How do you think Technology Populism affects companies?
One week ago, I reached out to Max J. Pucher, founder of ISIS Payprus Software, to find out how he thought Technology Populism affected companies. Not only did he respond quickly, but he took the time to write an extensive blog post about his thoughts on the topic. Here are some of the highlights of his post.
First, let me tell you what Forrester defines as Technology Populism:
Forrester uses the term Technology Populism to convey that, essentially, today’s software implementation inside an organization is driven by employees’ individual preferences rather than that of IT departments. While this may not please IT managers, Forrester believes that instead of trying to block users, they should embrace both the rewards and the risks of Web 2.0 in the enterprise.
Although Max agrees that it is time for a change, he does not agree that this change should be called Technology Populism. He suggests that we use the term “IT User Rebellion,” which he explains to be the “dynamic, user oriented, freely customizable interfaces and functions that people find today on the Internet and in Web 2.0 applications.”
Another point he makes is that “Process must be about empowering people.” He goes onto explain that IT should give all business users the tools that they need and allow them to change and adapt the tools, resulting in a product that can be distributed successfully. He says that this is easy to do and that these systems are real — therefore, we need to open our eyes to see them.
In conclusion, Max agrees with Forrester, saying that “you will need guts to do something different and new. True innovation is being asked for.” But don’t just jump on the bandwagon — try something different.