Optimized organizations don’t just buy technology when a problem arises—their strategy is to invest in tech now that can help them solve issues in the future. As hiring technical workers becomes more challenging due to cost and scarcity, digitally mature organizations have already found one solution: providing employees with no-code tools.
Earlier we discussed how inertia plays a role in keeping organizations from reaching their digital maturity goals. We find this also impacts their philosophy on purchasing technology. The more digitally mature an organization is, the more likely it is to change the tools in its tech stack. 96% of Optimized organizations frequently add new tools to their tech stack, while 43% of Limited organizations report they rarely change or add tools.
Optimized organizations are not only expanding their tool sets, but they are constantly updating them as well. 56% of Optimized organizations are continually changing their tech stack, compared to only 10% of Limited.
As organizations advance their digital maturity, they are more likely to purchase technology that helps them solve issues in the future. Optimized organizations invest in technology that has the potential to solve multiple problems over time, versus adopting tech in one-off instances when issues arise. In fact, 70% of Optimized organizations rely on a future-forward mindset when selecting technology, compared to only 9% of Limited.
On the other hand, 91% of Limited organizations purchase technology as the need arises. It seems that most don’t consider long-term plans or larger-scale initiatives as they make technology purchases. Instead, they reactively invest in tech to fix current issues. This purchasing mindset leaves less digitally mature organizations with piecemealed tech stacks that don’t integrate well or adapt to business needs over time.
Our research shows that less digitally mature organizations are often held back by technical delays. As technical roles, such as software engineers and developers, become more difficult to fill due to the cost and scarcity of workers, these technical delays will only worsen.
Because Optimized organizations have a forward-looking mindset when it comes to purchasing technology, most have adopted a new type of tool that allows them to combat this growing workplace issue. To minimize reliance on strapped IT teams, 84% of Optimized organizations provide no-code tools to employees to help them develop and automate processes.
No-code is a type of software development that allows anyone to create digital applications without writing a single line of code. It involves using tools with an intuitive, drag-and-drop interface to create a variety of deliverables, from apps and websites to automation for any number of tasks or processes. Some examples of no-code tools include Zapier, Integromat, Formstack, WordPress, Shopify, and Parabola.
97% of Limited organizations don’t use no-code tools, which is likely to contribute to their struggles with technical delays. No-code tools empower employees to build their own solutions and minimize reliance on IT for processes like workflow automation. Because Optimized organizations have the least resistance to technological changes, they’ve adopted these tools at a higher rate than any other stage of digital maturity.
Optimized organizations may have the highest rate of no-code usage, but they aren’t the only ones who want no-code tools in their tech stack. In fact, 64% of all respondents who don’t have access to no-code tools would like to be able to use them.
