WORKSHOP:
PLANNING FOR TECHNOLOGY INTEGRATION
Saturday, March 28, 1998, 9:30 to 11:00 a.m.

PRESENTERS: JOE MATUZAK, Director, Arts Wire, and REG FOSTER, IBM’s Corporate Community Relations Manager.
By: Anne Van Ingen

This practical workshop was geared for small to mid-sized organizations dealing with integrating new technologies. A collaborative presentation led attendees through the basic steps in creating and implementing a technology plan for their organization.

The first, and probably most important, point made in this session was that the mission of the organization must drive its technology decisions, not the other way around. Presenters stressed that a lot of time and resources should not be invested on new technology until the extent to and ways in which it will support what the organization does is known. The technology plan should also: include an inventory of existing systems; cover the next three to five years (at the most); and include consideration of all hardware, software, related equipment, staff training and communication systems (telephones, faxes, and internet connections). It is also important for the plan to develop a vision and a goals statement for the technology, after determining what is realistic and achievable. The plan needs to include a timeline and a thorough budget. A “Technology Team” should be established to draw up the plan, and it should have a leader and a clear schedule of meetings and expectations. Participants should include the Executive Director, Board members, program and administrative staff, outside “friends” of the organization with expertise in technology, and possibly even major funders.

The two presenters spent a considerable amount of time discussing staff development issues. The point was made that sufficient staff training and the proper deployment of equipment and systems within an organization is often more important than having more sophisticated technology that is not being used effectively. It was also noted that a broad spectrum of approaches to staff training should be offered and that leaders of organizations should be generous with time allocation for this. Since different people learn differently, different training scenarios should be established: self-training with tutorials and books; peer mentoring; staff training staff; and the use of outside training centers, both commercial and at local colleges or universities, are examples. Training should be an ongoing activity of the organization.

Some general points were made about the plan’s implementation. The presenters noted that most organizations find that implementation is more complicated and can take longer than anticipated, although efforts should be made to stay on the established schedule. Implementation will probably be more “evolutionary” than anticipated and may need to be put in place in phases. For those reasons, managers need to be flexible. It also needs to be recognized that change is difficult for many people, and that this is certainly true with technological advances. The presenters also noted that an organization that draws up a solid, realistic and achievable technology plan that supports its mission is a much stronger candidate for funding from corporations and foundations interested in supporting technology. Funders have become more sophisticated in considering these proposals and look for institutions that have carefully thought through their technology needs and that can demonstrate how that will support their mission.

One attendee noted that Carnegie Mellon University’s Graduate Program in Arts Management includes extensive training in technology. Students often need internships, and they could be very helpful to smaller organizations looking for some technological expertise. Check the school’s Web Page at http://www.artsnet.org for information.