Transform IT Podcast Ep.21
The Value of Skepticism in the IT Industry
In this episode, hosts Patrick Pahls and Miraj Jiwani are joined remotely by Retired Oil States CIO, Randy Lakner, to discuss the value of positive skepticism in IT.
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“A Skeptic is NOT a Nay-Sayer”
Often in the IT industry, the term “skeptic” can get get a bad rap. The perception of the term is someone who refuses to digitally transform, adopt new technologies, or doesn’t want to evaluate their current business processes. However, healthy skepticism in IT is far from a negative concept, and can impact a organization’s custom retention rate for the better.
Randy Laker, recently retired CIO of Oil States International, says that few (if any) companies understand the true value of productive skepticism. Randy states that customers are the biggest skeptics an organization will encounter, and looking at products, processes and services through their point of view will help create customer-centric value and retention in the long run.
In the ever changing world of IT, it’s crucial for an organization to test, troubleshoot and structure their technological offerings from the perspective of a customer, not a subject matter expert. Further, questioning “if” something can be implemented just because it “can” be implemented is a pillar in the customer value offering.
“Within a technological R&D department, developers are unaware of how that technology will actually be used by customers. True value is created when the epiphany strikes these developers to test and troubleshoot these technologies in the same manner a customer would.”
– Randy Lakner, Retired CIO of Oil States International
Listen as Randy discusses the value of skepticism in IT, impacts of changing technologies and trends, and the pillars of customer centered processes.
We invite you to join the conversation and share your thoughts with us on social media. You can find us on Twitter @SmartbridgeLLC #TransformIT