How and Why: Why You Need a Roadmap for Technology-Driven Innovation
After years of hearing more vendor sales pitches than is healthy for me, I’m convinced most pitches fall into two “why” categories. The first “why” is a pitch so abstract and high-level that it sounds like the technology equivalent of achieving world peace, with nary a mention of the “how” to actually pursue this nirvana. The second “why” pitch focuses on the technology itself — replete with elaborate technology stack diagrams — with scarcely a mention of the actual business benefits that might be tied to the technology. Also missing is any substantial discussion of what actually happens to connect the layers of those beautiful stack diagrams — another key missing “how.”
A parallel conversation goes on in complex, large-scale user organizations, but with such a focus on “how” that the future is drowned out. Practitioners hear the “why” imperative in the vendor pitches, but are caught in the quicksand of their legacy infrastructures. Information practitioners in the trenches understand “how” they are currently getting work done in their organizations — often with a complex set of Rube Goldberg-esque processes. But they are so caught up in the battle to keep the lights on amidst all of this complexity that all but the most exceptional of information practitioners lose sight of the forest for the trees — they lose the connection between the “how” and “why.”
A technology dream without a plan never becomes a reality. Likewise, a collection of technology tools unlinked to a vision inspires no one and changes nothing. The really impressive stories I’ve encountered over the years — the stories that changed not only an organization, but sometimes even the world — involved people with a unique combination of skills. Whether on the vendor side or the user side, I call these folks “Practical Dreamers.” Or if you are more of a Yin than a Yang, “Innovative Realists.” In either event, the combination is what’s important.
Conversations with vendors about innovation illustrate why something needs to be done, but fall short of actually saying how to do it. Conversations with users become so mired in the nuances of day-to-day urgency within legacy infrastructures that we often forget to dream. Vendor case studies try to bridge this gap between aspirations and implementation, but fall short as effective roadmaps for users embarking on a technology journey — not to mention they are viewed as a bit self-serving by user organizations.
My friend Thornton May, futurist and co-founder of The Digital Value Institute, captured the innovation quandary facing many organizations this way: “In our contentious times, the ONE Thing that EVERYONE can agree upon is that EVERY Organization, EVERY Executive, EVERY Individual, and EVERY Object is on a digital journey. Sadly, most have no map, no guide and bad shoes.”
Reflecting back on my time in the association world, I wish associations did a better job identifying visionary leaders, helping them articulate and codify the roadmaps they followed, and getting them to share these roadmaps. Which is why I am always on the hunt for Practical Dreamers and Innovative Realists and the roadmaps they have used to drive success.
I recently came across both technology leaders and a practical roadmap in a place that might surprise those who think practical innovation inevitably arises in the private sector.
