High-definition television (HDTV) technology was first introduced in the United States in the late 1980s; however, most homes didn’t have HDTV sets until early 2000’s.
HDTV was a solid invention backed by well-known, trusted companies including AT&T, Phillips and RCA. Regardless, making the transition from standard to high-definition television in the mainstream market would take decades.
This begs the question: why did this “new” technology take so long to become popular? The answer lies in the way we value change. The reality is we’ve become accustomed to adaptive markets. When a solution offers rational and authentic change, the modern marketplace adapts and adopts. Disruptive companies recognize this and aggressively pursue innovation that not only improves, but revolutionizes lives.
“Disruptive technology is all around us.”
– Eric Schmidt, Chairman of Alphabet, Google’s parent company.
Schmidt has said they’re not interested in improving anything that already exists, they’re looking for new and different. Their goal is to innovate and bring disruption to the marketplace.
After 15 years in human resource related roles, I realize now, more than ever, organizations need cloud-based solutions that can deliver innovation, data security, infrastructure, and compliance that’s simple, efficient, cost-effective and integrates with current technology investments. Organizations don’t have to settle for Band-Aid solutions that offer a 10 percent increase in efficiency; those days are gone.
Unfortunately, many companies today are still choosing an “increase in efficiency.” In other words, they buy the same TV, in a different box. What really makes our work-lives improve, is disruption that solves problems and revolutionizes lives.
Real innovation creates winners and losers. The marketplace is moving quickly and to keep pace technology decisions cannot stay in test mode for 10 to 20 years. As human resources and payroll professionals, we should aspire to be early adopters. Learning and using new technology to support our work is imperative. It’s a truism, we get smarter when we disrupt our patterns and try something new, learn new technology, exercise creativity and approach work in new ways. The truth of the matter is there’s nothing innovative about an Excel spreadsheet. History shows that only a few trust the untested and seek what’s new in the marketplace. But, the ones that do are the ones who make history.
The challenge in our lives today is not believing that others have something disruptive, new, burgeoning, and innovative. The challenge is changing our pattern and pursuing excellence. The new ideas in the market today like drones that deliver packages or driverless cars don’t come with labels that say “tested” or “established,” yet they work. Get out of the daily grind. Challenge the standard and pioneer the future. Don’t look for faster and more efficient; look for different and adopt disruption.