Tech ‘Pioneers’ are Gaining a Competitve Advantage Over ‘Cautious’ Competitors
When it comes to adopting new technologies, does fortune really favor bold organizations or are those that prefer a slower and steadier approach to upgrading really winning the race? Being out on the forefront of technology seems to have the edge, according to a recent survey by the Harvard Business Review.
As part of the survey, business and technology decision-makers from a wide range of industries were asked to describe their company’s approach to technology in one of three ways. Was their company a Pioneer, a company that was always quick to sign on board with the latest technological advancements? Or was their company a Follower, who’d wait out a change until the benefits were proven by others? Or maybe their company was Cautious, meaning they’d hold out on making a change until the benefits were absolutely made 100% crystal clear?
The breakdown among the different approaches was fairly even:
- 34% said they were Pioneers
- 35% said they were Followers
- 30% said they were Cautious
However, “fairly even” doesn’t really describe the levels of growth that the different types of companies reported. In fact, the numbers skewed heavily in favor of technological pioneers:
- 61% of Pioneers reported experiencing 10% growth
- 49% of Followers reported experiencing 10% growth
- 34% of Cautious reported experiencing 10% growth
Bump the level of growth up to 30% and that trend continues:
- 20% of Pioneers reported 30% growth
- 10% of Followers reported 30% growth
- 6% of Cautious reported 30% growth
That type of growth is hard to ignore. At the same time, no one knows better than IT leaders the challenges involved with being an early adopter. The latest and greatest technology may give your company an edge over the competition, but it can also lead to headaches early on.
After all, with any new technology there’s always going to be a few unforeseen kinks that need to be worked out and it’s the early adopters who are going to be the ones on the frontlines dealing with those issues. Then, once the Pioneers have done all the dirty work, Followers and Cautious companies are able to get the pros with significantly fewer cons.
However, a partner like Arraya Solutions can take some of that stress out of implementing new technologies. Arraya can help manage service requests, regular updates and maintenance and even provide early warning about potential problems. Having that extra set of eyes and hands can free up IT teams so they can focus more closely on higher level core objectives.
For more information on how partnering with Arraya can make a difference at your organization, visit www.ArrayaSolutions.com.
