Last month, the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation announced its annual “Luddite Awards,” dedicated to the entities that actively oppose innovation in technology. Similar to a Darwin Award, this is something you do not want to win.
What is a Luddite?
According to Merriam-Webster, the
traditional definition of a Luddite is “one of a group of early 19th century English workmen destroying laborsaving machinery as a protest.” Now, however, the definition is used more broadly as “one who is opposed to especially technological change.”
The Luddite Awards
Technological innovation is the wellspring of social and economic progress. Despite this, a growing array of interests—some economic, some ideological—now stand resolutely in opposition to innovation. These “neo-Luddites” have worked to convince the public and policymakers that technological innovation is something to be feared and contained. If these advocates are successful, Americans will suffer in the form of lower quality of life and reduced societal growth. To
highlight the worst neo-Luddite ideas of the year and the negative impacts they could cause, the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation is releasing a new report presenting its first annual Luddite Awards. It recognizes the ten organizations and or individuals that have done the most in 2014 to smash the engines of innovation.
This year’s winner was not the media or a company, but to the states of
Arizona, Michigan, New Jersey, and Texas Taking Action to Prevent Tesla From Opening Stores to Sell Cars Directly to Consumers. Makes sense, right? Innovation abounds, but there are always those who fight against it. This sounds all-too-familiar to a struggle plaguing organizations today: Cloud Opposers.
Luddites Among Us
Far too often, companies are plagued with Luddites, especially in the form of opponents to cloud computing applications. Citing outdated studies, personal preferences, and sometimes lies, these people rely on fear mongering to keep your organization from saving time and money in the cloud. The fear mongering is doing little more than delaying the inevitable move to the cloud that your organization is sure to accomplish. They have trusted in the same processes and procedures for years (if not decades), and change scares them. Like the literal Luddites of old, they will make attempts to fight automation and inevitable technology improvements by all means possible.
Don’t Let the Luddites Win
If you have these kind of people in your organization, present them with facts, debunk their myths, and use logic. If you’re in the market for accounting software, it’s important to get the facts. Remember,
there are many products out there still that actually predate the internet. If you are looking for a modern accounting solution, be sure to learn more using the following resources:
Even if you’re not ready to make the jump, we’d like to welcome you to try a
free trial of the best in class financial management software used by over 8,500 growing businesses each day—Intacct. When you are ready to make the move,
contact Altruas to learn more.
