Authors: Ryan King & Paolo Ghiglione
Introduction:
In today’s digital age, technology plays a crucial role in supporting organisations’ operations and decision-making processes. However, adopting these solutions without a solid performance and data strategy can lead to several potential dangers. In this blog post, we will explore the risks associated with overlooking the underpinning of technology adoption and provide useful considerations to mitigate these risks.
1. Data ownership and Security Issues
One of the primary concerns when adopting technology is the security and ownership of organisational and individual data. It is essential to differentiate between data controllers and data processors, understanding who has access to the data and how secure it is. Relying on third-party vendors for data storage and processing introduces inherent risks. Confidence in data security can be compromised, potentially leading to breaches and unauthorised access.
Considerations should include:
a. Data Ownership: Determine who controls the data versus who processes it to ensure transparency and accountability.
b. Data Security: Assess the security measures in place and identify who can access the data to safeguard against potential breaches.
c. Confidence in Data Security: Seek the expertise of legal and data protection professionals to ensure clarity on data sharing, recipients, and purpose.
d. Due Diligence: Conduct a thorough vetting process and complete due diligence on any company or software provider before entering agreements to minimise risks
2. Fragmentation and Misalignment:
Adopting various technologies without a clear performance strategy can result in fragmentation and misalignment within cross-functional teams. Each technology may have limited utility, serving only a specific niche or discipline. This limited usage prevents holistic performance insights and may hinder collaboration between different teams or departments. To achieve broader insights and optimise performance, it is crucial to align technologies and data across disciplines.
Consider the following:
a. Technology Utility: Evaluate the utility of various technologies and ensure they serve the organisation’s holistic performance and broader insights, rather than being limited to specific disciplines.
b. Engaging Cross-Departmental Collaboration: Establish working groups involving practitioners from different departments to identify technology and data needs collectively.
c. Gateways and Integration: Implement gateways and appoint gatekeepers for technology acquisition to ensure alignment and integration with the organisation’s performance strategy.
3. Technology itself is not Innovation:
Technology companies often promote their products as innovative, leading organisations to believe that adopting the technology itself is equivalent to being innovative. However, true innovation comes from people driving high-quality processes to address specific needs and practices. Relying solely on technology without a clear purpose or understanding of how it aligns with performance goals can hinder progress and impede the delivery of desired outcomes.
Consider the following:
a. Filling Performance Gaps: Encourage brainstorming and blue sky sessions involving practitioners from various departments to identify performance gaps and explore solutions.
b. External Reviews: Seek external and impartial reviews of performance delivery and processes to receive feedback and recommendations for improvement in people, processes, data, and technology usage.
4. Mono-disciplinary vs. trans-disciplinary Problem Solving:
Adopting technology is often driven by individual disciplines rather than full multidisciplinary teams. This approach tends to create silos, where technology and the data it produces are useful only within specific disciplines. As a result, the knowledge and expertise of each discipline become less accessible to the wider group, hindering collaboration and innovation. Transdisciplinary practice, where high-level performance questions are asked, requires integration and a willingness to explore beyond individual disciplines.
Consider the following:
a. Consensus across Disciplines: Only adopt technology or software if there is consensus across disciplines that it enhances performance processes or adds value.
b. Holistic Adoption: Ensure that the technology or software can be adopted holistically, benefiting multiple departments, rather than perpetuating mono-disciplinary/silo working.
5. Rigid, inefficient and cumbersome workflows and processes:
Rigid, inefficient, and cumbersome workflows and processes can result from relying on technology supplier data frameworks. When data is housed externally, organisations may struggle to adapt quickly to changing performance needs and lack the desired customization of data analysis and workflows. Subscriptions to third-party services can limit the ability to tailor systems to specific needs, hindering effective data utilisation. Additionally, software providers may be hesitant to provide data in a usable format, restricting its flexibility and the organisation’s autonomy in its use. It is crucial to carefully analyse the data production process and its location, considering whether building customised internal solutions that align with unique organisational requirements might be a better option.
To address these challenges, consider the following:
a. Internal Data Systems: Evaluate the feasibility of collecting and housing data using internal systems, enabling organisations to retain ownership and flexibility in data utilisation.
b. Cost-Benefit Analysis: Conduct a thorough assessment of the long-term investment in subscriptions compared to the potential benefits of upgrading internal systems and investing in skilled practitioners.
c. Alignment and Flexibility: Assess whether the adoption of technology and software aligns with organisational processes, ensuring it does not create conflicts or impede productivity.
Summary:
While technology adoption in organisations brings numerous advantages, it is crucial to approach it with caution and align it with a robust performance strategy. Failure to do so can result in data security concerns, team fragmentation, a misconstrued view of what innovation is, limited problem-solving approaches, and constraints imposed by external providers. By carefully considering these risks and integrating technology within a comprehensive performance strategy, organisations can maximise the benefits while mitigating potential pitfalls.
Conclusion:
In today’s sports landscape, adopting technology has become a necessity. Its applications span various areas such as medical support, physiotherapy, scouting, and more. However, it is vital to manage data effectively and establish deliberate performance processes to ensure objective decision-making. While data can provide valuable insights, it can also introduce noise and complexities that must be carefully managed. It is crucial to remember that technology and data alone are not innovation; they are tools that should be leveraged by humans. To transform technology into a secret weapon, organisations need a strong performance and data strategy that aligns technology adoption with their overarching goals. By doing so, they can harness the power of technology while maintaining control and driving optimal performance.
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