Accenture takes on the ‘tech-clash’ with Tampa Bay Tech

Businesses need to shift their thinking on technology in order to win consumer trust.

That’s one of the conclusions of a new report from Accenture, a global company and one of the largest professional services firms in the Tampa-St. Petersburg area.

The report, Accenture Technology Vision 2020, will be unveiled locally at the Tampa Bay Tech poweredUP Tech series.

Stuart Brown

It’s intended to be a conversation starter and a C-Suite level blueprint for top business leaders to think about how technology is being used at their companies, said Stuart Brown, managing director and group technology officer for Accenture’s Microsoft Business Group. Brown will present the report at the Tampa Bay Tech members-only meeting Wednesday morning at Embarc Collective. Event information is here.

Consumers increasingly rely on technology in their daily lives, but organizations’ efforts to meet those consumers’ needs and expectations are falling short, according to the Accenture report.

That can be perceived as a “tech-lash,” or backlash against technology, but the report says there’s actually a “tech-clash,” or  a disconnect between business and technology models that are incongruous with people’s needs and expectations.

“We hear a lot about the tech-lash, which is more against what we would consider traditional technology companies like Google or Facebook,” Brown said. “But this is really around the idea of a tech-clash. It’s a collision between business and technology.”

A tech-clash occurs when businesses fail to align their drive to create business value with their customers’ and employees’ values and expectations. When that alignment exists, then trust is created, Brown said.

“To move from a tech-clash to trust, companies have to create business and technology enabled models that balance value with values … That’s the ultimate currency of the future.”

The report includes five specific technology trends Accenture anticipates will power business models in 2020. Business leaders at companies of all sizes should ask how those trends impact their own operations, both short-term and long-term, Brown said.

“My biggest hope is it drives conversation in organizations and individuals around what does this mean for me, and can they expand that?” Brown said. “I can think of no better place to start this than Embarc, where there are 43 startups, where companies will either grow big on their own or become acquired by others. Think about how do you apply this even at the startup level. If you get these things right you will be a successful company, no matter the size, and it’s important for folks to take this back to their organizations and think about the impact.”