The innovative person’s response to leadership and co-workers stuck in the past and unwilling to try something new.
Technology at work has become an integral part of contemporary companies’ everyday processes and procedures. There are many productivity applications that expedite and provide performance metrics that employers use to gauge the outcomes of their strategies. While most companies have embraced the technology of today, some are masquerading as if they have. What is meant by “masquerading” is when an organization invests in technology, and instead of applying the tools, allows it to sit underutilized or not used at all. Scared to make the next step or unwilling to adapt, either way, it potentially derails or delays progress and makes the work for the day unnecessarily cumbersome.
When faced with this challenge employees are encouraged to first, find out from the current users the outcomes they desire. Implement change in very small increments, where it’s not intimidating. Find a critical stakeholder from the old regime to partner with on the change. Convince them, and they convince the other long term employees to open up to the idea of the new protocol. Kick off the change with a re-branding party, which demonstrates the benefits of using the new protocol — followed up with diverse training methods, such as one to one or small group hands-on training sessions, webinars, or videos. Provide access to superusers who will continue to work closely with new users and those that are very leery about the change. Finally, measure utilization and performance by generating metrics. Celebrate the highs and continue to coach where there are lows.
Understanding that change is slow, I am also practical. If the resistance and reluctance are overwhelming, and the leadership, in particular, are invested in maintaining the history, Take your skills and competencies where it will be appreciated and valued. Can you move a house 6 inches to the left by yourself? Of course not! Accept what you can not change and move on!
Matinah@nobleheartshrconsulting.com