When you cover technology for a living, it's easy to get caughtup with the idea that software solutions are the answer to everyproblem known to man—and the insurance industry. Occasionally weneed a reminder that people operate the technology, and are theones who feed the data we so desperately treasure into the systems.Technology can provide the answers, but it is humans asking thequestions.

That's why an interview with Gartner's Kimberly Harris-Ferrante posted on ourWeb site is an excellent reminder that insurers can ill afford toignore the human element when initiating new technologyimplementations for the enterprise.

The industry knows this issue as change management, but for manycompanies it's simply change. Business users often are told to dotheir jobs differently without the courtesy of being asked whatabout their jobs should be done differently.

Believe it or not, there are people who want to do their jobsmore efficiently. Saving money for the company often meansemployees are less likely to stand by and watch a representativefrom HR visit a neighboring cubicle and start cleaning out aco-worker's desk.

Harris-Ferrante listed change management as one of the areas ofconcern she sees for the insurance industry in 2012. In theinterview she explains how some insurers have forgotten how theculture of the company needs to change in order to facilitate theimproved working experience that is supposed to take place whenusing new technology appropriately.

"It's not just buying technology and voila, you aremodern and doing fancy things," says Harris-Ferrante. "When youfocus on how you are going to do things differently you have to besure the employees, the culture, even the incentive andcompensation plans are driving the behavior you want. Otherwise thetechnology won't do anything for you.

"You can't just wake uptomorrow and do something different," shecontinues. "You have to deal with training, employee retention,change management, employee education. If youdon't take a stronglook at the role of people and process, and change management froman organizational point of view, you can't be successful."

Of course this is a lesson for all of industries, not justinsurance. Technology doesn't magically transform businesses.People need to understand the capabilities of new systems and howbest to make efficient use of their time and the software in orderto achieve sought-after results.