An adaptable workforce is important. An adaptable technology strategy is equally so, argues Ronny Reppe, CEO, Noria Software.

We are often told about the importance of adaptability in employees and teams, but I would argue that having an adaptable technology strategy is equally vital. I’m fond of the phrase “the new normal”. The term encapsulates an understanding that normality has shifted from predictability to a situation where rapid change has become the norm. Organisations are having to adapt very quickly to challenges including disruptive tech, geopolitical events and changing weather.

Without adaptability, your organisation simply cannot hope to survive, let alone thrive. It is unsurprising, therefore, that adaptability has become a buzzword as we enter the middle of the decade. Ernst & Young nominated an adaptable workforce as the key for managing change. McKinsey described adaptability as an “evergreen meta-skill”, while Forbes recently urged leaders to make adaptability “mission critical” in 2024. Yet, all of these commentators see adaptability in terms of an organisation’s people strategy. For them, it is a skill to nurture within the business and a trait to prioritise when hiring new employees. I believe that adaptability in people is only half of the puzzle. Organisations also need to embrace adaptability in their technology strategy if they hope to ride the never-ending wave of change.

Right Choices

Adaptable technology is not about a specific type of tech. Rather, it is about making the right technological choices, not getting locked in, and being able to pivot fast to respond to changing user requirements and other impactful events. I see it as a mindset that guides people to choose the right way of implementing technology, which is becoming critically important in the age of machine learning and artificial intelligence.

Crucially, you must be able to change the way you operate without disrupting business continuity. This cannot be done without an adaptable technology strategy that slashes the time from idea to launch. Incorporating business continuity management (BCM) into your adaptable technology strategy will strengthen your organisation’s ability to protect critical processes, navigate transformation with confidence and maintain operational stability during disruption.

Configurable Software

An example of the adaptable technology mindset in practice can be found in the rise of configurable software. Self-configuration refers to a user’s ability to modify and customise a system’s appearance and functionality using a system’s built-in administrative options, without the need to modify the underlying code. Whether it involves creating custom reports, adjusting user roles and permissions, or simply changing the look and feel, users can easily perform these actions without needing to engage the vendor’s development team.

Opting for a self-configurable tool offers several advantages including cost savings, time savings, greater control over the system’s appearance and functionality, as well as flexibility. Typically, a user can start with basic functionality and expand with additional features in time, adapting to evolving requirements.

Adaptable Technology

What sorts of benefits can an adaptable technology strategy enable? From a business perspective, this approach means you can change your products, behavior, how your customer consumes and perceives your product, how you distribute the product, then how you report and monitor success. There is potential to change from every perspective.

From strategy to operations, customer interaction to management, an adaptable technology strategy has the potential to transform how changes are executed and monitored. Some of its features may include:

• An ability to flip out tech stack components as required with minimal time and effort – this is particularly important when organisations need to scale up and down in response to market conditions;
• Configurable parameters that enable the customer to change the product themselves without coding. Bypassing the need to request changes from the product vendor is a core strength of adaptability and saves organisations significant time and money;
• Gaining flexibility in terms of customer interaction and being able to quickly change the digital customer journey; and,
• Having real-time, deep insights into your data to monitor the success of every technological change and enable tweaks as necessarily.

Let me stress the importance of regularly monitoring the progress of digital transformation initiatives and evaluating their impact on your business continuity. Implement feedback loops to identify areas for improvement and make necessary adjustments to your transformation plan as needed.

Legacy Systems

Do not make the mistake of underestimating the frustration that stems from legacy technology that takes too long to change. Immature businesses struggle towards technology because it always takes time to build, test, launch and fix. It can take years to launch a new product for legacy systems or make a major tweak to existing functionality, but the future will require organisations to do so in months, not years.

If your organisation, which is eager to take on challenges, is burdened with a legacy system that is expected to take years to change, it will inevitably erode motivation and diminish the employees’ drive to implement broader changes. In other words, a lack of adaptability in your technology, perhaps more so than a change-resistant workforce, can be a significant hurdle to implementing your ideas.

Embrace Adaptive Technology

Equip yourself to face uncertainty. Embrace an adaptable technology strategy that empowers your organisation to swiftly respond to evolving needs and seize new opportunities. Break free from the shackles of legacy systems that hinder progress.

Incorporate configurable software, leverage real-time insights and prioritise business continuity to safeguard critical processes. Finally, ensure that any investment in “people adaptability” is matched by a shift towards adaptable technology.