Challenges to Expect with Change
Most organisations at some point will overhaul or replace major systems or technologies. And when this happens, common challenges can arise with adoption across users who are not fully prepared for the change they’re going to experience. There are 3 common challenges that I’ve seen and experienced that can lead to low user adoption:
Inadequate training
Many new users will end up either not attending the training session or are not fully learning the system capabilities during the training. Alternatively, the vendor may not provide the best training for the right group of people. Nowadays, there are better training models offered where a “super user” within the organization will be trained on a more comprehensive level as an in-house expert. At least in this case, users have someone within the organization who they can setup ad-hoc training sessions with versus scheduling time with the vendor.
Complex product
This issue could fall hand in hand with training issues. Depending on the user’s function, the usage of the product may be more complex than the previous product or approach he or she was using. This is where the value of the new product plays a key role. Change comes about due to a new, better product that has greater benefit for the users. The hope is that, with the change, users will be able to work more efficiently, even if there are hardships.
Aversion to change
This is the biggest challenge when it comes to implementing a new solution. Many users become quite stubborn about their existing process and do not want any disruption in their workflow. Some end up forcing themselves to learn the new system, others will end up leaving the organization if they truly don’t believe in the new system. New technologies are most successful when part of a change management process – a change in mindset. It’s important to prepare the new users in advance to show them the greater benefit of changing.
Technology advancements bring change, which can result in low user adoption. Challenges come with change, but there are various approaches that can be taken to reduce employee dissatisfaction and enable users to embrace change and most of the time, it is inevitable!