Billions Spent on Technology Won't Transform Organizations Without Investing in People – Part II

In my last post, Billions Spent on Technology Won't Transform Organizations Without Investing in People – Part I, I went over some of the glaring things companies often overlook when they become hyper-focused on technology at the expense of building and sustaining the environments that improve the actual experience of work itself—where people thrive because they’re respected, supported, and heard.

This follow-up covers some of the top ways to actually operationalize the concept of “Making Work Suck Less” and explains why each is important as well as provides ideas for how to implement them.  

1. Psychological Safety: People Won’t Contribute If They Feel Unsafe

This is huge because psychological safety touches innovation, speaking up, learning, accountability, and mistakes. Research by Amy Edmondson found that teams with higher psychological safety are more likely to engage in learning behaviors, openly discuss errors, ask questions, and improve performance.

Why This is Important: Psychological safety creates an environment where people feel safe taking interpersonal risks rather than hiding mistakes or withholding ideas. Employees  are far less likely to contribute ideas they are afraid to share. This presents an opportunity cost the company may not be aware of because you can’t innovate if people fear embarrassment or are faced with constantly being looked over and not supported. They also won’t learn from mistakes if mistakes are treated as personal failures rather than opportunities for growth. So, this is a lose-lose situation for everyone involved.

What To Do: First, it's imperative that you ensure organizational work teams have clearly defined roles and share a common purpose and objective. Equally important, foster a learning environment where "behavior consists of activities carried out by team members through which the team obtains and processes data that allow it to adapt and improve."

What this means is creating trust so people are confident in consistently seeking feedback, sharing information, asking for help, talking about errors, and experimenting. These actions enable teams to "detect changes in the environment, learn about customers' requirements, improve team members' collective understanding of a situation, or discover unexpected consequences of their previous actions" (Edmondson, 1999).

The potential benefits of outcomes that result from these actions often go unrealized in organizations, particularly when teams—believing they're placing themselves at risk—withhold internal knowledge, such as group discussions, brainstorming, and jointly held information. This poses a dilemma for fostering learning and innovation in the organization.

2. Development Opportunities: Growth is a Leverage, Not an “Employee Perk”

Gallup found that organizations making strategic investments in employee development report 11% greater profitability and are twice as likely to retain employees.

Gallup also projects organizations could realize an 18% increase in profit and 14% increase in productivity by increasing meaningful development opportunities.

Why This is Important: Most leaders (I hope) ought to know by now that a paycheck isn’t enough. People want to feel they’re growing, building skills, and moving toward something meaningful. Investing in their development is not only a path to retain the best people, but it’s directly tied to motivation and discretionary effort.

Without developing people, things can quickly become stagnant and not only will engagement, motivation, and ultimately high performance disappear, so will some of your best employees—the ones who know their worth and will not stick around as their aspirations wither in an environment that’s clearly going nowhere quickly.

What To Do: If your organizations views development as a once-a-year conversation tied to performance reviews, please stop. Now is the time for you to begin treating it as an ongoing strategic priority. Help individuals identify meaningful career goals and create clear pathways for growth, whether that leads to promotion, expanded responsibilities, cross-functional experiences, or mastery within their current role. Note: This doesn't always require expensive programs or large budgets. Stretch assignments, mentoring relationships, coaching conversations, job shadowing, special projects, and opportunities to participate in decision-making can all contribute significantly to an individual's growth and engagement.

Leaders also play a critical role in creating a culture of development. Managers should regularly discuss career aspirations, strengths, interests, and future opportunities with their team members rather than waiting for reviews. Organizations that encourage continuous learning through training, coaching, knowledge sharing, professional certifications, and skill-building initiatives send a powerful message: "We are invested in your future."

When people can see a future for themselves within an organization, they are far more likely to remain engaged, contribute discretionary effort, and commit their talents to helping the organization succeed. If organizations are willing to invest millions in systems, platforms, and technology upgrades, they should be equally willing to invest in the growth and development of the people expected to use them.

3. Strengthen Your Weak or Non-Existent Onboarding and  Ensure You Provide Sufficient Training matters

Research repeatedly identifies clarity around expectations, resources, and opportunities to learn and grow as key predictors of engagement and performance. People who don’t receive sufficient onboarding or training often experience lower confidence and engagement, slower productivity, and increased stress, resulting in higher turnover.

Why This is Important: Organizations frequently assume people can simply 'figure it out' yet expect them to perform without equipping or supporting them properly. It’s sort of like handing someone car keys and hoping they somehow teach themselves how to drive while merging onto a highway. You would never!

