Crain’s 2022 Notable Executives in Technological know-how Q&A: ‘Tech enables a business, supports people’

Howard Pincham discovered a management lesson many years back when he labored at Hyland Application. In the open business office setting, Pincham viewed as then-CEO A.J. Hyland took the final glass of h2o from a cooler, then changed the empty jug with a complete one. “I was struck by this guy, the CEO of a large enterprise, altering the water for all people else,” Pincham stated. Pincham attempts to provide that method to his perform as main facts officer at Koinonia Residences, a nonprofit that gives dwelling areas and ordeals for these with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

What IT challenges have you had to tackle at Koinonia?

I began in the slide of 2019, and when COVID hit, we had two months to change from a put where by all the do the job happened to one the place some perform could simply transpire in other places. A ton of us have the same tales, but it took us a minor extra work, simply because we ended up at the rear of in terms of technology. We have also tried using to assistance the persons in the front line report data back again about purchasers with some incredibly challenging disabilities. How perfectly anyone had lunch that working day or how someone else is creating self-care habits. Our enterprise is about treatment, and we require to document that care. A great deal of what we have performed is par for the study course, but this is a path to maturity for us.

Your way of thinking appears to be “other”-pushed. Is that fair?

I assume of myself as part of the workforce, and I need to have to maintain up my conclude. If I’m the govt and men and women have to dazzle me, particularly before they dazzle conclude shoppers, their productivity goes out the window. If I can make this workplace drama-cost-free, I experience like I am serving them for the reason that the team — and it is an exceptional group — is contributing for stop customers.

How do you mesh servant management with IT?

I am a typical man, but I am also possibly the major nerd you know. One of the troubles that nerds like us have is we imagine tech is the be-all and close-all. I see three legs that are vital: individuals, process and tech. For someone in my space to say tech solves all the issues, unquestionably not. Tech allows a enterprise, supports individuals, supports method.

Are you ready to interact with clients?

We have a lot more than 60 spots spreading by Cuyahoga County and Summit and a little bit of Lorain, so there are many possibilities for all of us to interact. It’s wonderful that we are referred to as just to present a dwelling for our customers. When I demonstrate up, I don’t have the talent established to supply the care that some of them have to have, but I can talk and expend time and be existing — and ideally that aids an individual. Observing the work that the full group does to supply the tiniest matter for anyone on the autism spectrum or an individual who is nonverbal but so substantially would like to be aspect of the local community, observing the mission and looking at what entrance line persons do, it can be been a blessing and a privilege.