Why it is Hard to Adopt Sustainable Technology?

Technologists and entrepreneurs need to make music together

Definition of technology

In order to reach sustainable development goals, affordable and sustainable technologies are required in the priority sectors of healthcare, education and livelihood. The global challenges from climate change, water scarcity and extreme weather conditions force us to think innovatively about new technologies.

Laboratories and scientific establishments have been directed to increase their capabilities and focus on practice oriented research.

As a result, government funded labs and research institutions have developed new technologies.

However, the increase in technology availability has not matched the technology adoption rate. Fewer technologies are commercialized and many among them have also failed after transferring to the private sector for a number of reasons.

Conditions for successful technology adoption

Technologies must be engineered. It means that any new technologies in the chain of processes must fit synergistically and seamlessly. This can be compared to an addition of a new musical note into an orchestra without causing a jarring noise.

Engineering the technology

A technology must be engineered to balance the material flow, process parameters, and output flow. This means materials must be available from its source at an affordable rate (threshold quantity, quality and price), accessible at required time.

The process parameters must be achievable within the context.

The logistics and dissemination of the output materials must fit into the existing channels and reach the end-users and be used by them.

A successful technology synchronizes the various elements of the above-mentioned conditions.

Who synchronizes and what are the characteristics?

Synchronizing the elements or orchestrating

A technologist is a musician, specialized in any of the musical instruments. The musician and the musical instrument produce the best effect and best experience in a symphony orchestrated by a music composer or a conductor.

Similarly, a technologist is an expert at applying principles of science to process an input to the required output. He is not concerned about the desirability of the effect.

On the contrary, a music composer or a conductor brings together different instruments and converts the individual elements into a peaceful, heavenly transcendental experience.

An entrepreneur may be compared to a music composer. He sets up the technology under right conditions such as location, process conditions, manages the right quantity, quality of input materials at the right time under favorable social conditions and finally distributes the output materials along the distribution channels to the end-users just as water flows in the canals to the farm.

He manages the physical labor just as the conductor directs the performers.

A musician and the conductor may be one and the same, but very often they are very different because they have different characteristics, roles and responsibilities. So are technologists and entrepreneurs.

When these conditions are met and the principles realized, then the technology is easily adopted and integrated into the society.