Jason Buffington .com

video transcript

If you’re only talking ‘People, Process, Technology’ … you’re missing a foundational component.

Nearly every technology company has leaned in on some Digital Transformation or IT Modernization initiative.  And most of those are grounded in “People, Process, Technology.” They are not wrong, but they also aren’t complete in that thinking.

Technology vendors recognize that technology alone will never solve a business problem. Yeah, you’ll get cyber detection, or better backups, or automation, or some other feature or capability. But a business problem or a business goal isn’t solvable by JUST technology. So, we rightfully recognize that People and Process improvements and alignment are also necessary.

• If the people aren’t committed to the change (i.e.. the improvement), change doesn’t happen (ever).
• If the processes aren’t aligned with business goals … and how the new technology works … and how the existing humans want to work … then change doesn’t happen.

So, we gotta have People and Process, as well as Technology (P-P-T), but …

One challenge is that the People (for sure) and (usually) the Processes are led by different stakeholders with different goals than those folks proposing the Technology. To address that, you’re looking for a vision, a senior direction, a strategy to tie those together.

The internet will tell you that according to Peter Drucker, “Culture eats Strategy for Breakfast”.  Drucker didn’t actually say that; it likely came from either Steve Jobs or Jack Welch. Regardless of which of the three amazing leaders coined it, the axiom is true – especially when we talk about business resilience … or in my world, Cyber, Data, or IT resilience.

If you don’t believe me, and you’re a senior seller or marketer or corporate leader, go ask your Head of Culture or any other HR leader how many corporate initiatives dried up, died, or never really got past launch … because the top line Strategy never had ‘buy in’ that changed recurring behaviors. That’s what every good Business Continuity program has in common – changes in the mindset, the behavior, the recurring activities … the little things:

• the weekly tweaks
• the monthly dashboards
• the quarterly tests and tabletops
• the biannual strategy debriefs to the C-suite and the board
• and the annual ISO recertifications

Strategy is usually top-down … Recurring behaviors and actions are bottom-up. The only way those align is when you cultivate a CULTURE of Continuity or Resilience.