- Set expectations. Be clear about what you can realistically accomplish in terms of new technology given your budget and manpower. Set firm boundaries and be consistent both within and outside the IT department.
- Rely on trusted sources for research. Cultivate tech news sources you can rely on. Many tech developments, especially around hot topics like genAI, are routinely covered by a variety of media sources (including mainstream news outlets and tech influencers). Separate the hype from what is really going on — what’s working and what isn’t.
- Communicate with peers. In addition to curating sources, having relationships with people at other organizations in your industry (and sometimes outside your industry) is a powerful way to see what colleagues are doing and get perspective. This can help lead to innovations within your IT department, opportunities for collaboration, and potential new hires.
- Be open to suggestions. Being receptive to ideas inside and outside IT can be critical. No IT leader or admin is an expert on everything when it comes to emerging technology. Good ideas can come from anywhere, so it’s important to demonstrate your openness. (Not every idea will be worth pursuing, of course.)
- Open proofs of concept. When ideas seem attainable and worth exploring in depth, proof-of-concept projects is a logical next step. Each should be well defined, have set timelines and measurable goals. If projects are open ended or vaguely planned, they risk becoming zombie projects that never die.
- Realize not everything will work. That’s why proofs of concept and pilot projects are important. Be prepared for failure. Many if not most ideas or projects, will fail or at least go through a rough patch. But even failures can be useful learning experiences. Set expectations accordingly.
- Encourage experimentation, but with guardrails. Experimentation is a good thing, be it by technical staff, executives, or everyday users. You do yourself a disservice by outlawing experimentation, but you can’t let it go unchecked. Whether for security reasons, IT resource limits or usability/user training requirements, you need to keep experiments from overtaking everything else need to do.
- Shadow IT exists; use it. For years, studies have shown that shadow IT — where users quietly build their own workflows and processes and even make their own purchases without informing IT— is more prevalent than many decision makers realize. With almost any new technology, users will experiment, with or without IT’s knowledge. (This is how BYOD began.) Your best approach is to allow this to happen, and in some circumstances encourage it. Banning it isn’t an effective strategy and you might actually learn how to incorporate various tools and techniques into larger, more managed, projects.
- If you say no, explain why. There’s an old adage that IT is the department of “no,” always shutting down people and ideas. Even if you’re ok with shadow IT projects, there will be times you have to draw a line. Few people like being told no, it but if you can explain your rationale, most will accept it. (Whatever idea you’ve vetoed could still reemerge in the shadows; a solid explanation of IT’s thinking gives you an opportunity to work with those employees cooperatively.)
- Work with vendors, partners and consultants. No IT department is an island. Everyone has to deal with vendors, consultants and other partners to successfully get a handle on new technologies. Outside relationships can bring forward new ideas, allow IT to see things with fresh eyes and augment your internal staff. (Beware of “partners” too focused on hype — and be certain that they understand your current position and specific enterprise needs.)
- Create centers of excellence. These centers can be a good way to educate staffers, execs and front-line employees about the challenges of exploring, adopting and integrating emerging technologies. This can relieve pressure on IT leaders to be up to date on every tech development and how it relates to your company. And they can help build a working group to establish expertise, use cases, best practices and needed requirements, documentation and support.
- Avoid hype. Control your enthusiasm for new technology. This doesn’t mean you don’t show enthusiasm; it does mean that you operate in a “no hype” zone, where clear eyes and realism are in order.
- Remember scalability, support and security. New technologies can be exciting, but IT has to consider how each will scale, the strain they’ll place on tech support, and how they could affect corporate security. As each new concept, product or initiative arises, IT always has to keep these three areas in mind.
- Be open to disruption, but be realistic. GenAI, agentic AI, AI PCs — note the AI thread running through all three — are potentially massive disruptors of the status quo. IT can’t afford to be afraid of disruption, but it’s important to remain realistic about the nuts and bolts of getting new tech initiatives working —as well as the potential affects on your organization and its workers.
A host of new technologies is coming to market faster than ever. Knowing how to evaluate them and their potential impact on your business is a requirement for every IT leader. Things will never be as simple as they once were, but you can develop pathways and processes for you, your staff and organization to manage the flood of news and announcements and separate the potential from the hype.
Because the pace of change isn’t likely to slow down anytime soon.
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