Sunk costs and resistance to change.
“We built that MS Access database to hold customer data when we started 28 years ago! We were ahead of our time! ”
“Why should we upgrade? Granted, it doesn’t integrate with our website, or order management system, but we’ve added so much to it! Even though its riddled with bugs that we need manual workarounds… ”
It takes a forward thinking leadership team, CTO or IT director, who is always looking to maximise and optimise technology to get the business edge.
When mental and emotional energy is expanded due to frustrating internal systems, there is less to maintain status quo, let alone growing the business.
“I hate this time sheet system. It should have a timecode for putting time sheets in because it takes me at about an hour every week.”
There are times when the cost-benefit analysis of upgrading the IT systems could be prohibitive, but sometimes it pays dividends to do so.
Just because you’ve ‘invested’ years and effort building and developing an old product designed by the original founder of the company doesn’t mean you’re ‘disloyal’ if you want to modernise.
Sometimes, a band aid is stuck on the problem.
It’s still quite surprising to me how many businesses still operate manually. Swish website and Automated Voice Recognition software on the phones provide a veneer of advanced technology adoption but when you lift the hood…
This can be applied to other areas of life as well.
Just because you’ve studied for 7 years and invested so much time to the medical field, it doesn’t mean you’re a failure if you choose to walk away because it doesn’t light your fire.
Just because you’ve been married for decades and have had kids with an abusive partner, it doesn’t mean that you’re wrong for wanting to walk away to find a better life.
Sunk costs and resistance to change.
Examine your feelings and motives when you’re find yourself resisting new ideas.
Are you wedded to the sunk costs?
Is there a deeper reason?
Of course, that’s not the reason why I don’t want to ‘upgrade’ my diesel ‘bus’ to an electric one. We’ve had history.
And I’m not a hypocrite. 😁
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#selfreflection
#forwardthinking
#changemanagement
#zenhaoprotip
#personaldevelopment