CHAPTER 2Leading Smart Nonprofits
INTRODUCTION
Smart tech challenges our notions of power and autonomy, which is why blindly sliding into its use without adequate knowledge or preparation is such a frightening prospect. George Westerman wrote, “Technology changes quickly, but organizations change much more slowly. This … is the reason that digital transformation is more of a leadership challenge than a technical one.”1
Our greatest concern is the possibility that leaders will think smart tech is a technical problem to be solved by the IT department rather than a profoundly important leadership issue. This is the pathway to the unethical use of smart tech. The careful and ethical use of smart tech within organizations isn't possible without engaged, thoughtful leadership.
No boards would hire executive directors who said finance wasn't for them, they didn't get it, and they would leave the budgeting and financial decisions up to other people. Fortunately, you do not need to become a computer programmer to understand how and why technology is changing your organization and the world. Smart tech is taking over decision-making in many parts of organizations, and senior leaders need to understand how this technology works and when and how to use it well. The people most affected by automation are the staff doing the everyday work of keeping organizations functioning: bookkeepers, social workers, human resource professionals, and fundraisers. They deserve to know what's happening ...
Get The Smart Nonprofit now with the O’Reilly learning platform.
O’Reilly members experience books, live events, courses curated by job role, and more from O’Reilly and nearly 200 top publishers.
