Failing To Deliver On The Promise Of
Breakthrough Technology
T
he world was introduced to the first handheld mobile phone in 1973. While many people viewed this as a major advance in technology some were still not satisfied. We would have to wait 23 years before accessing the internet with a mobile phone. At that stage we were all totally unaware of the fact that the smartphone craze would start in just under 11 years. What is clearly illustrated here is that discovery and advancement result from an ongoing process of intense study, experimentation and scrutiny. Leveraging existing knowledge in the pursuit of new ideas and creations. The advancements we have seen in the past and today remain evidence of ongoing work and continuous improvements. Access to the internet has done wonders for the innovation seen today. In effect, a person can get access to nearly any notable work mankind ever produced…instantly. This makes it easy to use existing knowledge to create something new. At the same time this instant gratification has led us to place
more focus on instant gratification and not enough on continuous improvement. Thus, too much technology fails to deliver on its promises. Why? Sadly, basic human behaviour is contributing towards the failed delivery. We feel pressurised to chase after the latest trends, craving the next big thing, even
...we tend to overestimate the effect of technology in the short run and underestimate the effect in the long run... though we may not truly understand its purpose or function within our environment. We tend to purchase goods in anticipation of what we see others do, which leads to the acquiring of goods that we simply do not need. Fidget spinners are the perfect example of this pointless purchasing addiction we feed on a daily basis. We see this same trend when investing in technology. Technology invest-
ments are typically driven by Amara’s Law, whereby, ‘we tend to overestimate the effect of technology in the short run and underestimate the effect in the long run’. Instead of chasing trends and the next best thing, we need to start defining how technology builds on our existing business processes and how it should function in existing business environments. Like the evolution of mobile phones – the success of technology integration relies on continuous incremental efforts – geared to integrate, simplify, retrain and upgrade. Delivering on the breakthrough promise of innovation means that we need to abandon the need to acquire the latest and greatest, and rather start embracing the real world of steadily improving function with the focus of achieving business goals.
iWits Namibia Yolinda van der Linde Managing Director Tel: +264 (61) 256 660 info@iwits.me www.iwits.me
We Deliver On The Promise Of
Breakthrough Technology Thinking of integrating, simplifying, retraining or upgrading the technology in your business? At iWits we create, automate, and integrate innovative solutions that align with your business strategy. P.S. We love automating and visualising data to show results.
www.iwits.me
info@iwits.me
+264 (61) 256 660