Presentation:

"Putting the Pieces Together: Effective Practices for Managing the People Side of Technology Change"

"Organizations that proactively engage individuals during a technology change adopt the technology twice as fast as those organizations that do not engage individuals during the process."

-Beverly Magda, Ph.D.

Research has shown the top reasons why technology projects fail are not necessarily because of the technology itself, but because of human elements. The effects of a technology change can have a significant impact on the individuals in an organization, and the way an organization responds can lead to either the success or failure of the project.

This session covers applied research that was conducted at emergency departments undergoing a technology change (the transition to electronic patient tracking systems) and the real life practical application of methods used to mitigate the effects of the change in order to successfully implement the new technologies.

A combination of research and nearly 20 years of practical experience leading IT projects has lead the methods that will be discussed in this session. Come discover the missing pieces of the technology change puzzle.

Biography:

Beverly Magda, Ph.D., is the Associate Dean of the Master of Professional Studies in Technology Management program at Georgetown University's School of Continuing Studies. Prior to moving into academia full time, Dr. Magda spent nearly 20 years leading IT initiatives with more than half the time in education and non-profit organizations. She also was an adjunct faculty member at Johns Hopkins University in the School of Business and Hood College in the Computer Science department. Having lead many technology initiatives in her career, she has seen firsthand the effects of such types of change on individuals within organizations. This has lead to her doctoral research of determining methods for mitigating the effects of technology transformations. She asserts that the people-side of technology change should be considered in order for technology conversions to be successful. Her research has led to presentations across the country and consultations at organizations undergoing technological change. She holds a Ph.D. in Engineering Management & Systems Engineering from The George Washington University, a Master of Science in Telecommunications Management, and a Bachelor of Science in Computer & Information Science.

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