Convincing Skeptical Employees to Adopt New Technology

As MIS majors, understanding the value of new technologies and being able to adapt to them is something that we take for granted. However, within the workplace there is often complacency among employees with existing technology and even hesitancy/fear to acquiring new products and systems.

https://hbr.org/2015/03/convincing-skeptical-employees-to-adopt-new-technology 

In a study by MIT Sloan Management Review, 63% of managers said that the pace of technological change is too slow, due to a lack of urgency and poor communication of the benefits of new tools. Rebecca Knight of Harvard Business Review offers managers some advice for overcoming these obstacles with their employees:

1) Choose Technology Wisely: Bear your teams interest in mind. “Functionality is critical, but so is user-friendliness.”

2) State Your Case: Put forth a compelling vision of what the technology is and what it’s going to do.

3) Customize Training: Training efforts should reflect differences in familiarity and interest in technology; don’t be afraid to ask them what they want in a training.

4) Get Influencers Onboard: Create a “Network of Champions” fully invested in the new technology.

5) Make it Routine: “Implicity raise the cost of not using the new technology,” so they’re pushed towards routinely using the new tools.

6) Highlight Quick Wins: Draw attention to positive impacts.

7) Make it Fun: Reward the behavior you want to see (i.e. compensation, perks, recognition etc.)

8) Consider Penalties: Possibly penalize resistors for non-use.