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.
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.
