Overcoming the “Telephone Game”: The Importance of Synergy between Business Specialists and Technologists — in conversation with Vicki Hildebrand
As companies grow larger, individual employees’ roles naturally become more specialized. This is great for developing many projects and initiatives, but having a daisy chain of contacts can slow down otherwise efficient communications and processes. Strengthening your organization’s collaborative capabilities can be as simple as putting two parties of interest in contact with one another without a daisy chain of transfers and connections.
We’re in conversation with Victoria Hildebrand, an efficiency and change driver who has over 40 experience in the world of tech. An expert at the intersection of tech and business with a strong people focus, Victoria believes that technology has a crucial and unique role in driving business value.
As someone who is at the intersection of technology and business, you’ve consistently emphasized the synergy between these two domains in problem-solving. Could you elaborate on your perspective regarding the crucial partnership between technology and business, and how this collaboration can be harnessed to effectively address challenges and drive solutions in today’s dynamic landscape?
“I like to say that every company today is a tech company (and if a company isn’t — it should be). I’m not sure where the notion came from that the tech side of an organization should be so distinct from the business side; the tech team is as much a business team as any other. It doesn’t make much sense for one team to strategize and hand off decisions to the other — everyone needs to understand what the organization is trying to do.
“In fact, nobody knows the business processes the way that the tech team does, and they can often bring ideas that others won’t even think of. Technologists know what can be leveraged, where some things work well and where others don’t. This is why I try to get the technology teams thinking like they’re part of the business side, too — they need ownership and accountability for their impact on the success of the business. This is also why I’ve begun taking a “two in a box” approach.
“When I worked in a previous role, my team was tasked with a data extract that a government agency required. The whole process was broken, the extract wasn’t working, and the individual asking for the data wasn’t getting what they needed. I took a look at the process and noticed that there were 5 people in between the coder writing the extract and the person asking for the data. So, I cut up the daisy chain and put the coder and the data requester in the same room — the problem was fixed swiftly and with a higher quality of work than before. These “telephone games” between parties can make processes slower and more complicated than they need to be. Putting ‘two in a box’ can expedite and enhance processes, create synergy between different sides of the organization, and keep all parties accountable.
“Many companies have the business side and the technology side completely siloed from one another. In order to change this, it starts with leadership enabling teams to work as one. Then, it’s about hiring business-savvy technologists, specialized technologists willing to learn business and tech-savvy business partners. It’s about creating a unified, company-wide approach to technology and business, across all fields.”
Thank you for sharing, Vicki.
Connect with Vicki on Linkedin.
