Factoring People Into the Tech Equation

The world is changing around us so fast that it’s hard to keep pace. Like most other organizations, government agencies struggle to meet new challenges and directives.

“Clearly, the answer is technology,” said Winston Chang, CTO at Snowflake, a leading data cloud company. “But it’s not the whole answer. The nuance is that the technology has to work in concert with the workforce.”

Encourage Adaptability

As much as people fear being replaced by technology, the issue for many agencies is the opposite: a shortage of qualified workers. If an agency wants to improve productivity and other outcomes, Chang explained, “the best way is to increase our talent and our technology together.”

That means building a workforce with the skills to adapt to changing priorities and new technologies.

Recruit employees who are continuous learners with a strong foundation in the basics — including data literacy — that will allow them to absorb new ideas, Chang advised, and constantly upskill the workers you have. “Technology will keep evolving, and it’s going to require the workforce to evolve,” he said.

Choose Flexible Technologies

Flexibility is also the key to making good tech investments. “Think of technology in [terms] of its ability to adapt to the future,” Chang said. “We have to be able to change things, to maintain a core, but know it can adjust and shift and be flexible.”

That includes having an architecture that facilitates testing and revising new solutions quickly. Agencies need “a technology stack that helps you rationalize, integrate [and], incredibly important, expunge technology you no longer need,” he said.

Linking Tech and Personnel

Technology choices need to enhance the way employees work. “The best leaders are always thinking about how technology empowers their workers, empowers every person on their team to do more and to do better and focus better,” said Chang.

“The way I view technology is that it’s a force multiplier. Technology basically amplifies your talents,” he said.

But it’s not a silver bullet. Maximizing the effect of technology requires “getting your data house in order,” he said, and that takes human effort. “It’s [data] governance, discipline, process, hygiene. There are technologies out there that are absolutely wonderful, but they’re like a really good solvent for cleaning. It doesn’t [change] the fact that you still have to clean your house.”

Snowflake offers a cloud-based data platform that is designed to make it easier for people to get their work done and not get caught up in the technology itself, Chang said. By providing so much functionality in a simple design, “it allows your talent to be focused on the mission,” he said.

“If your agency is not invested in technology and human capital, with that cohesive strategy bringing them together, no matter how much money you spend, at best, you’re just keeping up with everyone else. You will never get ahead,” he said.

This article appeared in our guide, “Agencies of the Future: How to Break Down Barriers to Growth.” For more about how governments are embracing change, download it here:

Photo by Anna Shvets