In episode 107 of the Leadership Minute, Tony Uphoff discusses a growing trend in the business technology marketplace: the rise of non-technical managers in the technology purchasing process. This shift has huge implications for business technology vendors and buyers.
This episode is sponsored by Acceleration Economy’s “Cloud Wars Top 10 Course,” which explains how Bob Evans builds and updates the Cloud Wars Top 10 ranking, as well as how C-suite executives use the list to inform strategic cloud purchase decisions. The course is available today.
Highlights
01:05 — Chief information officers, chief technology officers, and technology managers have long been responsible for business technology purchasing, but now non-technical business managers are an active part of the tech buying process.
01:29 — Reasons for this major shift include:
- Pervasiveness of technology: Technology is now embedded in all aspects of business, including operations, marketing, human resources, and finance.
- Operational efficiency: Business unit managers see that the right technology can transform business processes and operational efficiencies.
- Rise of functional solutions: Job-specific vertical technologies can improve individual departments or job functions, and managers are embracing that power.
- Differentiation: Technology can help differentiate business offerings and help gain new customers and drive overall growth.
03:01 — Non-technical business managers must understand why and how specific technologies can help transform their businesses. Their tech purchasing approach must include:
- Understanding technology basics: An elementary comprehension of what core technologies do, their application in your work, and their potential benefits to your business is invaluable.
- Collaborating with technology counterparts: Discuss your team’s needs, challenges, and objectives with technology leaders to make sure technology purchases align with requirements and changes in business strategy or objectives.
- Becoming involved in the tech buying process from the start: Ask critical questions and share your business perspective in the earliest stage of the tech buying process.
04:39 — Determining the right technologies and technology partners is no longer the exclusive domain of the IT department. Involving non-technical managers in the buying process ensures that technology purchasing decisions have a direct impact on business growth and productivity.
