We’re creatures of habit. We do things that make us comfortable. We stay in our comfort zones because we feel protected. We know what’s going to happen. We never move away from it. But that’s not how businesses work. Businesses always need to adapt. They need to change, or they risk losing their markets. What happens when your employees are resistant to technological developments? What if they cannot adapt to new technologies because they are so used to the current processes?
Many employees, especially the older ones, do not understand what data backup to the cloud means. They know about backing up data to the hard drive or making copies of it to external hard drives. They never understand what a cloud is. To be honest, a lot of people never figured it out until recently.
Understand Where the Resistance Is Coming From
In 1999, before the millennium, a lot of people thought that computers would be malfunctioning because the date would go back to 1900—the last two digits of the years 1900 and 2000 are 00. There were reports of a new virus that would wipe out your entire computer system. They said that you shouldn’t open your computer when the clock struck midnight.
But did anything happen at 12? Was there a new virus that wiped out your files and data? False news is everywhere. People make up conjectures without understanding how it can impact businesses and relationships. This fear is what’s causing employees to resist new technology. They fear that this new system you’re introducing will affect their productivity because they can’t adapt to it.
Moreover, they feel that the work they do is being replaced by machines. They are fearful that if they let these new technologies enter the workplace, these technologies will take over their jobs. Eventually, you won’t need your employees.
The best way to satisfy these misguided fears is to explain to them your goals in adopting these new technologies. Tell your employees that you want them to be more productive and collaborate well. You’re entrusting them with more tasks, and, thus, you need to find a way to ease their burdens. New technologies are for them as much as they are for the business.
Create a Pilot Program
Why would you implement a new technology on all existing projects? That would be a catastrophe. Choose a pilot program where this will be tested. As much as possible, choose the easiest project that you have in your pool now. You can group people with different technological capacities and from different departments. That will enable them to communicate with their respective agencies when the time comes to put in place this new technology fully.
A pilot program will allow you to see the kinks of the system. It will give you time to iron out any potential issues before they become more challenging to solve in the future. You should also choose a point person who will be the “champion” of this new technology. Any questions about the new system can be coursed through him.
Before choosing a new system to adopt, talk to your employees. Consider their suggestions. Consider where they are coming from. They are the ones who will most likely use this new system. Their opinions about it should matter. That’s what being a good boss is all about.
