I didn’t come back talking about the robots

A recent trip to Japan reminded me that even the most advanced technology relies on something far more important: people.

I’ve just come back from Japan, and if you’re anything like my friends and colleagues, you’re probably thinking “Here he goes again…”

Bear with me.

Like most people, I expected to be impressed by the technology. And I was. Automation seemed to be everywhere, restaurants, hotels, transport, my daily trips to 7-Eleven.

But I didn’t come back talking about robots.

I came back talking about the people.

The thing that struck me most wasn’t automation; it was how people behaved. Trains run exactly on time because everyone queued patiently before they arrived. Nobody crossed the road until the signal turned green, even when there wasn’t a car in sight. There appeared to be an unspoken understanding that everyone had a role to play in making the system work.

It made me think about our own industry.

Most people are excited about AI, automation, and digital technology, including me. They all have the potential to transform pensions.

But I’ve learned something over the years, technology can make a good idea better, but it rarely turns a bad idea into a good one.

That’s because technology amplifies good thinking, it doesn’t replace it.

One example has always stayed with me. A few years ago, we noticed every time we sent members a letter confirming their transfer value had been paid, our phones rang. Not because anything had gone wrong. The letter simply asked members to call us to confirm they’d received it. So, we asked - Why? This wasn’t a requirement and had no operational benefit. We were creating unnecessary work for colleagues and asking members to do something that added no value.

So, we removed one sentence. The unnecessary calls stopped. No innovative technology, no AI, no transformation programme. Just one team looking at a process differently and asking whether it could be better.

That experience reinforced something I’ve seen throughout my career. Some of the most meaningful innovations don’t begin with technology, the begin with human curiosity.

I’ve never seen a project succeed simply because the technology was good. It succeeds because people understand it, challenge it, improve it, and make it part of how they work.

Some of the best innovations I’ve seen have been surprisingly simple: a communication written so it was easier to understand, a process redesigned to remove unnecessary handoffs, a colleague asking, “Why do we do it this way?” and being encouraged to find a better answer.

None of these ideas are glamourous. They won’t make the headlines. But they make a genuine difference to members, clients, and colleagues.
 

Culture

I’ve also found that culture has an enormous influence on whether change succeeds.

The best teams I’ve worked with weren’t necessarily the most technologically advanced. They were the teams where people felt comfortable challenging the status quo, sharing ideas, and constantly looking for better ways to serve members and clients.

Of course, none of this is an argument against technology. Quite the opposite in fact.

Technology is changing our industry at pace, and that’s something we should embrace. But the organisations that realise the greatest value from these advances will be the ones that invest just as much in their people and culture as they do their platforms.

The real test isn’t how sophisticated the technology is, it’s whether we’ve made things better for people.

Have we made pensions easier? Have we removed unnecessary complexity? Have we helped colleagues spend more time adding value? If the answer is yes, then that’s innovation.

As our industry comes to evolve, we should absolutely embrace technology and all the opportunities it brings, but let’s not forget that systems don’t spot opportunities, simplify communications or challenge the status quo. People do.

Technology can make things faster, but it’s the people who decide what needs changing in the first place. So, what’s my advice to make sure we get the best from technology? It’s simple - people first. Grasp ideas, encourage curiosity and celebrate the wonders of human innovation.