What are the key factors that determine your team's readiness to successfully adopt and support a new tool or technology?

It's crucial to listen to stakeholders and the team to determine the best path forward when adopting new technology or tools. Understanding their feedback and concerns helps guide the process effectively.

Over the past two years, we've significantly developed our change management practice, which is now involved in most of our high-profile projects. Our change manager conducts readiness assessments, often based on the Prosci ADKAR model, which stands for Awareness, Desire, Knowledge, Ability, and Reinforcement. We focus on these areas and perform stakeholder analysis to identify resistors within the team, allowing us to tailor communications for them specifically. Having a change manager on our projects has greatly improved our ability to adopt new tools and processes, as well as identify gaps in individual readiness.

There are two perspectives to consider: the formal and the informal. Informally, it's important to pay attention to the hallway chatter. Change can be challenging, and understanding whether people are excited, reluctant, nervous, or fearful about job security can provide valuable insights. While not all fears need direct addressing, they often surface in these informal discussions. On the formal side, it's crucial to communicate the business strategy and the reasons for adopting a new tool or technology. Clearly outlining the plan for team members is essential. For instance, about ten years ago, we replaced our ERP system, which was a significant change. We communicated to our employees that although they were unfamiliar with the new technology, we wanted them to stay, and we committed to training and investing in them. Most of the team was willing to adapt, and they became key stakeholders and project team members. They underwent formal training and received additional support from experts. This learning was integrated into their annual goals, and they were held accountable. Today, many of those individuals who initially didn't know the new ERP system are still with us, supporting it as internal SMEs.