What To Do: Effective onboarding should be viewed as a strategic process rather than the usual one- or two-day orientation event. This goes beyond the standard HR- and IT-driven protocol of equipping new hires with a laptop and passing out a stack of forms and company schwag after the perfunctory tour of the office.

As one of my clients puts it, he prefers the term "integration" and I agree, because newly hired employees need clarity about their role, a clear understanding of expectations, meaningful introductions to key colleagues, and opportunities to learn how work actually gets done. This of course should be a long-running experience that occurs beyond the first 90 days—all while being integrated into the company's culture and values as demonstrated through the behaviors exhibited by everyone throughout the organization.

A well-designed onboarding experience helps people build confidence, develop relationships, understand the culture, and gradually acquire the knowledge and skills necessary to perform successfully. While this is not exclusively the role of the training department to create, new hire training should be intentional, practical, and ongoing—identifying the knowledge, skills, and resources required for success.

Onboarding (or integration) is just the beginning, as it should provide structured opportunities for people to learn, practice, receive feedback, and continue developing over time. Managers should regularly check for understanding rather than assuming competence, while creating an environment where asking questions is encouraged rather than viewed as a weakness or a nuisance. Further, it's critical that managers are supported in this role, meaning sufficient time and resources are allocated in order that they're able to effectively execute on this endeavor.

Here are 11 Actionable Steps:

1. Create a structured onboarding program that extends not only past the first day but also continues through the first 90 days and beyond.

2. Develop role-specific learning paths that clearly outline the knowledge and skills required for job success.

3. Assign a mentor, buddy, or peer partner to help new hires navigate the organization and build relationships.

4. Establish clear performance expectations and success measures from the beginning.

5. Provide opportunities for hands-on practice before expecting independent performance.

6. Schedule regular check-ins during the onboarding period to answer questions, provide feedback, and address obstacles.

7. Ensure a comprehensive change strategy is implemented to operationalize and reinforce culture and values.  

8. Ensure training includes not only job tasks, but also an introduction to organizational culture, values, systems, processes, and key relationships.

9. Equip managers to integrate coach to support learning and performance.

10. Regularly assess training effectiveness and identify skill gaps before they become performance problems.

11. Create a culture where asking questions and seeking help is viewed as a strength rather than a weakness.

When individuals feel prepared, supported, and capable, they become productive more quickly, make fewer mistakes, experience less stress, and are more likely to remain engaged and committed to the organization. The goal is to help people reach this point, not just check off a box that they got through orientation. Simply put, if performance matters, preparation should matter just as much.

4. Strengthen Managers: People Leave Because of Managers More Often Than Jobs

Gallup's recent workforce findings show only 44% of managers globally have received formal management training, while declining manager engagement is strongly affecting employee engagement and productivity.

Why This is Important: Organizations frequently promote excellent technical performers into management roles and assume leadership skills will somehow arrive with the job title. Unfortunately, managing people requires an entirely different skill set than completing tasks or managing projects.

What To Do: Refer back to my second point above and begin with developing your managers. While it's important to invest in developing individual contributors, organizations ought to be mindful that they also provide support to the people responsible for leading them. Becoming an effective manager doesn't magically happen after a promotion. Managing people is a learned set of skills that requires training, practice, feedback, and ongoing development. If managers are expected to lead people successfully, they must be equipped with the knowledge, tools, and confidence to do so.

One of the most common challenges new managers face is learning how to lead people who were once their peers. Navigating changing relationships, establishing credibility, setting boundaries, and holding former colleagues accountable can feel awkward and uncomfortable, particularly for first-time managers. Without guidance, many avoid difficult conversations altogether, overcompensate by becoming overly authoritative, or struggle to find an appropriate balance between maintaining relationships and meeting performance expectations. Organizations can help by providing targeted support, coaching, and practical tools that prepare managers for these realities before they become significant leadership challenges.

Further, manager development extends far beyond administrative responsibilities and compliance requirements. Managers need practical training in key areas such as coaching for performance, effective communication, active listening, conducting difficult conversations, resolving conflict, building trust, fostering psychological safety, providing meaningful feedback, and holding people accountable in ways that are both respectful and effective. They also need support in exercising sound judgment, making decisions, taking appropriate risks, and leading through uncertainty and change.

Strong managers need to also understand that empathy and accountability are not competing priorities. In fact, the most effective leaders consistently demonstrate both. They care about people while also maintaining clear expectations and maintaining high standards. Another thing to consider is how organizations can help managers understand how to measure and discuss performance in ways that feel constructive rather than punitive. Performance conversations should focus on growth, learning, support, and continuous improvement rather than simply identifying shortcomings.

Here are 14 Actionable Steps Leaders Can Take:

1. Provide formal management and leadership training before or immediately after promotion.

2. Create a first-time manager development program that addresses the transition from individual contributor/peer to manager.

