-minute approach usually ends up costing the company more in the long run.

If you want to compete in today's business world. then it's important to keep up with the fundamentals of technology. Just as you keep an eye on finance and politics when you watch the news or read the paper, you must stay informed of general technology trends and recent developments.

While there's no need to become an expert (that's what your IT department is for), you and your non-technical employees should have enough backeround information to ask the right questions and make the right decisions about the technology your business relies on.

To reach this level of expertise, you need a strategy unique to your company's interests, needs, and information-gathering habits. Here are a few tips to help you formulate a working strategy:

Television/Radio

Nearly everyone in your company watches and listens to plenty of tv and radio; however, do they take advantage of what these outlets can teach them about technology? Both media have numerous shows dedicated to technology-documentaries, regular series, call-in Q&A shows, and more. Encourage your team to find the programs they like and that deliver the best information so they can slip them into their schedule and stay informed. Provide blank video and audio tapes so they can record the programs, and then create a program library so everyone has access to the information and can learn at their own pace.

Local and national news programs often cover technology, too. A short tv or radio segment usually provides a good overview of a new technology or of a problem with a current technology.

I\T r \ ewspapers

All the major newspapers cover technology issues in some way. The Houston Chronicle covers technology in the Business section five days a week (Tuesday through Saturday). There you'll find listings of useful Web sites, Q&A columns, user tips. and product reviews. Other major newspapers do much the same. The Los Angeles Times, for example, runs technology articles on Mondays and Thursdays. The New York Times runs a "Science Times" section on Tuesdays that reports on health/fitness and general science, and a "Circuits" section on Thursdays that reports mostly on consumer electronics.

Such regular features enable people to learn a lot from a quick glance. If your local newspaper runs these features, cut the articles out and post them on the company or department bulletin board. If not, most major newspapers are online, so you can access daily or weekly columns in other papers and print them out. When you give your employees regular snippets of information, they'll have a firm base of technology wisdom to build upon.

Maga"irres

Numerous magazines cater to the technology market. Browse through some of them to determine which ones are at your comprehension level and can offer the most pertinent information for your company's needs. Initiate a business subscription to the magazines your employees find most useful and encourage them to read the articles every month. For those magazines you don't subscribe to, make a visit to your local library every two or three months and skim the back issues. You can also encourage your employees to do this during an extended lunch. Once it is a part of your routine, it will take you an hour or two one afternoon four to six times a year to stay informed. Now that's efficient! With this approach, your entire organization can keep up with a year's worth of content for an investment ofeight to l2 hours per year.

Boom

An entire "this-is-how-thingswork" genre of books exists, and they are certainly worth the effort and timl of looking into. Purchase a few for general reference and keep them in a location all your employees can access. Not only do such books tell you how various technologies work, but most of them also have useful glossaries and appendices that explain underlying principles like electromagnetism and basic mechanics.

For information on specific technologies, check out the very popular "Dummies," "Mastering," and "Complete ldiot's Guides" type of books. With more topics coming out all the time and old topics being updated, you can find some very clear and simple explanations of subjects that many you can get help from people (and maybe give some, too). workforce keeps your company productive and profitable in today's volatile business world. people find daunting. The more competent your team becomes with the basics of technology, the more productively they'll use their existing equipment and devices.

Networking. You can pass information through the company formally or informally. One good way is to create an inter-office e-mail distribution forum, whereby if anyone learns a new tip or solves a common problem, he or she can e-mail the information to the group.

Seminars. Many seminar companies offer topics such as "Latest Developments in Information Technology for Non-IT Managers" or "Everything an HR Manager Needs to Know about elearning." Usually one to three days in length, this type of seminar is a good way to quickly get up to speed on a technology that is important to your business (but in which you have little direct experience).

The next time you get a seminar flier in the mail, whatever the topic, jot down the company's Web site address. When you decide it's time to attend a seminar, you can search those Web sites for the topic you need.

Internet

If your employees have Internet access at their desktop, encourage them to find a good search engine and learn how to use it, especially the advanced search features. This will allow them to find manufacturers' sites, user's groups, bulletin boards, and online magazines. An hour or two of intense browsing will probably yield more than enough information. They can then bookmark the sites they like best and return to them as needed. The best approach is to schedule time to return to such sites on a weekly or monthly basis, just to keep current.

Peopte

Let's not forget that we can learn from each other. Here are some wavs

Super Users. Most companies or departments have at least one non-IT person whose off-the-job passion is technology. This is the individual who has forgotten more than most of us will ever know about a given technology. While you shouldn't be a nuisance to these people, you should find out who the super users are in your organization and treat them as a resource.

Keeping up with technology doesn't require radical new behaviors or an advanced college degree. Use your company's needs and resources to guide you in devising a technology update strategy that yields the best results.

When you stay current with technology information, you and your employees will be able to ask the right questions, anticipate any probIems, and quickly find solutions to all your business needs. The result will be a knowledgeable workforce that keeps your company productive and profitable in today's volatile business world.

- Nichelson is a Houston, Tx.-based consultant and author who helps organizations boost their productivity by coping more effectively with technology. He can be reached at brian@ survivetech. com.