Tools Don't Change People

Posted by dabrock under Sales
From http://partnersinexcellenceblog.com 4159 days ago
Made Hot by: NanoTechnologyMedia on June 27, 2013 11:44 am

It's important, tools don't change people, they may improve our efficiency, they may help improve our impact, they amplify our capabilities, they extend our reach, but they don't change people.

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Written by AngelBiz
4158 days ago

David - Agree with you. Many times I have seen situation where management introduces new tool and forces employees to use it. What happens next? Employees will first gripe about having to learn and use yet another tool and will use the minimal functionality just to satisfy their managers. None of this really changes the processes or the poeple, which was really the goal of introducing the tool in the first place.

I would say both employees and mamangement are to blame for this. Management needs to ensure they are addressing the whole solution that includes people, process and tool rather than forcing just another tool through their throat.

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Written by dabrock
4159 days ago

Heather: Thanks for the thoughtful comment. In reality, it's becoming a chicken and egg issue. Some of the new technologies/tools such as rich analytics do change the way we think and act, providing capabilities not possible without them. So technology is creating ways of doing things profoundly differently.

Having said that, the effective use of these tools/technologies still need to be grounded in a framework of basic principles of what we are trying to achieve. For example, analytics don't achieve their full power without great questions.

These things are becoming so tightly entwined, it's difficult to separate them. So it's not bad to look at them in the whole, as long as we don't use the tools as an excuse for not focusing on the fundamentals.

Thanks for the thoughtful perspective!

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Written by HeatherStone
4159 days ago

Hi David,

On the face of your argument, I agree, that it's the person who must be skilled and effective to use tools effectively and that simply employing a tool to achieve a business goal--sales, marketing, whatever--isn't a substitute for actual skill. BUT, I do believe tools such as these change people--technology changes the way we think, prioritize, manage time, break down tasks, etc. I have been in college for IS for the last few years, as an adult student, and IS was a great change from my former interests, which were artistic. I feel that slowly, almost insipidly, if you will, the tech tools, apps I use have truly shaped the way I think when planning projects, approaching business situations, and even when approaching life itself. What do you think? Can't we both be correct to some extent, within the framework I've outlined?

BTW, great post, and thank you so much for being such a great contributor to BizSugar!

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