What do you do if your decision-making is hindered by technology in the workplace?

Become a Decision Intelligence (DI) student, and you will quickly learn that the issue is not the technology. It's the people, their innate cognitive biases, and the process. Fancy tech is not always necessary and can often be an impediment. Solutions like Dr. Lorien Pratt's causal design diagrams (CDD) use legacy technology (i.e., pen and paper) to facilitate improved decision-making processes. To learn more, follow Dr. Pratt (she co-created the concept of DI) and the leading evangelist, Cassie Kozyrkov. Both have training courses; Cassie's is available on LinkedIn Learning. (Statements and interactions are my own.)

Scrutinize how tech limitations are curtailing your decision-making agility. Consider both immediate and long-term effects on operations and strategic goals. It’s about recognizing barriers to unlock potential, not just tech glitches.

If technology hinders decision-making in the workplace, start by identifying specific technological barriers. Evaluate if these issues stem from outdated systems, lack of integration, or insufficient training. Engage IT support or external consultants to explore solutions or upgrades. Consider implementing more user-friendly or advanced tools that enhance data access and analysis. Provide training to ensure team members can effectively utilize the technology. Foster a feedback culture to continuously identify and address technological impediments. Adopting a proactive approach to technology management can significantly improve decision-making processes.

Consider reframing the idea of assessing impact as embracing a growth mindset towards technology integration. Instead of viewing technology-related challenges as obstacles, see them as opportunities for learning and improvement. Encourage a proactive approach to problem-solving by fostering a culture of experimentation and adaptation. When encountering difficulties with technology, encourage team members to explore alternative strategies, seek out additional training or resources, or collaborate with colleagues to find innovative solutions. Emphasize the importance of continuous learning and skill development to enhance proficiency with technology tools and platforms.

Don’t get shackled by one tool or method. If current tech is a bottleneck, find workarounds. This might mean temporary solutions while pushing for system upgrades, or pivoting to different tech altogether.

Upskill yourself and the team. Being technologically adept isn’t an option, it’s a necessity. Invest in training for yourself and your team to become more proficient and self-reliant with the tools at hand.

By enhancing your proficiency in utilizing the relevant technologies, you can ensure that they remain valuable tools that facilitate productivity without becoming impediments to efficient decision-making processes.

Transparency wins every time. Articulate the tech hurdles to stakeholders and team members alike, outlining how this impacts decisions. Clear communication can rally support for necessary changes.

Cut through complexity. Overly complicated tech processes can be as detrimental as outdated systems. Streamline decision-making protocols to ensure technology serves you, not the other way around.

According to my experience, we don’t need to do everything with the perfect tech stack. Here is what I would do: - can I emulate/fix the technology I need? Sometimes someone skilled can create the same result the tech stack you are looking for. - do you have the time to develop/fix that option? Sometimes decisions are critical and not accurate and late decisions will incur in extra costs - can we get the budget to have the tech? Sometimes it is as simple as ask the board, director, or your manager.