How Does a Technology Decision Become a Shared Organizational Decision?

Board approval for a technology investment, a sound architecture designed by the technology team, and business units’ involvement in project planning are all critical steps.

However, the fact that a technology decision has been made does not mean that it has been embraced across the organization.

Bringing systems into operation is an important milestone in a technology investment. Establishing organizational ownership requires participation from different business units, a shared sense of responsibility and a sustainable management approach.

Consider, for example, a decision to introduce a traceability system at a manufacturing facility, centralized inventory management across retail operations, or a shared technology infrastructure within a holding company.

Implementation begins with the relevant technology teams completing their technical preparations. For these systems to become part of day-to-day operations, however, different business units must participate in the process and take responsibility.

In manufacturing facilities, data must be recorded accurately and on time. In retail operations, inventory movements must be tracked consistently. Within holding companies, common standards must be adopted by the different group companies.

When the relevant departments evaluate the resulting data, use it to inform operational decisions, and senior management monitors the outcomes, ownership of the technology investment extends across the organization.

The technology decision thus becomes a sustainable way of working in which different units share responsibility and which becomes embedded in the organization’s daily operations.

From Technical Success to Organizational Ownership

Whether a technology decision becomes embedded in an organization’s working culture is directly linked to the management approach established at the outset.

Three fundamental elements matter in this process:

1. Shared Goals and Responsibility: Defining the goals of technology projects with the participation of the relevant business units and technology management helps ensure that decisions, responsibilities and expected outcomes are owned across the organization.
2. Early Involvement and Ownership: Involving the relevant departments in identifying needs and making decisions from the outset enables operational expectations to be assessed accurately and helps ensure that decisions are embraced during implementation.
3. Sustainable Standards: Establishing institutional standards for systems and processes that do not depend on individuals helps preserve working discipline and institutional knowledge through organizational change.

Sustaining this approach depends on putting decisions into practice in day-to-day operations and regularly evaluating their outcomes.

The organizational value of technology investments becomes clear through the extent to which the systems established are reflected in business processes, management decisions and a shared working discipline.

A technology decision creates lasting value when it becomes embedded in the organization’s working culture.