Analyzing your association’s tech ecosystem helps create harmony between systems and business processes.
It doesn’t take more than a quick Google search to see headlines buzzing about “tech ecosystems”—and for good reason.
From a biological perspective, we know ecosystems are so interconnected that even minor disruptions can trigger chain events that affect the system’s overall health. Viewing technology through this lens helps associations understand the breadth of digital tools they are using and how their interactions affect the system as a whole.
“A tech ecosystem, in my context, is made up of systems that you might not be aware of that touch your association management solution or data,” said Gretchen Steenstra, director of client strategy at DelCor Technology Solutions. “Now that associations are having more distributed ecosystems made up of virtual event platforms and event registration platforms, and their websites are doing more, these connections are becoming more important.”
Analysis of tech ecosystems gives associations the visibility needed to identify trends, pitfalls, and opportunities. “Sometimes the conversations you have end up being the most important part of the process,” Steenstra said. “Having a basic picture gets everyone on the same page.”
Steenstra said that sophisticated organizations often need to keep a detailed, up-to-date document outline of their tech ecosystem.
“That way, when you’re talking to your technology partners, you’ll lbe working off the same definitions,” she said. “If you’re a smaller organization, it may be something you talk about once or twice a year when looking at new systems or maintenance and updates.”
Technology Selection Begins with Ecosystem Analysis
In her role at DelCor, Steenstra helps associations identify business objectives, assess and select new technology management systems, and connect business needs to technology resources. She said it’s essential to begin any technology selection project with an understanding of desired outcomes.
“We always start with the goals and objectives of the selection project,” she said. “Who’s doing what? What systems do you have, and how may they be impacted? Who owns the systems, and how do they need to be part of this conversation?”
Associations with multiple technology vendors should ensure everyone has a seat at the table. For example, Steenstra said one of her clients recently had a two-part conversation along these lines. In the first, the client brought together business owners to get a big-picture view of their goals and outcomes, which were to improve education and outreach. Then, the client brought his AMS, learning management, and website providers together for a discussion centered on the group’s tech ecosystem.
“It was the most productive conversations he had ever had with any of his vendors because their guards were down—they weren’t competing, they were being complimentary,” Steenstra said. “They were appreciative to be part of the conversation rather than being told, ‘Oh, by the way, this decision has been made, and now you, as a vendor, will need to do some reverse engineering to make it happen.’”
Overcoming Challenges
Analysis of an association’s tech ecosystem is rarely a heavy lift, but achieving alignment among disparate systems can be a challenging (but necessary) task. Steenstra has seen this play out in various ways.
“We’ve seen cases where people have identified the systems in play, how they want the member experience to look, and how they want their data to move,” she said. “Then, when they talk to their vendors, there may be data that’s extremely difficult to integrate—for example, between an AMS and a data analytics tool. Then you have to make a decision: Do you want to pay $5,000 to get that field over into your data analytics platform, or are you OK with the 10 default fields?”
Getting those decisions right can be difficult. At the same time, any conversation that unravels tightly wound balls of string within a tech ecosystem is a good thing, even if the process is a little painful.
“It’s an excellent consensus-building process,” Steenstra said. “Sometimes it can be adversarial, but not negative. No one says, ‘I don’t like the technology team.’ It’s more of ‘I don’t understand why everything I ask them to do is so hard.’ Often, people just don’t know what others need and is of value to them.”
Ecosystem discussions can also give board members and leaders a better understanding of why certain investments are needed. “That insight makes them more comfortable and willing to relinquish control in some cases,” Steenstra said.
Ultimately, in the same way an ecologist’s understanding of a biological ecosystem helps promote life-sustaining balance, conversations about tech ecosystems energize organizations to gain clarity, seek alignment, and take action to improve the member experience.
DelCor works closely with associations and nonprofits to offer outsourced IT support, CIO services, technology assessments, and digital workplace consulting. For more information on DelCor’s digital workplace consulting services and association technology solutions, visit delcor.com.
The post Tech Ecosystems: What They Are, and How They Can Benefit Your Association appeared first on Associations Now.
0 Commentaires