DOES EXCESS TECHNOLOGY BOOST PRODUCTIVITY OR HOLD IT BACK?

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When technology helps — and when it gets in the way

In theory, the more digital tools we have, the more productive we become. In practice, it often works the other way around. Modern companies are overloaded with software, apps, CRMs, dashboards and platforms that promise efficiency but frequently generate the opposite effect: more digital work, less real output.

American researcher Gloria Mark has shown that every time a worker switches from one system to another, it takes about twenty minutes to fully regain focus. Multiply that by dozens of interruptions a day and you get the heart of the problem: instead of producing value, we produce updates. Instead of deciding, we chase notifications.

The solution is not to abandon technology. The issue is how tools are used. Today, every new app or platform is installed as if it were a magic fix, but most of them demand constant input. They need to be updated, fed, synchronized. If humans must inform digital systems, those systems are not intelligent; they are simply containers hungry for attention.

True efficiency appears only when tools communicate with each other. APIs, sensors and automated data flows must collect information directly from the source — cash registers, warehouses, production lines. Once data moves autonomously, managers finally receive what matters: alerts about bottlenecks, supplier delays, risks, priorities. Noise disappears, decisions emerge.

Advanced tools and intelligent agents already exist, but few know how to use them properly. A poorly configured agent creates problems; a well-designed one becomes a real assistant, taking care of scheduling, customer replies, monitoring and reports without adding friction.

This is the real crossroads. People don’t fear technology; they fear bad technology — the kind that multiplies steps instead of reducing them. Excess technology helps only when it’s efficient, integrated and able to anticipate what we need. Otherwise, it doesn’t accelerate work: it slows it down.

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