We develop great technical solutions that should, for example, help people in organisations become more productive and engaged, gain insights and share knowledge more effectively. But is it enough to build and roll out such solutions from the technical angle? No. The organisation will only reap the intended benefits, if the people actually adopt and use those new solutions. And that does not always happen automagically, by just making them available. We need to help the people adopt the new tools and change to the new way of working.
It is not just me saying that: research shows your chances of success are a lot better if you manage the change to the new way of working. With great change management, you are six times more likely to meet your objectives. And what’s more: even if your change management is not that great at all but only fair, your are still three times more likely to achieve your goals. It is not all or nothing, so it is already worthwhile to do some change management: the better your help your people adopt the new tools and change to the new way of working, the more likely you are to meet or even exceed your objectives.
If we manage the change and help users adopt the new tools:
The different groups of users are empowered to take advantage of the new tools. Because not everyone has the same role or the same needs.
All the people will have the necessary Awareness, Desire, Knowledge and Ability to adopt the tool. And they will also be Reinforced to keep up the change, without reverting back to the old way of working. See the previous post about ADKAR.
The people will be better equipped to go with the flow in future changes, because one thing is certain: the tookit and the way of working will keep changing.
Your project will be more manageable. Prosci research shows more correlations between change management and success: the better your change management, the better your chances to finish your project on budget and on schedule. If you don’t manage the change from the people side, you will probably have to do a lot more redesigning, reworking and other redoing.
So yes, let us definitely pay attention to change management and help the users adopt the new tools.
IT creates and launches technical solutions that could make the lives of the users a lot easier. But even if these technical solutions are brilliant, we will not achieve anything, if the proposed users do not adopt them. We will only reap the benefits we were aiming for, if the users embrace it. In short: if they are aware of it, if they desire it, if they know how to use it in theory, if they are really able to use it in practice and if their changed way of working is reinforced so that they keep using it.
It not just me saying this: it is the ADKAR model developed as a foundational part of the world-class Prosci Methodology for change. The ADKAR model applies to all kinds of changes, including digital transformation. And – in a lot of the projects I have done – to the new way of working that is introduced with new tooling like Microsoft 365.
The basis of this model is the realization that you will only achieve the required change in your organization and reap the benefits of the new technology that you are introducing, if the people make the change and adopt it. Not just the abstract notion of ‘the users’, but the actual people. The individuals who may have very different characteristics, needs and experiences from the idealized picture of the end-user IT had in mind when they developed the solution.
Let us take a look at the stages that the people have to move through before they can make the change and adopt the solution.
Awareness
First of all, the people need to be aware of the proposed change. Otherwise, they can never use the new solution to adopt the new way of working, for example. Not only should they be made aware of what is planned, but also why: why is that new way of working a good idea anyway?
To create this awareness, communication is key. Not just one news article on the intranet, but thorough communication tailored to reach people with different preferences and repeated often enough in different ways to “stick”. To maximize impact, a high-level sponsor should be the one telling this story.
Desire
Once the people know about the change, they need to understand what’s in it for them, so that they desire the new way of working for themselves. Or at least decide that they will go along with it. If they refuse, we won’t get any further.
To help the people understand what the change means for them and what’s in it for them, it works best if their managers are involved. Or team leads, senior colleagues close to them.
Knowledge
Once the people have decided that they want the change, they are open to learn about the details of the ‘how’. If the people have no desire to adopt the new way of working, for example, it is no use sending them to a training session.
To help the people gain knowledge about the change, the new way of working, the project should provide things like training and help materials.
Ability
When the people have been trained in, for example, the new way of working, they know what to do. At least in theory. But are they also able to start working in the new way in practice? Or is it more difficult to apply that knowledge in their own situation? Does it work on their device? Do they have the right account with the right permissions? Can their network handle the load?
To make sure the people are actually able to make the change, great support is key. If the users get stuck, they should be supported effectively and efficiently. And the issues that may be blocking them in real life may be unexpected, so you need to be on top of it.
Reinforcement
When the people are able to work in the new way, they have made the change, the next question is: will they keep doing it? Or will they fall back to their old, familiar way of working, as soon as they hit the slightest snag? If they don’t keep it up, the benefits of the new solution and the change will be short lived.
To help people stick with the new way of working, reinforce the change. Don’t stop the project the day after Go Live. Make sure the owners who will manage the new solution can sustain the change. Monitor usage of the new tools, which should have increases, and usage of the old tools, which should be disappearing. Actively ask for feedback and make sure everyone can easily give feedback whenever they want, for example via an ambassadors network.
The ADKAR is a great model to manage change. I even like it as a checklist for relatively simple things like the introduction of a Microsoft 365 Learning Pathways portal. Are people aware of its existence or how shall we make sure they hear about it? Is it clear what’s in it for them? Do they know how to use it or do we need to explain more? Are they really able to use it, or is it impossible to find, impossible to access or impossible to use on their devices? How do we reinforce the portal’s usage, by keeping it relevant and tying it into related initiatives? A recent example: when HR sent another message about working from home, they linked to the Microsoft 365 Learning Pathways playlists about online communication.