Defining Tech and Touch
Remember Munna Bhai MBBS. Doctor Asthana tells in the very first class that “I do not love people, I treat them. If I start loving people, then my hands will start trembling. My hands must not tremble while operating people. Operations require stable emotionless hands.”
In the same movie, Munna Bhai takes another approach for treating people. He connects with people. Gives them “Jadu ki Jhappi”. Makes them happy. He understands their desires and heals them by fulfilling their desires.
First approach is the Tech approach and second approach is Touch approach.
Why they are called so?
First approach is called tech because stable emotionless hands can be automated using technology (robotic hands). In other words, anything which is logical, objective and repeatable can be automated using technology.
Second approach is called touch because it can only be felt. In other words, it is emotional, subjective and random. Technology finds it difficult to automate.
Which is better?
Moment we start discussing Tech and Touch. We want to take sides. Discussion on Tech vs Touch is similar to that of Men vs Women. Tech and Touch are often seen as two clashing ideologies. However they are complimentary to each other. Tech approach brings efficiency in the process by logically removing waiting times. Touch approach improves efficiency by working on psychology of people.
World moves forward only when both come together. Even our brain house both the approaches as left brain and right brain.
Why they seem clashing?
If you go to see a cricket match. Both the teams play cricket only. They seem to clash with each other because they have to prove that they are better than the other team. It is designed that way. That is how people get value for their money.
Do they really matter?
Yes they matter. These approaches help in defining winning strategies for organizations and industries.
Let’s take example of cinema halls. Cinema halls were flourishing. Idea of television came. It was primarily a Tech approach because it was replicating the experience of cinema hall at home for masses on a smaller screen. Now more people were watching movies sitting in the comfort of their homes. Cinema halls went out of business.
Cinema halls tried to take tech approach. They improved quality of picture as well as sound. Television kept catching. Home theatre came into existence. Cinema halls were desperate.
Then Cinema halls redefined the paradigm. They adopted touch approach. Touch approach said that people come to cinema halls not to watch movie but to have a good time. Multiplexes were born.
In this fight of Tech and Touch, Cinema Halls as well as Home Television improved. More importantly quality of life of people improved.
In simple words, Tech creates scale and Touch adds experience to it.