When we think about the trajectory of technology adoption and implementation in multifamily, several factors might dictate what direction that technology moves forward.Does tech adoption in multifamily simply follow the highest ROI opportunity, the biggest pain point, or maybe it reflects our fascination with the "shiny new toy"? It may be simply a reflection of what solutions are being offered in the space or what we are personally most comfortable with. However, with all that said, could the driving force for technology adoption be the structure of multifamily operators themselves?

In a research study created jointly by NMHC and RealFoundations, and showcased at the 2023 OPTECH Conference, they looked at who the "managing department" was for technology within multifamily companies, and found that 44% of the time, it was the Marketing department who was in charge of technology.This was followed by 32% being led by Property Operations, and 24% by the IT side.

Of course, one statistic can hardly tell a full story regarding the past, and more importantly, the future of tech adoption in multifamily, but it does stand to reason that who "holds the keys" to technology adoption most likely has a larger impact in which direction that adoption goes.

Would Operations-led companies take fundamentally different approaches than their Marketing-led counterparts?Therefore, might process and efficiency technology take a more central role in those organizations?And maybe most important of all, do legacy operator department structures also need to be revisited as we evolve so many other elements of the property management industry?In other words, since technology has fundamentally changed so much of our operations, do we need to rethink the entire company departmental structure to match this new age?

Again, one statistic should hardly be the basis for too much handwringing in any direction; however, it does stand to reason that the managing department for tech adoption is likely one of the defining factors for the overall strategic plan for that company, and therefore, it is a building block that needs to be considered.