Why isn’t this technology making work easier?

Have you ever heard of soft infrastructure in organizations? I hadn’t until a couple weeks ago.

At Good Tech Fest, I was introduced to this concept and it names something that I’ve been trying to put my finger on for years!

So I wanted to tell you about it.

So what is hard infrastructure, when it comes to organizations? It refers to the technical processes that form the bureaucratic framework. It's like a metaphorical pipeline through which information and forms flow. This can be analog, such as physical forms that travel through an organization, or more commonly, technology-based, like Customer Relationship Management software or manufacturing machines used in production.

Soft infrastructure is a bit more elusive. It encompasses the intangible aspects that are often challenging to quantify, assign a monetary value to, or track. It involves the human elements that surrounds the hard infrastructure. And by human element, I don't simply mean the people themselves, but also the strategy, design, and the translation that occurs between technology and its purpose or use.

In my experience, much of the technology we encounter is essentially a sophisticated database. I've worked with many individuals who dedicate themselves to maintaining clean data within these databases. By "clean," I mean ensuring consistency and accuracy when inputting information into specific fields. So, the hard infrastructure represents the database, while the soft infrastructure comprises the translation performed by each person who interacts with the database. This translation involves taking a person's name, for example, and placing the first and last names into separate fields instead of combining them in the last name field. Without proper translation, not only can data can become confusing, but the technology itself, the hard infrastructure does not work effectively or efficiently — often it becomes more of a time suck.

No technical manual can eliminate the significance of soft infrastructure in organizations. Humans are inherently fallible. We make mistakes, interpret things differently, take things personally, and occasionally take time off work. Soft infrastructure accounts for these factors. However, it's important to note that soft infrastructure extends beyond soft skills such as time management, communication, and adaptability.

Truly grasping the relationship between soft infrastructure and hard infrastructure necessitates a paradigm shift. Rather than asking why our processes aren't functioning efficiently despite having them all in place, we should start asking what we can learn from how they are currently operating.

In this new paradigm, there is no definitive right answer. Instead, the focus shifts to finding an answer that works within the specific conditions and circumstances of each organization. By extrapolating insights from these conditions, we can develop smoother-running systems that don't require a lengthy discovery process to get off the ground. However, we must also integrate the understanding that change is inherent to the process itself.