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afford to ignore technology, since it has the power to make almost anything obsolete. Keep abreast of
what new technologies are emerging, not just in your industry, but also in ones that are adjacent and
distant. Talk with others about what implications these developments might have for your
organization. Ensure your confidence doesn’t become complacency.

Want to learn more? Take a deep dive…

Fitzgerald, M., Kruschwitz, N., Bonnet, D., & Welch, M. (2013). Embracing digital technology. MIT
Sloan Management Review.
Krippendorff, K. (2011, May 26). The flow of technology adoption reverses. Fast Company.
McAfee, A. (2010, August 10). Can technology optimists and pessimists get in the same room?
Harvard Business Review Blog Network.

Job assignments
• Offer to manage the process of identifying, selecting, purchasing a new technology for the
organization.

• Serve on the group responsible for launching a new technology; become a resource to support others
as they transition to new tools.

• Help the organization enhance or update its presence on digital channels (external/internal websites,
social media, etc.).

• Initiate or join a group to study future innovations that may benefit the organization over the long-term.
• Perform an analysis of a tech launch that has gone poorly; investigate the underlying issues and make
recommendations for how to make future launches more successful.

Take time to reflect…

If you’re most comfortable with the technologies you already know…
…then embrace the discomfort of what you don’t know. Welcome the disruption that a new
technology can bring. Go through the pain for the gain.

If you adopt ideas late and tend to hang back…
…then aim to become a pioneer. Blaze the trail with a new technology and recruit others along
the way. Build a reputation for being first to go live with new technology.

If you can’t imagine how technology is going to evolve…
…then realize that if you think to the future, you’ll be prepared when it arrives. Today’s science
fiction is tomorrow’s competitive advantage. Study the horizon. Learn what’s coming.

“Television won’t last. It’s a flash in the pan.”

Mary Somerville – Pioneer of radio broadcasting
© Korn Ferry 2014-2015. All rights reserved. WWW.KORNFERRY.COM

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