Growth & Jobs | Ineffective communication slowing down critical tech adoptions in organisations, say experts

INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY (IT) experts are being urged to use “everyday language” to effectively communicate with internal stakeholders and drive adoption of technologies within organisations.

MC Systems tech experts were speaking on the second day of the MC Systems and Jamaica Technology and Digital Alliance CIO Roundtable and Panel Discussion held at the Terra Nova Hotel, recently. The event was held to highlight trends in the industry and how they impact companies.

The experts explained that many projects are delayed or not approved because of ineffective communication between IT experts and leadership in organisations and the results can be costly. They believe that if experts break down concepts into everyday language when communicating with stakeholders, then adoption can be faster.

“We have had experiences in the past where projects aren’t allowed to move forward or even get off the ground because of communication issues where IT managers don’t speak in a language that company heads understand,” said Roldane Henry, infrastructure services lead at MC Systems. “These delays hamper deployment which can in turn impact a company’s bottom line and reputation.”

“In instances where miscommunication occurred, you find that the IT manager was very technical with some of the terms that were being used. Bridging the communication gap between IT and the organisation to ensure they understand what is being done helps to implement the projects that we need to, that will benefit the company and to do this we need to speak to them in a way they understand,” he added.

David White, lecturer in the School of Computing and Information Technology, at the University of Technology, Jamaica informed that ineffective communication often results in project foul ups, which cause stakeholders to lose faith in the technology.

“The project sometimes gets off the ground and the implementation takes place, but how it is handled can result in it being botched, which results in people wanting [to] return to the old system. It doesn’t mean they didn’t appreciate the change. They just didn’t understand the change processes, and this caused the project implementation to not go according to plan,” he informed.

Kathryn Chin-See, product manager, BizPay, pointed out that showing companies the financial cost that a data breach will have on their reputation and profitability is one way IT managers can bridge the gap.

“An important part of the communication is how often we relay the information to the people who make the decisions. Sometimes IT professionals are not the decision-makers in the organisation, but we can influence them as project sponsors, although the final decision is not up to us. This is why we should point out to them the impact in dollars and cents if there is a breach,” she noted.

Chin-See added that change management was also important in receiving support from stakeholders.

“As the subject matter experts, it is our responsibility to make sure that we are educating and empowering the people above us and those who will be using the technology throughout the entire process. This is why communication is important during the process to ensure that there is change,” she added.

Melissa Lindsay, manager, tech consulting at MC Systems, affirmed that understanding the audience and what they require can assist IT experts to communicate effectively. She pointed out that IT experts should avoid confusion and be flexible when choosing the language appropriate for explaining the situation.

“You have to understand your audience if you want to reach them,” she shared. “You must understand your stakeholders to reach them. Technology by itself doesn’t transform your space, it’s the people who are using it that will carry out the transformation. If you’re able to empower them and help them to understand the value of the change and get them to have a change in mindset, it helps to convey your mindset, so you get to do what needs to be done.”