Optimising Change

The riskiest part of adopting technology is frequently organisational change management, particularly in an industry like human services where employees are risk-averse because they don’t want to risk the lives of the families they support by taking on new skills and procedures. No organisation wants to squander valuable time or resources by spending months (or years!) analysing and implementing a solution that employees don’t really use. However, crucial techniques to prepare for and minimise possible risk factors are far too frequently disregarded.

You may improve your chances of long-term success by understanding what drives your employees to embrace or reject change. The strategy that follows is intended for human services and technology, but the techniques may be used for change management projects in a variety of sectors.

Develop knowledge and skills

Adoption depends critically on users receiving instruction and practise in using the technology. Instead than plunging people into the deep end of the pool, this is meant to educate them how to swim. It is beneficial to have particular training programmes and pilot periods to enable people build their knowledge of and comfort with the new technologies.

Encourage positive behaviour and ongoing learning

Too frequently, a tonne of time and effort is invested in bringing about the change, only to watch it stall in the months that follow its introduction. Activities that support and maintain the change must also be included in successful implementations. Maintaining momentum requires ongoing work to assess adoption, encourage usage, fill skill shortages, and reinforce the forces driving change.

Find a Sponsor

The most effective changes include a Sponsor who is actively involved and offers high level support and confirmation of the change. The Sponsor is crucial in expressing the need for change and demonstrating the organization’s dedication to it.

Create One Master Plan

Plan and plan the technical demands of the phased release as well as the sponsorship, sponsorship support, and communication required to adequately prepare personnel for each release. It is effective and increases their visibility to incorporate people-oriented activities within the technological project plan. Separate plans increase the possibility that crucial communications, training, and other activities won’t take place when each set of users’ needs them.

Obtain leadership backing for the employees

Work closely with managers and project sponsors in the relevant departments to make sure that staff training in and usage of the new technology is given the appropriate amount of priority. Utilize corporate sponsors to emphasise the advantages of utilising geospatial capabilities. Employees who are at ease with new processes and capabilities frequently provide constructive criticism to staff members planned for subsequent phases. This raises interest in using the technology as it becomes available over time.

Be flexible

Adaptability to shifting circumstances among participating departments is crucial in a phased deployment. You can sustain the rate of release by making good plans and communicating often. Inform everyone about the planned release date. Some departments might not be able to participate in their designated phase due to time-sensitive business considerations. To help the struggling departments, other departments could be willing to transition to an earlier release phase. Your ability to be flexible will make you a valued collaborator with each of these departments.

Ask and Act on feedback

Take action after receiving criticism! Inform people about the improvements when the IT team has put those changes into practise. People like being involved in the process and recognising the value of their contributions. Don’t forget to include things you want to alter, things you’ve already fixed, and even things you might not get around to. Integrity fosters trust.

Broadcast Early Successes

To speed up acceptance in subsequent phases, build on the accomplishments that individuals or departments had in the first few release phases. Keep in mind that after the first go-live date, your adoption activities do not end. Sharing success stories has the advantage of achieving two goals at once: encouraging early-phase departmental adoption and igniting staff interest and enthusiasm for technology use in later stages.

You may increase acceptance during a phased-release technology rollout by utilising people-focused change management concepts and putting the five techniques above into practise. Perhaps more significantly, you will lay a solid basis for ArcGIS enterprise use that will provide your firm access to location intelligence and significant economic value.

Make readiness a priority.

Determine the critical steps you’ll need to take to manage and sustain change by evaluating your organization’s preparedness in terms of technological infrastructure, business processes, and culture. You’ll be able to act swiftly and have a top-notch implementation when the time comes if you do this.

Pay Attention to Your Staff

Take a survey of your workers to see what technology they are most comfortable with, what problems they encounter, and how they feel about previous solutions. The objective is to identify the probable obstacles you may face, which might vary from user weariness to change resistance.

Always Aim Forward

It’s simple to concentrate on the issue or priority at hand without considering a long-term plan, but it’s never too early to begin planning how you’ll maximise your success in the long run. Be proactive in considering how to pinpoint potential development opportunities and create a clear vision and roadmap for the future. Beyond these broad best practises, focus on three crucial areas: giving people priority, being consistent in your communication, and utilising training to tie everything together.

Setting and Managing Expectations Relies on Effective Communication

Another important — yet sometimes disregarded — factor that may make or ruin a technology project or change attempt is communication. In fact, poor communication is a major factor in the failure of strategic projects, therefore it’s critical to create a thorough strategy up front to establish expectations.

Early Communication

Don’t keep those who will be impacted by the change in the dark. Hearing from the leadership and project teams about why you’ve chosen to introduce new technology, the benefits it will have, and what they can anticipate is powerful for end users.

Connect Often

When agency executives are reticent to discuss progress before they have all the information, workers may infer that the project isn’t progressing according to plan. Provide updates often to keep everyone feeling involved. If people don’t feel like they have enough assistance, they are less inclined to implement new processes into their daily lives. Consider assembling a team of internal champions who can offer guidance and support as well as best practises.

Gather and Disseminate Feedback

Encourage employees to raise issues or concerns, and then be sure you promptly address them, even if it only means saying, “We’re still working on it.” While you might not be able to totally allay worries, giving employees a sense of being heard will go a long way towards fostering trust.

Bring it together using Guidance and Assistance

The likelihood that employees may return to the “old ways” is quite high in the absence of a strong training foundation and a safety net of support. Be careful to take into account the difficulties your business can encounter when creating a training and support strategy.

Adoption success is more likely if a thorough change management strategy is created and followed throughout the change process. Remember that communication is essential at every step of the project and that it is crucial to begin before the change is put into effect. It’s crucial to keep in mind to use all available communication channels and not rely just on email. Plans for communication should also include one-on-one conversations that include speaking and listening. People must have their concerns taken into account and their opinions heard if they are to change.

Finally, keep in mind that change management continues even after the change has taken place. In the months after the shift, it’s crucial to track progress and share success stories. Success stories are frequently just as significant as numerical data. Emphasize the value people are beginning to realise and encourage similar conduct. Utilize the data collected to inform messaging and reinforce the intended results.

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