New tech, better internal communication — or is that just a millennial thing?

In early June, Christian Saunders, the director of the office of the under-secretary general for management at the U.N. Secretariat in New York, published a commentary about Umoja, the U.N.’s new IT system. The senior official, part of the deployment team at headquarters, asked staff to extend more patience to the system’s “teething” challenges with a post on U.N. Special, a monthly magazine for international civil servants working in Geneva. “Umoja is here to stay, it will make the U.N. stronger and will help us succeed in building a U.N. fit for the 21st Century… don’t fear the system, you are not alone and if you need help you should not hesitate to reach out to your local support center!” Saunders wrote. The piece, titled “In defense of Umoja,” was a response to a mountain of criticisms expressed by staff members on social media — including dismay by senior U.N. officials leaked to the press — about Umoja. Devex reached out to several U.N. staff for their take on the system, but didn’t receive a response in time for publication of this article. Devex was able to speak with Saunders for further details on the upset about the system." The advent of new technologies and a tech-savvy workforce is raising an important question for development leaders: Should they stick to their ways, or should they open themselves up to new tech opportunities that may also introduce headaches and complications? Umoja, a priority project by outgoing U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, is an IT system meant to streamline and initiate efficiencies in an organization long dubbed as bureaucratic; it was envisioned to speed up transactions, cut duplications and be a one-stop shop for administrative functions, such as applications of leaves, travel and staff benefits. But several staff members from across the United Nations have publicly complained that it has made simple tasks such as leave applications and travel arrangements more complicated, and led to delays in salary disbursement. Saunders did acknowledge to Devex Umoja’s shortcomings, along with the more than 200 requests for improvement or corrections in policies and systems, but attributes some of the staff complaints to people’s natural aversion to change. “As with any large transformational or change initiative, you will get your share of naysayers and these people use Umoja as the excuse or scapegoat for anything and everything that is wrong in the world. It is not unexpected. However, we do exercise a high level of 'client service' and diligently investigate each and every complaint received, however anecdotal or unsubstantiated it might appear,” he told Devex in May. But while U.N. staff complain of Umoja growing pains, staff members at other large organizations are wishing their management would embrace new technology. At a multilateral institution based in Asia, for example, a staffer shared with Devex frustrations with departmental colleagues who insist on using an MS Office application that doesn’t allow for simultaneous editing and updating of documents. Management and senior staff members’ common argument: any change could disrupt workflows. In a separate international organization, several employees expressed the same sentiment toward their management for being unreceptive to change. They find it both funny and frustrating to be using a phased-out but still working software such as Microsoft Lync, an independent chat program under the MS Office package, when they could be using Skype for Business or Slack, for example. They find both more efficient in terms of internal communication — though both admitted they’ve communicated this more to their own information technology team than directly with human resources or leadership. Most of the staff members who shared these thoughts with Devex were millennials, but one, who requested anonymity, argued her stance on adopting newer, smarter technology in the workplace is more than just a “millennial thing.” Management, this employee explained to Devex, insists the organization continue using Sharepoint, a web-based content management that can be customized as a project management tool, but which the staffer said does not work as well in larger organizations as it tends to “exclude” people. Some national offices have a hard time accessing the platform, and mobile staff members require a stable connection to get through. These issues, she said, can be avoided by using Basecamp or Asana, a similar tool that works on mobile or tablet. “Tech is moving to development, but nonprofits are not receptive to change. They won’t do that because it’s untried, it has no track record, but if we have millennials [who are] used to work more efficiently or collaboratively, [it’s stifling]. You’re stuck in a system that doesn’t allow for change,” the source shared, adding that even armed with testimonials that a certain application or program works better, cheaper and faster, management insists on retaining the status quo. Technology is quickly changing the way the aid community does development, from data collection to program design. But apart from introducing new ways to fundraise, monitor success and failures, and detect diseases, it’s also an important — and potentially disruptive — tool for internal collaboration. 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