CIO OPINION
Rather than waiting for the IT department to validate or implement new ideas, employees should be encouraged to take the initiative and apply technology directly to the problems they encounter.
Mark Jenkins, Chief Service Officer at MHR
Empowering innovation: how every employee can be a changemaker
Technology and innovation must be prioritised in all departments, not just IT and digital, says Mark Jenkins, Chief Service Officer at MHR.
For decades, technology has been seen as the sole responsibility of IT teams within an organisation. Companies have expanded their IT departments to manage increasingly complex digital infrastructure and tech stacks, believing that a centralised approach was the best way to maintain control and ensure all digital compliance is met. However, this model has its limitations.
When all ideas and new tech solutions are funnelled through a single department, businesses miss out on the valuable insights of challenges faced by other functions across the organisation. This traditional, siloed approach can create a bottleneck that slows down progress. And with our research showing that nearly 20 % of employees believe that a lack of innovation is holding their organisation back from being truly high performing, it’ s clear a new approach is needed to realise a business’ s growth potential.
Encouraging innovation beyond the tech team
The future of innovation lies in recognising that technology is not the exclusive domain of an IT department. Employees across every function, from HR and sales to finance and operations, have an indepth understanding of the challenges they face daily. They can develop practical solutions that are both effective and tailored to their specific needs.
Rather than waiting for the IT department to validate or implement new ideas, employees should be encouraged to take the initiative and apply technology
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