When it comes to technology, too many organizations treat major platform decisions as purely technical choices. Which email system should we use – Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace? How do we handle multi-factor authentication or device policies? Should we move our files to the cloud, and if so, where? Which AI platform should be our primary tool?
These aren't just IT decisions. They're organizational decisions that shape how people work, collaborate, and share knowledge every day. If leadership, operations, and end-users aren't part of the process, even the best-intentioned technology change can feel like it's being "done to" people instead of being built with them.
Why Culture Matters as Much as Technology
The most successful technology transitions happen when organizations see them as cultural shifts, not just software upgrades. A new platform changes:
- How teams communicate
- Where knowledge lives
- What governance and security policies look like
- How people feel about their daily work
If those elements aren't addressed, the risk of adoption failure skyrockets.
Avoid the Personality Trap
We see it way too often: a big decision gets made when one influential person loves a certain platform or had a good experience at a previous job. Or worse – the loudest voice in the room wins. These decisions may feel efficient, but they're rarely strategic.
Tech strategy should be grounded in organizational needs, not individual preferences. A system that works brilliantly for one department or leader may create headaches for everyone else.
Don't Decide in a Day
No major technology decision should ever be made in a single business day. Moving too quickly often leads to knee-jerk reactions, short-term fixes, or decisions optimized for one corner of the organization instead of the whole (and often, at the expense of other parts of the organization).
You can move with urgency without rushing. The key is to build in enough time to:
- Understand pain points across the organization
- Evaluate options against your mission, security, and knowledge needs
- Pressure-test scenarios with leadership and key stakeholders
A week of thoughtful evaluation now can save months of frustration later, and can save the organization a substantial amount of money if one platform transition quickly leads to another because you didn't take the time to properly plan or evaluate.
Building Decisions That Stick
So, how do you make technology decisions that last?
- Engage leadership early. Tech choices should support strategic goals, not just operations.
- Bring in end-users. Adoption is smoother when people feel heard and see their needs reflected.
- Map to operations. Don't just ask, "Which tool?" Ask, "How will this change the way we work?"
- Prioritize governance and security. Decisions today will shape risks tomorrow.
- Document the why. Write down the rationale so future leaders understand how and why the decision was made.
The Bottom Line
Technology should enable your mission, not complicate it. When organizations broaden the decision-making lens beyond the IT team, they get solutions that are not only technically sound, but culturally embraced and operationally sustainable.
