Build on existing knowledge to upgrade or acquire skills in response to new technology
The need to identify new technology 2
Sources for identifying new technology 3
Identifying the impact of new technology 4
Assessing the impact of new technology on the business 4
Skills for acquiring and implementing new technology 6
Technical skills 6
Interpersonal and psychological skills 6
Managerial skills 6
Summary 7
Check your progress 7
The need to identify new technology
When a new technology emerges, IT professionals wait anxiously to see how the technology could be used to enhance the current business functions. There should be a good business case supporting any decision to integrate new technology into a business. When a technology is used to support a task that is not well suited for the functions and skill levels of the employees, it is likely to be a waste of time and fail.
In the majority of cases, the lack of skills related to using and supporting new technology hinders the migration into the new technology, causing missed opportunities. Therefore, it is important for you as an IT professional to upgrade your skills in response to any new technologies that are emerging in the industry. Most new technologies require IT professionals and other employees to upgrade or acquire new skills. This is critical to your survival as an IT professional in today’s competitive environment.
It takes experience and persistence to find the right technologies to meet the business requirements of an organisation. Your existing knowledge in the area of investigation will help you to find the right solution to meet the business needs of the organisation.
Lessons learnt from other similar implementations, experiences of other IT professionals, and best practice amongst other similar national/international organisations will give you invaluable knowledge and skills when identifying new technologies for the benefit of the organisation.
We cannot predict the future with certainty. However, it is necessary to look back, observe and learn from history when implementing new technologies.
Consider the development of personal computers in the past twenty years. A trend can be identified in the physical features (size, look, colour), speed, cost, power, storage capacity, communication capability, etc, as the computers evolved over the years. Our past experience suggests that in the next few years we can expect to see more powerful, faster, smaller, high storage capacity and communication-ready computers.
In the last few years, attention has also shifted into mobile technologies, multimedia communication (using voice, video and audio) systems and wireless access methods.
Sources for identifying new technology
As an IT professional, you need be aware of the trends of new technology emerging in the industry. The following are some sources amongst many others that will keep you up-to-date with these changes.
Trade magazines
Trade and business magazines such as Technology and Business constantly introduce IT professionals to new technologies.
The Internet
The Internet, giving access to World Wide Web, forums, newsgroups and mailing lists, is also a valuable source of information about new technologies.
Networking
Socialising with other IT professionals and joining professional associations is also a good source of identifying new technologies available. Suppliers and consultants will also keep you updated with trends and information about new technology.
Formal training
Attending formal training courses will certainly expose you to new technologies available by giving you an opportunity to identify new technologies — not only through the content of the course but also by getting an opportunity to network with other IT professionals.
Identifying the impact of new technology
New technologies are emerging in the market every day. It is important that IT professionals are aware of how to identify new technologies that are appropriate for their organisation. If you decide to adopt these technologies in your organisation you will need to acquire new skills in response to the new technology before successfully implementing it. IT professionals need to follow a systematic procedure to identify the implications of the new technology for all the stakeholders.
Implementing new technology means change. It is expected that the new technology will make life much easier for users by providing better mechanisms for performing and managing regular organisational tasks. However, if we are to be successful in migrating to new technology then we must anticipate how the new technology will impact all stakeholders. You should also be mindful of the magnitude of the impact the technology will have on the enterprise. Finally you must bear in mind that user (stakeholder) acceptance is the key to successful implementation.
Assessing the impact of new technology on the business
Gather information about the technology
· Talk to vendors and other IT professionals to learn as much as possible about the new technology and other related technologies.
· Use IT magazines and other journals to learn about the technology including legal and political impacts.
· See how this technology compares with the existing technology to get an idea of the magnitude of the impact on the organisational functions.
Gather information about the business strategies
Your choice of new technology should comply with the company’s overall business strategy. The strategies of the business may promote or hinder the application of new technology.
Identify the stakeholders
Stakeholders are the people who have a share or an interest in the business and will be affected by the new technology. The acceptance of the new technology into the organisation will be increased when you take the needs of all stakeholders into account before choosing the new technology.
Assess the impact on stakeholders
Assess not only the financial, educational and economic impact of new technology but also the social, legal and political impact that new technology will have on the stakeholders.
Skills for acquiring and implementing new technology
IT professionals must refresh their skills and use their existing knowledge when acquiring and implementing new technologies. The following are the types of skills essential in acquiring and implementing new technologies.
Technical skills
Once a new technology is identified, it is fundamental that you gain the technical skills necessary before migrating to it. These technical skills may relate to hardware, software, network, PC support or programming knowledge.
Building technical skills is an ongoing and never-ending process for an IT professional. While you rely on your existing technical knowledge to identify new technologies, you would need to acquire new skills before you can successfully implement a new technology into the organisation.
Interpersonal and psychological skills
When implementing new technology, an IT professional must further develop interpersonal and psychological skills, so they can deliver the new technology in a user-friendly manner.
Interpersonal skills will be useful when you need to convey new information to the people that would be affected by the technology. Psychological skills will give you the ability to create harmony in difficult situations and promote better acceptance of new technology.
As an IT professional implementing new technologies, you need to be skilled in customer relations, oral and written communications, dependability, teamwork and leadership.
Managerial skills
It is important that the IT professional be conversant in managerial and design skills so that new technology is chosen and implemented in line with business objectives.
Summary
As an IT professional, it is vital that you have an awareness of the latest trends and developments in the field of information technology. This reading explored how to identify new technology and suggested various sources that can be used for identifying new trends and developments. We then discussed how to assess the impact of new technology on stakeholders and the importance of ensuring their acceptance of it. Lastly, we highlighted the need for IT professionals to use their existing knowledge to develop and acquire new skills in response to new technology, and the types of skills essential for successful implementation in line with the business needs of the organisation.
Check your progress
Now you should try and do the Practice activities in this topic. If you’ve already tried them, have another go and see if you can improve your responses.
When you feel ready, try the ‘Check your understanding’ activity in the Preview section of this topic. This will help you decide if you’re ready for assessment.
Reading: Build on existing knowledge to upgrade or acquire skills in response to new technology XXX
2005