Swift

Antonio Angelo is the father of Pietra and Gabriela, a lover of cooking, rock and roll, and in his spare time, a middle-distance runner (10 to 21 km). With over 30 years of experience in IT, the last 27 of which were dedicated to the retail sector, Angelo has worked in a variety of contexts at renowned companies such as McDonald’s and Starbucks. For the past 10 years, he has played an important role at Swift Brazil, leading the IT area and the Global Information Technology Committee. He is fully involved in Digital Transformation, Omnichannel, and topics related to Customer Experience at local and global levels. He is also pursuing a master’s degree in Information Technology Competitiveness Management at FGV – SP.

In today’s competitive marketplace, technology stands out as a key driver of innovation. Companies are looking to streamline their operations and enhance the customer experience, prioritizing the implementation of new technology solutions to ensure a competitive advantage.

However, the effectiveness of these innovations does not depend solely on the technology itself, but on a deep strategic alignment that includes not only technological processes but human behavior. One of the biggest challenges companies face when adopting new technologies is ensuring they generate real and measurable value. Substantial investments are made in solutions that promise a lot, but at the end of the project, they sometimes result in partial innovations that meet only some requirements or areas of the company. When technology investments are not connected to the strategic objectives of the business, projects fail to deliver significant value and end up becoming isolated initiatives or just meeting schedules. Surprisingly, this is a common mistake in many organizations!

In my corporate experience, I have encountered many situations where success was measured by project delivery rather than by delivering real value to the business. Perhaps a few years ago, when technology was primarily seen as a support tool, this type of metric made sense. However, today, with technology acting as a generator of competitive differentiation, it is essential that it is completely aligned with the business strategy in search of value generation.

 Technology alone does not create change. Only when it is supported by an integrated strategy and appropriate organizational behavior can technological innovation become a lasting competitive advantage. 

Nowadays, for technological innovation to generate value, it is crucial to align the IT strategy with business objectives, which must be clear and solid. The technology roadmap must directly reflect the company's goals and ambitions, preventing investments from becoming isolated initiatives.

When this alignment is well executed, technology shifts from merely delivering projects to providing products and services that impact performance indicators. These indicators are measured by Objectives and Key Results (OKRs) or business KPIs that are genuinely linked to the company's strategy.

A simple and good example can be the conversion rate in online sales, where technology initiatives should be measured by the impact they generate on conversion, rather than the number of deliveries made.

In this context, it is also necessary to review how goals are established and broken down in the organization, as well as the digital training of leadership. The organizational culture may need adjustment to have a more focused approach to behaviors that seek to generate value, including the way of leading and measuring results. Initiatives should be prioritized by OKRs, and the goals of each area, as well as individual objectives, should be directly connected to the company's business objectives.

And where does human behavior fit into this equation? Simply in everything! Attitudes such as determination, collaboration, creativity, resilience, and communication skills are essential for the success of technological initiatives. They are the true catalysts that transform innovation into value, permeating the company culture and ensuring that technological solutions reach their maximum potential.

A clear example of this alignment between technology, strategy, and behavior could be seen during the COVID-19 pandemic. In my current company, this synergy was intensified during this challenging period, and the gains were substantial compared to the more vertical work format we had previously used. The crisis forced us to accelerate digital processes and integrate IT and business more efficiently, resulting in deliveries that truly impacted our strategic indicators.

As with everything in life, there is no magic formula that works for all organizations. Each company must reflect and test these practices within its context. However, one thing is certain: technology alone does not create change. Only when it is supported by an integrated strategy and appropriate organizational behavior can technological innovation become a lasting competitive advantage.