Strategic Technology Adoption: Moving Beyond the Hype for Sustainable Growth

Discussion with Munishk Gupta

Munishk Gupta, a seasoned technology strategist with over two decades of experience, has played a pivotal role in shaping digital transformation across telecom, fintech, and healthcare. He pioneered mobile value-added services and mobile payment systems in Middle East & Africa, contributed to fintech innovations in emerging markets, and led major digital initiatives in healthcare. His work has consistently focused on using technology to drive inclusion & accessibility, efficiency, and business growth. Drawing from his extensive expertise, this article explores how organizations can strategically align technology adoption with corporate maturity, ensuring sustainable growth and long-term ROI.

Aligning Technology with Corporate Maturity: Key Challenges and Considerations

As organizations strive to integrate technology into their operations, a critical challenge is ensuring alignment with their corporate maturity. Gupta emphasizes that companies must move beyond media-driven hype to make technology decisions that are sustainable and yield long-term ROI.

Companies often fall into the trap of pursuing emerging technologies without a concrete strategy. The tendency to follow trends, particularly in areas such as artificial intelligence, cloud computing, or automation, can lead to misaligned investments that fail to deliver meaningful outcomes at the initial expected cost and become a "leaky bucket." The key to successful adoption is identifying real use cases that align with both the organization’s operational structure and its long-term objectives through a maturity-based governance structure."Companies need to think beyond superficial implementation. Instead of chasing hype, they must identify real use cases that align with their long-term growth (or efficiency) strategy. Without a detailed insight into what they truly need, technology investments become short-lived and ineffective, ultimately ending by becoming a sunk cost”, he says. 

Another critical factor is resources and expertise. While outsourcing may be a viable short-term solution, Gupta argues that organizations must develop internal capabilities over time. A robust upskilling initiative ensures that companies retain knowledge, reduce reliance on external vendors, and maintain control over strategic technology decisions and assets. The process of technological transformation should not only involve integrating tools but also fostering a culture where employees can continuously learn, adapt, and innovate.

Augmented Intelligence vs. True AI: Understanding the Difference

Artificial intelligence is often misunderstood or miscommunicated, leading companies to overestimate its capabilities and goals. Gupta clarifies that what most organizations currently use is not true AI but augmented intelligence. “Everyone knows of artificial intelligence, but what we have today is not artificial intelligence; it is more augmented intelligence and GenAI. So still, it is AI in terms of wording, but we have not reached the point of real AI; where the machine is capable of doing everything for company or a human”, he clarifies. 

The distinction is crucial because it determines how organizations should approach AI adoption based on their structured and unstructured data. Businesses must recognize that AI in its current state serves as an assistant to automation rather than a replacement for human decision-making. Investing in AI should therefore focus on enhancing processes, automating routine tasks, and supporting human expertise rather than aiming for full autonomy, and there are clear ROI evidences across industries.

Recognizing Readiness for Strategic Technology Integration

A clear signal that an organization is ready to leverage technology strategically is when leadership begins questioning what is missing to stay competitive. Companies that regularly evaluate their existing technology stack, assess gaps, and explore new opportunities for productivity or profitability are in a prime position to adopt technology more effectively, and this could be at the corporate and/or business unit level.

Organizations must first assess their competitive landscape. If competitors are gaining an edge through technology-driven strategies, it becomes crucial to determine whether their success is replicable or if a differentiated approach is necessary. Furthermore, companies must consider how their existing technology landscape has performed over time—whether it has served its intended purpose and whether new advancements can enhance efficiency, drive additional source of revenue, or introduce new market opportunities – otherwise they may repeat similar mistakes and miss the target. Gupta points out: “The moment leadership starts asking, ‘How can we be ahead?’ or ‘What’s missing in our operations?’—that’s when technology adoption shifts from being an operational necessity to a strategic enabler as the growth can be exponential than linear".

Readiness also manifests in the form of serious commitment through to a business case under the responsibility of different stakeholders. Organizations that move from theoretical discussions to structured pilots and proof-of-concept projects demonstrate that they are prepared to take a scalable approach to tech integration. Leadership must ensure that technology adoption is not just an IT initiative but a company-wide effort, where business leaders, finance teams, and operational managers contribute to defining priorities and expected outcomes and jointly need to lead the initiative.

Governance as a Process, Not Just a Structure

Governance is often misunderstood, according to Gupta, which leads to inefficiencies in technology adoption. Gupta emphasizes that governance is not merely about compliance or reporting, but about ensuring technology initiatives remain aligned with business goals. “Governance is often mistaken for a rigid structure focused on documentation and reporting. Many assume it’s just a committee making decisions from the top down, but in reality, governance should be a dynamic and evolving process depending on the stage and maturity”, Gupta emphasizes. 

Leaders should be clear on the “DO’s” but also on the “DO NOT’s,” and the same should be cascaded down so everyone is clear about the purpose, scope, goal, and driving factor. It needs to be sustainable, then only the organization is able to build capability.

Successful governance requires a structured yet flexible approach. Organizations must ensure that decision-makers at every phase of the technology lifecycle have the right expertise. Governance should focus on guiding technology investments in a way that aligns with broader corporate objectives, rather than becoming a bureaucratic exercise.

Startups: Technology as a Business Enabler

For startups, technology adoption is particularly nuanced. Gupta highlights that startups must first determine whether they are a deep technology company or a business leveraging technology to solve a problem. 

Many startups fail not because their technology is inadequate but because they lack a clear value proposition, market positioning, or a path to scalability. A successful startup must have a well-defined problem it is solving and a solid understanding of how technology fits into that solution.

Startups must also be mindful of their resource allocation. Unlike large enterprises, which can afford longer experimentation cycles, startups need to be agile, focusing on quick iterations, customer feedback, and monetization strategies. Choosing the right technology, optimizing investments, and ensuring strategic alignment with business objectives are critical for long-term survival and success. Gupta asserts, "A startup must decide early: are they building a technology product, or are they solving a business problem with technology? That clarity defines their approach to product development, funding, and scaling".

Key Takeaways for Executives

From his extensive experience advising C-suite leaders, Gupta shares some key principles for successful technology adoption:

• Technology has moved from "enabler" to "business partner" in the last 10 years, and now we see technology is driving business more and more. Regular analysis of the IT Landscape is critical (beyond one-time exercise).

• Focus on structured, well-researched use cases applicable to their business needs, rather than following trends blindly. Organizations should be wary of adopting technology merely because of media buzz or competitive pressure.

• Technology should serve a clear business purpose, not just exist for its own sake. The best implementations are those that seamlessly integrate into an organization’s overall functional & operational strategy.

• A strong business case and structured governance are essential for sustainable implementation and convert in growth (revenues, margins, adoption, user-based, etc.). Without a well-defined roadmap (6 to 36 months), clear milestones, and continuous assessment with all stakeholders on the same table (Business, Operations, Finance and Resource), even the most promising technological initiatives can falter.

Gupta ends by reflecting, "Ultimately, whether a company is a well-established enterprise or an emerging startup, the key question remains the same: Are we leveraging technology to solve a real business problem, or are we adopting it just because it’s trending?"