Tech Investment Not Paying Off? The Mindset REWIRE You Need

Remember that “IT Project” that was meant to solve all your problems? Months later, the system has gone live. The consultants have left, the money has been spent. But the problems still remain. What happened to you is not unique. Over the course of three decades working with organisations across industries, I began to notice a pattern. Teams invest in new technology and then, months later, are puzzled about why the promised gains hadn’t arrived. The technology worked. The people were trained. The go-live had been celebrated. And yet, the returns were not as expected. Something was missing. Something that I now recognise as a mindset rewire. The deliberate, often uncomfortable process of changing not just how we work, but how we adapt to work in the new paradigm. It is the step that most programmes overlook. And it is the reason many of them disappoint.

Which brings me to this equation:

OO + NT = EOO

For years, I have used this equation to convince my clients of the perils of skipping the mindset rewire. If you are looking to leverage technology to raise your game, whether as a professional, entrepreneur, leader, or even as individuals in your personal life, then this equation is worth making a note of.

So, what’s it all about?

• OO = Old Organisation — any individual, team, or organisation in its steady state; ambling along with its share of achievements and setbacks, but with a genuine desire to improve.
• NT = New Technology — the introduction of new tech, ranging from apps to ERPs, and from AI to quantum computing.
• EOO = Expensive Old Organisation — the new “steady state” where the individual or organisation performs the same work as before, but with lower efficiency and higher cost.

Old Organisation + New Technology = Expensive Old Organisation

This is no laughing matter. Time and again, organisations and individuals have involuntarily made this equation come true because they did not adequately consider the changes to mindset and attitude required for eventual success. In other words, they did not rewire.

When the tech works but the mindset doesn’t shift

I was a supply chain consultant at a major power utility, helping them implement a complex ERP solution with a data warehouse sitting atop it. The promised benefits of the ERP were substantial in their own right. However, the upside from the implementation of the business intelligence and data warehouse layer had made the entire deal even more compelling. Enhanced efficiency, reduced cost, faster reporting, easier and more effective data-driven decision making. The list went on and on. However, six, nine, even twelve months after go-live, the organisation is still waiting for the efficiency gains. Why? What happened? After due reflection, we saw OO + NT play out in front of our eyes.

The situation need not be limited to organisations alone. It applies to us in our personal lives too. A few months ago, I downloaded a paid recipe app — one of those beautifully designed tools that promised to become a single repository for all my recipes. It manages ingredient lists, scales quantities, and brings some order to the chaos of a busy kitchen. The app was quite good. But I kept reaching for the familiar. Scribbled notes, dog-eared cookbooks, my wife’s memory, recipes shared on social media platforms by friends. Meanwhile, the app sat on my phone, largely untouched. The anticipated benefits — convenience, organisation, smarter shopping, ease of use — never materialised. Not because the app failed but because I was not ready. I had new technology sitting on top of old habits. Classic EOO, playing out in my own kitchen. 

It is precisely in these situations — large and small — that a mindset rewire matters. In my experience, the rewiring process, while tangible, is more mental than physical. It is not only about new ways of doing old things, but also about doing new things.

What it actually looks like

A mindset rewire can begin with good anticipation and visualisation of the future. A significant part of that future is likely decided by others and we must accept it. But there is also a dimension within our own area of influence that we can actively shape. And that is where we should begin our personal rewiring journey.

What do I want the future to look like?  

If we are in a team that is implementing new tech, this is the question we should encourage every stakeholder to think about. Once that vision begins to emerge, the question becomes: 

What should I be doing today to adapt better tomorrow?  

In IT interventions, this often means re-training users on how to use the new system. But I feel that is the bare minimum, and truth be told, quite inadequate. System learning needs to be accompanied by mental leapfrogging. For example, at the power utility client I had consulted with, leadership began to explain to each user that if their job previously involved preparing reports for management, the new system was already generating those reports automatically. They did not need to print the reports for further action. We questioned the users on what they could do with their newly freed up time. This is where a mindset rewire led to a significant shift. We challenged stakeholders to think about WHAT IF their role evolved to not just preparing the reports, but analysing them, actioning them, and owning recommendations.   

That is the question that separates rewiring from mere retraining. However, this is not something that can be addressed at an individual level alone. After all, if one user now felt empowered to analyse the reports and take decisions off them, would they be treading on the toes of their colleagues? In this instance leadership needed to step in, and they did. They oversaw tasks, roles, responsibilities and entire teams to better align the organisation to take advantage of the new technology. Rewiring the mindset at an individual level can bring about an organisational rewire. My client had missed the opportunity during the original implementation, but did it as soon as they realised how critical it was for realising the benefits. 

Mindset rewire in my own kitchen

Thankfully, the mindset rewire instinct kicked in for my use of the recipe app too. I consciously began digitizing my recipes. I scanned the scribbled notes using the app, added my favorite recipes from my recipe books, and fed the app with hyperlinks of recipe websites. The app was smart enough to slot ingredients, directions, and pictures from scanned images and links to the appropriate parts of the recipe record. Along the way, I began to categorise the uploaded recipes, tagging them for meal type, nutrition levels and cooking experience. This did require a significant investment of effort, but a few weeks later, this had become part of my cooking rhythm, and the app had transformed into my single source of recipes. 

Now when I have zucchini in the fridge, all I need to do is search for zucchini on the app. It shows me all the recipes with zucchini that I have uploaded, the ingredients needed, cooking times, quantities, and more. Furthermore, I can make the dish in Hong Kong where I live, or while on vacation in a holiday rental without having to lug my cookbooks with me. I can dial up or down the quantities for a party or a cosy family meal, share recipes, and work towards improving wellness. The investment had paid off. Mission accomplished! 

A call to action

Here is what I want to leave you with. Think of the last piece of technology you or your organisation adopted. A new platform, new tool, or a new system. Now, ask yourself honestly: 

• Did the culture change, or was the change limited to the tech platform alone? 
• Did roles evolve, or did old habits simply migrate onto a new interface? 
• Was there a conversation about how the new technology could free up time in teams’ day at work, allowing them to achieve more? Or did that conversation never happen? 
• If it did not happen, was it because of an undercurrent of apprehension that the new platform would lead to a reduction of headcount?
• Looking back, what could you have done differently during the implementation? More importantly, what WILL you do differently the next time you embark on such an engagement?  

A better equation

If the efficiency gains you expected haven’t arrived, the technology is rarely the culprit. The good news is that it is never too late to start. The awareness that OO + NT = EOO is itself the first step. What you do with that awareness — how you prepare your people, reimagine roles, and create the conditions for innovative change — is where the real work lies.

And that work, in my experience, is always worth doing. Let us move on from the tyranny of  OO + NT = EOO and create a better equation.

OO + NT + REWIRE = NNO (Nimble New Organisation)

This blog is part of a series of blogs on #REWIRE. Click here to read Anjani’s blog about cultural rewire and Ripudaman’s blog about career rewire. If you would like to explore the topic further, download the REWIRE worksheet.

Hi, I’m Vikas. I’m a Banking and Consulting industry professional with experience across South & South East Asia and Europe. I thrive on transformation and complex programme delivery. I believe that planned and considered effort, when invested sensibly, can deliver big benefits. An inclusion champion, and visual artist (Zen.Zarf), I have three exhibitions under my belt. I love sport and support the Liverpool Football Club. Do connect with me on LinkedIn. You’ll Never Walk Alone.