How to introduce new technology? How to embrace resistant team members

Getty

Across industries, leadership teams are constantly looking for effective, practical ways to reduce costs, increase efficiency, and better support both team members and customers. In today's digital workplace, these goals are often achieved through the adoption of new technology. Certainly, professionals appreciate resources that make their work faster and easier. But some team members, especially those who aren't tech-savvy, may hesitate or feel anxious when their organization retires or adds tools they're familiar with.

But with thoughtful planning and support, leaders can do a lot to smooth the adoption of new technology. Below, 19 members of the Forbes Technology Council share practical strategies for getting resistant team members to accept (and even become interested in) new technology tools.

1. Involve team members in the selection and implementation process

Technical leaders can overcome team member resistance by involving them in the process of selecting and implementing new technology tools. This promotes ownership, ensures that the selected tools meet real needs, and reduces anxiety. This strategy is effective because it aligns the new tools to the team's requirements, encourages buy-in, and eases the transition through collective engagement and feedback. – Paul Kovalenko, Langate Software

2. Start small and document the benefits and challenges

Involve your technical leads and architects when selecting technology tools. Start small, develop a proof of concept, learn and document the benefits and challenges. Address the challenges and prove it's a viable technology tool. Then start introducing it to your teams. Introduce, drive adoption, and measure success. Gradual adoption and learning is key for continued success. – Anupama Sharma, ASG (Alpine Software Group)

Forbes Technology Council is an invitation-only community for world-class CIOs, CTOs and technology executives. Am I eligible to join?

3. Communicate changes early

Resistance to change is common in any organization or department. To overcome this, communicate the change early to give users time to prepare and highlight the benefits before introducing new technological tools. Involve everyone from the beginning and make them feel part of a positive change. Resistance often comes from insufficient warning or lack of awareness of the new tools. Effective communication is essential. – Nuno Godinho, Velv

4. Hire people who are proactive in pursuing new technologies

Ideally, your employees should be the ones bringing new innovative technologies and tools to your attention. If you are not willing to slow your team down from time to time, you will likely settle for mediocre results. You should encourage your team to explore new ways to solve problems, even if they were unsolvable yesterday. – Dmitry Sokolowski, VOLT AI

5. Lead by example

To combat resistance to new technology, lead by example. When leaders actively use and advocate for new tools, a strong precedent is set. This approach demonstrates commitment, instills trust, and shows that the tools are valuable and essential to the company's success. It's about creating a culture where innovation is embraced from the top down. – Sandro Shubladze, Datamam

6. Adopt an inclusive leadership approach

Adopting an inclusive leadership approach builds a strong foundation. It involves team members from the beginning and fosters ownership and a sense of comfort. By providing comprehensive education and encouraging hands-on experimentation, employees see the benefits of new tools firsthand. This approach addresses individuals' concerns, ensures that the technology meets their needs, and builds trust and enthusiastic adoption. – Geetha Kumari Kommepalli, Skillsoft

7. Ensure comprehensive training

Technical leaders must overcome resistance to new tools through comprehensive training and by helping team leaders defray the costs of old systems. Training develops confident employees and reduces fear of the unknown. When team members understand the benefits of new tools, they will feel more comfortable and ready to use them. – Jared Thau, Gameverse Interactive Corp.

8. Use guided experiments

To effectively overcome resistance to newly introduced technology tools, technology leaders can leverage a guided experimentation strategy, where they create small, focused experiments and allow team members to use the new tool in a controlled, low-risk environment. Proper training sessions and early engagement can help team members understand the practical benefits of the new tool, reducing anxiety and building confidence. – Jabin Geevarghese George, Tata Consultancy Services

9. Identifying and Empowering Early Evangelists

Identify team members who are most enthusiastic about new technologies and empower them as early evangelists. Hearing from team members who can speak to the effectiveness of new tools has a much bigger impact on your team than top-down communication. This ensures team members who get satisfaction from trying new things feel engaged and valued. – Dave Rosen, Wimo Games, Inc.

10. Be clear about both the why and the how

Team members will always resist change, especially if they don't see the value in it. Helping them understand why the new tool will benefit them and how they can most effectively use it before it's implemented will increase buy-in. For larger groups, recruiting a smaller group of champions with deeper training can also help allay concerns before they arise. – Tobias Casey, Anteris

11. Generate interest through hackathons

I think hackathons are a very useful, fun and engaging way to get people to join the conversation. To properly plan such an event, you need to allocate enough time for training, clearly define the tasks and have a good summary that includes a discussion of how to use the new technology in your organization. – Aviv Mussinger, Kodem

12. Give engineers the lead

Technical leaders should not force engineers to use every new technology. Leaders should focus on leading engineers and leaving engineering management to engineers. In other words, leaders should encourage and challenge engineers to try new technologies, set clear boundaries for quality and efficiency, and make the final choices. – Agur Jgi, Pipedrive

13. Take a bottom-up approach

Data-free, top-down technology pushes often meet with resistance from team members. By flipping the tables and taking a bottom-up approach by involving team members early in data-driven decision-making, technology leaders have the opportunity to drive broader adoption, generate interest, and gather diverse perspectives on newly introduced technology tools. – Ranjitkumar Sivakumar, Amazon

