Disruptive or solid perhaps? These are two words of extremes, but they can both apply to a CIO, IT manager, IT architect or other related position. Which characterization suits you and are you happy with that? This blog describes various IT types and may inspire you to look at your interesting profession from a different point of view. Choose from the following four.
Type 1: The innovators
Innovators are people with guts and are even considered rowdy by some. Because innovators dare to go against the stream and existing morality. In IT, it is people who really care about technology and do everything in the name of progress. Innovators are willing to spend hours, often well into the evening, to understand technological challenges. There are no bigger technology enthusiasts and their houses are often equipped with the latest ‘domotica’ technology. They may spend thousands of euros on an electric car, even without having charging stations everywhere. Innovators are always looking for the best answers, they prefer to receive from the most knowledgeable people in a particular field. They act as a catalyst and help to start the fire and get something innovative or disruptive going. Sometimes they may experience a pitfall, when they go too fast and others cannot keep up.
Type 2: The early adopters
Early adopters, like innovators, invest very early in new products or services. Unlike innovators, these are no technologists, but rather the first users who are keen to get a competitive edge through new technology. Early adopters rely on their own intuition and vision, instead of relying on established references. They are visionaries who are driven by their dream to make great leaps forward; they want to achieve fundamental breakthroughs. That is why they are also less price sensitive because their prime motivation is to be amongst the first to benefit from technological progress, and gain an edge over competition. Because early adopters are amongst the first to gain commercial experience with a new product or service, they are trend-setters anyone wants to learn from. They are therefore an interesting target group for marketing departments. On YouTube, for example, they may proudly test their new purchase, show it to others and in that way are key to influence the next type:
Type 3: The pragmatists
Pragmatists are more comfortable operating in the background. These are the IT people who are a bit more cautious and do not immediately start pioneering. “Pioneers can get arrows in the back,” they reason. They rather opt for certainties and are seen by colleagues as people who ensure continuity, are knowledgeable and one can depend on. Where an early adopter, or visionary, wants to make a big leap forward, pragmatists prefer to make incremental improvements. The word risk is negative in their vocabulary. They will take risks when necessary, but they will first install safety nets to carefully manage those potential risks. During purchasing processes, pragmatists prefer to cross-check with external sources, for example by reading white papers or reference cases.
Type 4: The Conservatives
Conservatives prefer tradition over progress. Because why would you invest in something new if it already works? The solid conservative will not naturally look for innovations unless it cannot be avoided any longer. They are the last ones still loyal to fax, ISDN or Nokia phones. Marketeers can learn a lot from them, as they want simplicity and prefer to buy standardized and proven solutions that you can always rely on and don’t have to think too much about. For them, ‘as-a-Service’ models are a wonderful opportunity to bring innovation to an organization without having to change a lot as a person.
And… what kind of IT person are you?
At IPknowledge we like to connect with all IT types. You can be an innovative CIO, who loves IT as much as we do, pursues competitive advantages and wants to achieve breakthroughs, for example in the field of cost savings or smarter working from home. But also an IT architect who wants to be included in each step of the way towards digital transformation.
Please contact us here if you would like to discuss this in more detail, without any committing yourself to anything.
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