Change management is a necessary, yet potentially challenging part of any growing organization. In order for scale to happen, employees and organizational policies must adapt, or risk failure. But one aspect of change management that is also important to consider, is getting your staff on board with new office technology.
While some organizations are built on tech and innovation, there are still millions of companies who are in more traditional industries, or employ people who aren't natives to modern productivity tools. That doesn't mean that these companies should avoid using new tech, especially since there are an increasing number of things that help employees and organizations to be more productive and run smoothly.
When members of your organization may not be used to using new technology, or feel safe and secure in their work methods, it can be harder to facilitate change. A comprehensive approach to change management when introducing new technology is an important step in ensuring the success of the implementation so that all employees are working together and are on the same page.
You should assess the comfort level of your employees and the introduction to new technology. What are their apprehensions? What about the new technology concerns them? Are the perceived benefits greater than their concerns? If you can understand the mindset of your staff, you may be better able to address issues as they arise.
Employees should never be left to their own devices to figure out a new tool. Make an onboarding schedule completed in groups. Start by teaching your staff about how the new technology works, what it will be used for, and how they can use it in their everyday working life. When it comes to implementing new room booking systems, we encourage companies to demonstrate the new system to their staff, and give them a chance to see how the change will benefit them and make for a smoother working environment. Understanding the benefits, and then scheduling time for staff to learn and try the new technology will make for a smoother transition.
One of our customers, Kraftringen, scheduled information and educations sessions when they implemented their meeting room booking system. Read their full story and get inspired!
Especially in large organizations, guidelines and policies should be created before introducing an organizational change so as to limit ambiguity and confusion. For staff who need to go over the uses and purposes of a new piece of technology multiple times, having actual documentation to help them will reduce the amount of time required from other staff helping them through the transition. Additionally, everyone needs to be on the same page when it comes to appropriate usage and best practices. Setting guidelines facilitates this.
After you've implemented the new piece of equipment or technology, ask your staff to provide feedback. What is working for them and what isn't? Are they having any difficulties figuring out how all the capabilities work? Do they feel they are spending more time learning about the new tool than the time they are saving by using it? Collecting feedback can also help you determine if it's just a handful (or fewer) employees who are finding the change challenging, or if there may be a problem with how the new tech fits into the organization as a whole. When you can determine the problems your staff is having, you can set a new schedule for retrainings, discussion sessions, or one-on-one trainings with team members who are adapting more quickly to the new tool.
As with any major investments, you will be curious to find out whether or not they have been successful. After a period of time, when you have made sure that all you employees are up and running with the new routines, you should calculate the ROI. If you haven't reached your desired outcome, figure out an action plan and the next steps.
When introducing any kind of new workplace policy, tool, or piece of technology, change management is a necessary part of the process. To ensure that your staff are adapting to change, responsive to growth, and properly handling a transition, set up the change, manage your staff through the change, and support them continually after. You'll find that your organization will be more likely to adopt new things quickly, allowing your company to scale faster.
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