Life isn’t neat.  You can’t package it up in little boxes and place it tidily on the shelf.  Life is by its very nature rich, varied and ever changing.  So why when it comes to business do we sometimes try and stifle its growth, surrounding it with rules and regulation, with process and control?

There are those who say that this is an inevitable consequence of the increasing part which technology has to play in business life.  Where once we wrote letters, now we use tick box forms or stock phrases; where once we tried to understand customer queries, now we resort to following a prescribed process flow chart.  The inevitable consequence of this is that we have learnt to suppress initiative and to dehumanise interactions.

Unfortunately, when we succumb to ‘computer says’ responses then we are setting technology above people, treating the machine as a quasi-superior who we have no choice but to follow.  Admittedly for some businesses tick box process flows are an easy way out; providing the semblance of service for very little training.  In return we turn people into automata; unthinking slaves who follow the process yet who never seek to understand or engage with customers or the firm.

But it doesn’t have to be like that.  Technology shouldn’t rule, it should do our bidding; helping us to provide faster, more interactive responses which solve genuine problems.  Tick boxes may help but they should be used as an adjunct to informed and intuitive interactions.  Programmes which monitor process flows are good if they stop us from forgetting important steps but they are only truly useful if they help us to provide timely solutions.  Online training programs are helpful but only if they form part of a blended learning solution.

Sometimes technology changes so fast that it almost seems as though we have to run to keep up and that is where problems arise.  Taking the time to stop and think, to map out how we want technology to work for us and to train people in using technology as an aid can transform organisations.  Employees, freed from unthinking slavery, can engage with the business and with customers to create genuine solutions; customers don’t have to wade through unnecessary processes only to be told at the end that they can’t be helped and the business benefits as better trained, more engaged employees look to create genuine improvements.

So how is technology viewed in your organisation?  If technology is your master then perhaps it is time you looked at resetting your culture and values to re-engage people in creating solutions. If you’ve got a question on resetting organisational culture feel free to email Derek at derek.bishop@cultureconsultancy.com or visit www.cultureconsultancy.com for more information on organisational culture and employee engagement.