3. Train managers in coaching skills, including asking powerful questions, active listening, and developmental feedback.

4. Equip managers to conduct difficult conversations confidently and respectfully.

5. Provide practical conflict resolution training and opportunities to practice through realistic scenarios.

6. Teach managers how to balance empathy with accountability and performance expectations.

7. Develop communication skills, including one-on-one conversations, team meetings, recognition, and feedback.

8. Train managers to identify, address, and document performance issues early before they escalate.

9. Provide tools and frameworks for goal setting, performance management, and developmental planning.

10. Offer leadership coaching, mentoring, or peer learning groups for ongoing support.

11. Empower managers to make decisions, take calculated risks, and learn from mistakes without fear of punishment.

12. Measure management effectiveness through employee feedback, engagement data, retention, and team performance metrics.

13. Make leadership development an ongoing process rather than a one-time training event.

14. Hold managers accountable not only for business results but also for the development, well-being, and engagement of their teams.

When managers are equipped to lead with clarity, courage, empathy, and accountability, they create environments where people feel supported, challenged, and capable of doing their best work. The reality is that many workplace problems commonly attributed to culture are often leadership and management capability issues in disguise. Strengthening managers is one of the most effective investments an organization can make to improve engagement, performance, retention, and the overall employee experience.

5. Other Things Worth Mentioning

Without going into as much detail, I want to add a few other things organizations should be mindful of.  

Workplace Bullying: I already wrote about the woes, damages, and costs of this unfortunate reality in a previous post, so check that out for more information.

Siloed Structures in the Organization: It's illogical to expect collaboration while simultaneously creating structures, incentives, barriers, and cultures that discourage it. When departments operate in isolation, information becomes fragmented, communication breaks down, and opportunities for innovation are missed.

In some cases, knowledge is even withheld as a source of power or protection. Misunderstandings arise, competing priorities emerge, and frustration grows as teams focus on their own objectives rather than organizational success. Over time, silos waste valuable resources, increase costs unnecessarily, and reduce productivity through duplicated effort, inefficient processes, and missed opportunities to leverage collective expertise.

The most effective organizations are intentional about fostering cross-functional collaboration, knowledge sharing, and collective problem-solving. They recognize that organizational challenges rarely exist neatly within the boundaries of a single department. As a result, they build systems, processes, and cultural norms that encourage people to work together, share information freely, and pursue solutions that benefit the organization as a whole.

Lack of Diversity of Thought: Innovation rarely emerges when everyone thinks the same way, agrees with one another, or protects information as a form of power. It thrives when people with different perspectives feel safe enough to contribute ideas that may challenge the status quo.

Organizations often speak about valuing diversity, yet many unintentionally (or worse: intentionally) de-incentivize it while inadvertently rewarding going with the flow. When people fear criticism, dismissal, or professional consequences for expressing a different viewpoint, they naturally begin withholding ideas.

Over time, teams can fall victim to groupthink, where assumptions go unchallenged, blind spots never get revealed, and opportunities for improvement are brushed off. Diversity of thought means creating an environment where respectful debate, healthy challenge, curiosity, and different perspectives are welcomed. Research consistently show that this leads to better decisions, stronger solutions, and greater innovation—a powerful competitive advantage.

Low Morale and Disengagement: Disengagement is not always obvious. Sometimes it looks like people doing exactly what’s required and nothing more. Sometimes it’s silence in meetings, hesitation to offer ideas, or talented individuals slowly withdrawing long before they resign.

Don’t assume disengagement started right before someone submits a resignation letter. In reality it frequently begins much earlier and emerges when people feel unheard, unsupported, undervalued, overworked, or disconnected from the purpose of their work. As motivation declines, so does people’s willingness to volunteer ideas or ways to solve problems and be emotionally invested in outcomes.

While disengagement may seem like an individual issue on the surface, it’s often a reflection of broader organizational conditions. Left unaddressed, low morale and disengagement can quietly erode trust, productivity, collaboration, innovation, retention, and the overall health of the workplace.

Technology will undoubtedly continue to reshape the workplace in remarkable ways, creating new opportunities for efficiency, innovation, and growth. However, organizations should be careful not to lose sight of the people who ultimately determine whether those opportunities are realized. Healthy cultures, capable leaders, meaningful development, effective onboarding, psychological safety, accountability, and collaboration remain essential ingredients of organizational success.

The organizations that thrive in the years ahead will be those that invest as intentionally in their people as they do in their technology. After all, technology may help people work differently, but people are still the ones who build relationships, solve problems, navigate change, and bring organizations to life.