Technology leadership is the position and practice of being ahead of and guiding others in the development and use of new technology, particularly information, computing, and communications technologies. It refers to effectively formulating and executing strategies that involve or require digital technology. There are a general set of abilities and activities required for technology leadership:
Analyzing solution requirements by listening to and learning from intended users
Assessing the potential benefits, costs, and risks of various technologies
Planning to acquire, deploy, develop, operate, and use specific technology solutions
Guiding technologists, managing work on technological systems and supporting technology adoption and use.
Each of these abilities also applies to talent, to developing others’ technology abilities. Indeed, talent and technology must be integrated for successful strategy. Technology leadership aligns talent and tech investment and utilization with customer value, strategic goals, and specific objectives.
Tech leadership makes communities, companies, and institutions more productive, profitable, and prosperous by driving digital development, which involves:
Reducing overall costs by substituting tech for other factors and generate data (automate)
Increasing revenue by making higher value use of resources and strength customer relationships (customize)
Creating new revenue streams via unique, new products or services (innovate)
To make effective decisions about talent and technology, leaders must understand customers and other stakeholders, the range of relevant technologies, and how to develop technology talent, including their own. Generally, technology leaders must balance "build" versus "buy." Numerous dependencies are involved in such trade-offs, many involving customers/users as well as suppliers, which require contingencies.
The only way to handle all of this is via collaboration, building a team, and engaging customers/users as co-creators. Tech leaders need communication and coordination skills, practical knowledge of consensus-building and fair process, and reasonable discipline based on customer value.
Technology is critical to all aspects of the economy, our society, and work. It can have hidden costs and risks, and it changes rapidly. Talent wrings the value out of technology. It takes a long time and substantial resources to develop. Most importantly, talent belongs to individuals, so they must be personally engaged in technology leadership.
Are you developing tech leadership? Do you, your community, and your organization have broad, clear tech leadership?