The What vs. Why Conversation: Moving Beyond Tech for Tech’s Sake

You’re in a high-stakes executive meeting.

The energy in the room is buzzing—someone’s just come back from an industry conference raving about the latest AI tool, blockchain breakthrough, or automation software.

The whiteboard is filling up fast with buzzwords.

The CFO is nodding.

The CTO is excited.

The board wants to see action.

But then the moment comes—the moment where someone, anyone, should ask the most important question in the room: Why?

Silence.

Nobody wants to be the one to kill the momentum.

The race to adopt the latest tech is well underway, but no one has stopped to examine what real-world problem it’s solving, or if it even aligns with the company’s long-term strategy.

I see this play out time and again.

Too often, I’m the one who puts the brakes on it—starting and forcing difficult but important conversations that go beyond the hype and hysteria to find the reality and necessity.

The excitement is real.

The urgency is palpable.

And yet, more often than not, the technology ends up being underutilised, abandoned, or worse—actively disruptive.

Because tech for tech’s sake isn’t a strategy. It’s a distraction.

So how do we move past the hype and get to the heart of what actually matters?

One of my most favourite and effective ways is by asking “Why?”—not just once, but up to five times if necessary.

Let’s break down the difference between the what and the why, explore how to shift the conversation, and look at practical steps to embed technology into your future strategy—not as a gimmick, but as a genuine enabler of long-term success.

Why Businesses Get Stuck on the What

In most organisations, the what is seductive.

It’s tangible, measurable, and often backed by marketing buzz and competitive FOMO (fear of missing out).

The CEO reads an article about competitors using AI, the board demands a response, and suddenly, the race to adopt begins.

But focusing on the what creates major pitfalls:

• Surface-level adoption: Tech is adopted for the sake of keeping up, but without strategic embedding, it’s abandoned within months.
• Resistance to change: The broader team sees no reason to adopt the new system and sticks to the old one.
• Missed potential: The technology’s true power is never realised because its purpose was never clearly defined.

The result? A lot of money, time and goodwill spent on tools that gather dust—or worse, actively disrupt workflows.

The Power of Asking Why (Up to 5 Times)

Asking why isn’t about being difficult—it’s about drilling down to purpose, meaning, and long-term gain.

Here’s an example of how this played out in real time in a workshop I ran the other week:

Company Situation: A company is excited to implement a new AI-driven customer insights platform.

1. Why do you want this platform? "To improve our customer data and make better marketing decisions."
2. Why do you need better marketing decisions right now? "We’re struggling to retain customers and want to personalise our engagement."
3. Why are you struggling to retain customers? "We don’t fully understand what they want at different stages of their journey."
4. Why don’t you understand their needs? "We haven’t been tracking key interactions beyond basic purchase data."
5. Why have you prioritised basic purchase data over deeper engagement metrics? "Because we didn’t have the tools to do it before—but now we can."

By the time we reached the fifth why, the conversation shifts from the tech itself to a larger issue: the company’s need for a more customer-centric strategy.

Now, the AI platform isn’t just a tool—it’s part of a broader plan to solve a core business challenge.

A Real-World Example: Fixing the Invisible Bottlenecks

A few years back, I worked as a futurist in residence for a large, publicly listed global company.

They had offices and manufacturing plants across Australia and internationally.

My task was to help them identify, explore and embed innovation possibilities across the organization.

When starting on these projects I have a handy-dandy tool I use - I ask each staff member to tell me what makes them the most frustrated about their job—the things that appear minor to everyone else, but are wildly important to the individual experiencing them (low hanging fruit, low cost, high impact incremental innovation)

One standout case was Sue, an inbound telesales staff member who was on the verge of quitting.

Her problem?

The customer ordering process was repetitive, cumbersome, and wasted valuable time re-entering information already in the system.

Every time she suggested improvements, she heard the same dismissive line: "This is the way it’s always been."

She joined our program reluctantly, thinking it was her last shot before walking away.

But after diving into the why behind the process flaws and showing how the inefficiencies drained time, profits, and morale, she led the team to fix the system.

The result?

Incremental sales increased, time wastage plummeted, and Sue stayed on, now energised and recognised as a change-maker.

Her why wasn’t about the tech itself—it was about fixing something that had real business and human impact.

From What to Why: Practical Steps to Embed Purpose-Driven Technology

1. Start with Pain Points, Not Products: Identify where your team is experiencing frustration or bottlenecks. What processes make them sigh, roll their eyes, or want to quit? These are the areas where meaningful change happens.
2. Ask the 5 Whys: For every new tool or initiative, dig deeper until you uncover the root problem you’re solving.
3. Build Internal Champions: Early adopters are key (just like Sue), but they’re not enough. You need to inspire internal champions who will bring the early majority along.
4. Tell Stories of Success: Just like Sue’s case, highlight wins through internal channels. Celebrate both the why and the how to motivate others.
5. Embed Tech into Strategy, Not as an Add-On: Technology should be part of your strategic foresight, not a shiny object bolted on to existing systems. Think long-term impact.

Why This Matters Now (Especially with AI)

AI is today’s buzzword, much like the internet, social media, and PCs were in their respective eras.

The early adopters are excited—they want the brand names, the cool tech, and the prestige of being "ahead of the curve."

But unless you embed AI (or any tech) into your broader business strategy, it’ll fall flat.

Future strategy driven by technology instead of purpose is a gamble—one that rarely pays off unless tech is your core business.

Your Call to Action: Let’s Explore Your Future Possibilities

AI, emerging tech, and shifting paradigms aren’t just tools—they’re the puzzle pieces of your future story and success.

If you’re unsure how to connect them, let’s have that conversation.

Book a free 30-minute discovery session, and together, we’ll explore how your world could change—and which possibilities are worth prioritising.

From there, whether it’s through a keynote, workshop, strategic advisory, or even an ongoing residency, I’ll help you map out the foresights and tactical steps to create your best future.

Book your free session here.

Morris Misel , Business Futurist with over 30 years of global experience, 1,000's of successful clients and 2,600 keynotes and workshops delivered, Morris Misel helps industries anticipate, adapt, and lead through disruptions.

As Chairman of Griffith University’s Inclusive Futures Industry Advisory Board, he combines practical foresight with a visionary twist, guiding organisations to seize future opportunities.

Heard by millions each year, Misel invites you to think differently and act boldly. Connect with him for keynotes, workshops, or advisory sessions on the future of your business.

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