Can anyone stay on top of technology innovations? Maybe. But, even if you can, it’s not an easy task. Not only do you need to be aware of the innovation, but you need to assess if it is pertinent for your business. And that can be the more time consuming to keep pace with technology advances.
The downside for businesses is that they must keep up with technology. If not, they risk missing opportunities to improve productivity, lower costs, increase sales and they may also fall behind the competition.
Fortunately, with a concerted effort, your company can keep pace with technology advancements, digital transformation and more.
5 Ways to Keep Pace with Technology Innovations
1. Identify Your Best Information Sources
There is no shortage of information sources on new technology. But, while that may sound like a good thing, it can be a hurdle too. Firsts, there are almost as many sources as there is new information. Second, much of the information is reported by more than one source.
So your first step is to streamline your sources. And the first step in doing that is to assemble a list of the sources you (and your team) currently use. Take a look at the list and weed out those that may be repetitive. Then look for other sources that you may not be tapping into. These can be blogs from manufacturers or users, industry news sites, social media platforms, product reviews – wherever you find tech news.
2. Check the Less Common Sources
If you don’t already, check sources that may not be as common or easy to follow. These can include open-source communities where the next technology innovation may be just starting to take shape. Read research reports from companies and organizations reporting on the R&D results.
And don’t be afraid to at least occasionally take a high level view of tech innovations. Yes, it’s important to keep your information sources trimmed to the most relevant. But keeping an eye on what’s going on further afield can also be helpful.
3. Pull the Information You Want
It’s time consuming to regularly visit different blogs, news sites or other information sources on your list. So use a news aggregator to alert you to new stories, or have them delivered to your inbox.
In addition to saving you the time browsing on the web, you can scan titles in your email box or aggregator feed for the most relevant stories.
4. Talk to Your Partners
Your suppliers, customers and other business partners are also trying to stay on top of all the changes. Some are even better equipped to do so. Make it a habit to regularly make technology innovations a topic of conversation. Another benefit of streamlining your research and information gathering is that you’ll be able to offer as much as you get. And make more sense of it all.
5. It Takes a Village
Even if you manage to harness your sources and get all the information you want delivered to you, it can still be overwhelming. So get your team involved.
You can do this by assigning each team member an area of expertise. They will be responsible for keeping track of news and information in their particular area. Schedule regular meetings with the entire team to share and review everyone’s findings.
When you do, your entire team will be aware of all the technology innovations that are pertinent to your business. And, they will be able to make faster decisions on which innovations are worth more of your attention.
If your found this post helpful, check out our recent article What are COE Services and Why They Matter.