Can Technology make you more efficient?

Adriana Girdler

Banks target expenses to boost bottom line The Globe and Mail’s Feb 2, 2012 article, “Banks Target Expenses to Boost Bottom Line” discusses the bank’s …

Banks target expenses to boost bottom line

The Globe and Mail’s Feb 2, 2012 article, Banks Target Expenses to Boost Bottom Line” discusses the bank’s approach to reduce cost by slowing the growth of expenses. As quoted by Gord Nixon, Royal Bank of Canada Chief Executive Officer, From our perspective we’ve focused on utilizing technology to improve efficiency, as opposed to mass head count reduction”. I applaud the approach of not cutting heads as the only solution to reducing cost, but I also caution using technology as the solution to becoming more efficient.

Technology should be a tool, not the solution to improving efficiency. So what is the difference? Technology as the solution means you replace a way of working with another way of working and cross your fingers hoping that the solution will fix all problems. But does anyone truly know what the real problem is? You could be replacing one problem with another and not even know it. But if we think of technology as a tool this means we first look at how we work. We take the time to understand how everything and everyone interacts. Then we identify and rid the waste in our ways of working. Last, if needed, we then use the right technology to make the new process more efficient. This approach will resolve the issue the first time and increase workplace efficiency.

Sometimes the best way to reduce cost is to simply look at how you work. This in itself can be a huge cost and time savings for everyone involved. Sometimes you don’t need to spend money in order to save it!

How has technology helped you streamline your business processes? Feel free to leave a comment below or shout out to us on Facebook or Twitter. Of course, you could always write your own blog post on the subject and share it with us… We’d love to read it!

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Adriana Girdler is a project manager, productivity specialist, entrepreneur, professional speaker, facilitator, visioning wizard, and author. As President of CornerStone Dynamics, Adriana is one of Canada’s prominent business productivity and project management specialists—helping both individuals and businesses do what they do, only better. She is a certified master black belt lean six sigma with over 20 years’ experience improving how companies work.

She also holds both PMP (project management professional) and CET (certified engineering technologist) designations. She’s a Tedx speaker, as well as a HuffPost and Thrive Global contributor. She has been interviewed on Global, CBC, CTV, CHCH, 680News Radio, Newstalk 1010, Sirius XM and published in the Globe and Mail and numerous industry magazines. WANT ADRIANA'S FREE ONLINE TRAINING? In 45 min, learn Adriana's 5 project management secrets she use on EVERY project. Sign up for the Free Webinar here: THE FAB FIVE FUNDAMENTALS OF PROJECT MANAGEMENT

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