Technology is a powerful enabler, but its successful implementation within organizations is often hindered by a fundamental misalignment: the buyer and the beneficiary are usually different stakeholders. While decision-makers (buyers) approve and fund technology solutions, the actual users (beneficiaries) are the ones who engage with and rely on the system daily. This disconnect leads to significant delays, underutilization, and resistance to change, ultimately reducing the return on investment.
The Core Challenge
When an organization invests in technology, the focus is often on cost, scalability, and long-term strategy—concerns primarily addressed by executives and procurement teams. However, the employees, frontline managers, and operational teams who use the technology often have different priorities: usability, efficiency, and relevance to their daily workflows. Without aligning these perspectives, even the most advanced solutions can face adoption challenges.
Bridging the Gap
To ensure seamless technology implementation, organizations must proactively bridge this gap through structured processes and collaboration:
- Involve End Users Early – Engaging the ultimate beneficiaries in the decision-making process ensures that the tech meets their needs, leading to higher adoption rates.
- Create Cross-Functional Implementation Teams – Just as product development brings together design, engineering, and marketing, tech implementations must unite buyers, builders, and beneficiaries. A shared vision ensures smoother deployment.
- Define Clear Success Metrics – Success must be measured not just by deployment but by adoption and business impact. Metrics should reflect efficiency gains, user satisfaction, and operational improvements.
- Ongoing Training and Change Management – Simply installing technology is not enough. Continuous education and a culture of adaptation are critical to maximizing value.
- Feedback Loops and Iteration – Technology should evolve based on real-world usage. Organizations should establish mechanisms for users to provide input and for teams to iterate accordingly.
The Path Forward
Bridging the gap between buyers and beneficiaries requires a fundamental shift in how organizations approach technology adoption. Success depends not just on having the right tools but on fostering alignment between decision-makers and users. Companies that recognize this challenge and proactively address it will see faster adoption, greater efficiency, and a stronger return on investment.
Tech alone doesn’t drive transformation—people do. Aligning all stakeholders under a common vision ensures that technology truly enables progress.
About the contributor – Viraj Shah, a business transformation leader with 15+ years in digital strategy and tech consulting, leads Streamlign at Acies—an intelligent app suite on Revolution, empowering businesses to digitize, automate, and boost productivity.
This contribution is under the International Women’s Day initiative #SheIsInfinite.
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