Chapter 11. Technology Excellence Matters
In a message to shareholders in 2015, General Electric Chairperson Jeff Immelt stated, “We believe that every industrial company will become a software company.” GE has set a goal to become one of the top 10 software companies by 2020—among software giants like Microsoft, Oracle, and SAP.
The exponential growth in technology is driving heightened customer expectations, new competitive advantages, and market changes at an increasing speed never seen in the Industrial Age. To thrive in the Digital Age, business leaders need to be able to operate comfortably surrounded by ambiguity and use technology to redefine the value delivered to customers. In this new era, technology no longer sits on the sidelines supporting the business—technology is becoming the business.
Almost every company in the world uses some technical solutions already. Just adding more devices and applications don’t make you a technology company. Building technology at the core means that you view the world through the lens of technology. Technology should be at the heart of your business strategy.
In a business for which technology is a differentiator, technology excellence matters. It’s the foundation to deliver the most engaging UX, fastest response to market changes, and the most innovative solutions to customers and partners.
However, technology excellence is defined differently in different contexts. For some systems, excellence could mean it doesn’t break; for others, ...
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