14. Consider incentives for early adoption

Providing incentives, such as recognition and rewards, for early adoption can encourage team members to adopt new technology. This strategy is effective because it taps into both intrinsic and extrinsic motivation and creates a positive reinforcement loop. When team members see tangible benefits and recognition for their efforts, they are more likely to adopt and recommend new tools. – Marc Fischer, Dogtown Media LLC

15. Focus your team members’ time on meaningful work

Regardless of industry, when you introduce new technology into your business, you need to highlight how it will make your team's work easier and more productive within their existing work flows. Drive adoption by removing what slows your team down (manual or repetitive tasks) and focusing on how the new technology will free up your team to do meaningful work that will make an impact. – Ed Jennings, Quickbase

16. Identify the root causes of resistance

Set up one-on-one meetings to identify team members' frustrations with the new tool. Depending on the answer – whether it's the user interface, lack of training, or fear of losing their job – you'll know how to tailor your training sessions. These private conversations make team members feel heard and valued, building trust and creating a more inclusive environment. – Konstantin Klyagin, Redwerk

17. Set up a pilot program

Tech leaders can overcome resistance to new technology through pilot programs. For example, in the space industry, if a company wants to integrate a new AI tool to monitor the health of its satellites, they can start with a small, controlled pilot with a few team members. This allows the team to experience practical benefits firsthand. This strategy provides real evidence of improvement, easing fears and encouraging broader adoption among the team. – Shelli Brunswick, SB Global LLC

18. Demonstrate alignment with company goals and objectives

Show your team how the tool aligns with your company's goals and objectives and directly contributes to their success. Providing hands-on training and support during the implementation phase is also key to helping your team gain confidence in using the tool. Highlighting concrete results achieved with the tool will motivate and inspire them to embrace the technology as a valuable asset. – Itzik Levy, vcita

19. Provide a system for ongoing feedback

Establishing a system where team members can provide ongoing feedback on new tools allows for continuous improvement and ensures that issues are addressed quickly. Feedback loops are effective because team members feel their concerns are listened to and addressed. They also help you fine-tune the tool to meet your team's needs, reducing friction and increasing user satisfaction. – Cristian Randieri, Intellisystem Technologies

Sources 1/ https://Google.com/ 2/ https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbestechcouncil/2024/07/03/introducing-new-tech-how-to-get-resistant-team-members-on-board/ The mention sources can contact us to remove/changing this article

What Are The Main Benefits Of Comparing Car Insurance Quotes Online

LOS ANGELES, CA / ACCESSWIRE / June 24, 2020, / Compare-autoinsurance.Org has launched a new blog post that presents the main benefits of comparing multiple car insurance quotes. For more info and free online quotes, please visit https://compare-autoinsurance.Org/the-advantages-of-comparing-prices-with-car-insurance-quotes-online/ The modern society has numerous technological advantages. One important advantage is the speed at which information is sent and received. With the help of the internet, the shopping habits of many persons have drastically changed. The car insurance industry hasn't remained untouched by these changes. On the internet, drivers can compare insurance prices and find out which sellers have the best offers. View photos The advantages of comparing online car insurance quotes are the following: Online quotes can be obtained from anywhere and at any time. Unlike physical insurance agencies, websites don't have a specific schedule and they are available at any time. Drivers that have busy working schedules, can compare quotes from anywhere and at any time, even at midnight. Multiple choices. Almost all insurance providers, no matter if they are well-known brands or just local insurers, have an online presence. Online quotes will allow policyholders the chance to discover multiple insurance companies and check their prices. Drivers are no longer required to get quotes from just a few known insurance companies. Also, local and regional insurers can provide lower insurance rates for the same services. Accurate insurance estimates. Online quotes can only be accurate if the customers provide accurate and real info about their car models and driving history. Lying about past driving incidents can make the price estimates to be lower, but when dealing with an insurance company lying to them is useless. Usually, insurance companies will do research about a potential customer before granting him coverage. Online quotes can be sorted easily. Although drivers are recommended to not choose a policy just based on its price, drivers can easily sort quotes by insurance price. Using brokerage websites will allow drivers to get quotes from multiple insurers, thus making the comparison faster and easier. For additional info, money-saving tips, and free car insurance quotes, visit https://compare-autoinsurance.Org/ Compare-autoinsurance.Org is an online provider of life, home, health, and auto insurance quotes. This website is unique because it does not simply stick to one kind of insurance provider, but brings the clients the best deals from many different online insurance carriers. In this way, clients have access to offers from multiple carriers all in one place: this website. On this site, customers have access to quotes for insurance plans from various agencies, such as local or nationwide agencies, brand names insurance companies, etc. "Online quotes can easily help drivers obtain better car insurance deals. All they have to do is to complete an online form with accurate and real info, then compare prices", said Russell Rabichev, Marketing Director of Internet Marketing Company. CONTACT: Company Name: Internet Marketing CompanyPerson for contact Name: Gurgu CPhone Number: (818) 359-3898Email: [email protected]: https://compare-autoinsurance.Org/ SOURCE: Compare-autoinsurance.Org View source version on accesswire.Com:https://www.Accesswire.Com/595055/What-Are-The-Main-Benefits-Of-Comparing-Car-Insurance-Quotes-Online View photos