Is there such a thing as too much innovation? When your employees are slow, or outright resistant to new technology, you may have hit the limit.
But what if it isn’t the tech’s fault? What can you do to get your team onboard with updates and new tools? We’re all creatures of habit, but here are a few pain points that you can avoid when implementing new technology.
The First Hurdle: Company Resistance
Oddly, the first big roadblock to employee adoption is often resistance from company leadership. Even after the new technology is implemented, leaders who aren’t committed can hinder adoption for a long time. Securing support from your company’s leadership team helps to illustrate the importance of adoption to all employees.
Most companies realize the importance of digital transformation, but they struggle with knowing how to deploy, use, and integrate innovation to achieve their strategic priorities. Leadership buy-in is essential to successful deployment, allowing the people who drive strategic plans to tie new technology into their process.
The Case for Resistance
Often, employees exhibit a traditional “change resistance” a lack of interest in learning the new program. They feel innate need to return to the old approach, and a constant desire to find the ‘new model’ to be either faulty or slow, and over-complex.
It’s understandable for people to feel that way. We all get familiar and comfortable after we use a tool for a while. When driving adoption of a newly implemented tool, it’s important to not only illustrate the benefits to your employees but also listen to their concerns. When you know what about the new system frustrates them, you can target training to solve their problems.
Recruiting professionals usually have a very efficient routine that they’ve worked on for years. When you propose a new tool that changes that routine, you may meet stiff resistance. Make sure that the technology you’re implementing will benefit them. Innovation for innovation’s sake gets in the way of the success of your team.
Building a Following
Outside of professional training, employees are an excellent resource for any new technology implementation. There will be a group of early adopters who are open to the changes and some power users who dive right in and learn the ropes. Lean on them to help educate and encourage their coworkers.
Rather than make changes and command others to adapt, convince your team of the market value that investments into technology could reap. Identify potential champions within your company to get them on board with the vision. Trainers and leaders telling you about a great tool can only go so far, but seeing a coworker thriving with new technology truly drives adoption.
If you’re planning on implementing new technology such as a CRM or ATS, we can help drive employee adoption. We have a data migration guide that addresses concerns and questions when adopting new software. Or you can schedule a time to speak with our Customer Success team to learn about the resources and training Crelate offers to ensure smooth transitions and fast adoption.
