Get Your Team On Board with New Technologies by Taking This 7-step Training Approach – ThomasNet News
Suppliers: Claim your company for free to make updates to your profile and view your analytics dashboard
Career & Workforce
Laura Ross Jun 01, 2022
Welcome to Thomas Insights — every day, we publish the latest news and analysis to keep our readers up to date on what’s happening in industry. Sign up here to get the day’s top stories delivered straight to your inbox.
Digital transformation is credited for boosting workplace efficiency, improving transparency, driving cost savings, increasing employee engagement, and enhancing the customer experience to achieve a competitive advantage. But these benefits can only be realized when organizations are successful in getting the entire workforce on board.
Every employer must contend with the Luddites, who are actively opposed to all technologies, and the naysayers, who are skeptical or dismissive of new things. But that doesn’t mean these employees can’t eventually be won over through a combination of patience, understanding, and a thorough training plan.
Here’s our seven-step guide to getting your team on board with new technologies.
We all experience those moments when we feel wary or fearful of the unknown and, when it comes to technology implementations, your employees are no different.
Once you’ve developed a long-term digital transformation or tech strategy, share it with your workforce. They will be much more compliant when they know exactly what to expect and when.
Employees will require training to use newly implemented technology to its full potential. But there’s no one-size-fits-all approach to onboarding your team. Tech-savvy employees will require minimal assistance while the more cynical or inexperienced among your workforce might need hand-holding through the entire process.
You could offer employees the choice of participating in virtual training or in-person sessions, while also providing extra assistance for those who need it.
When it comes to convincing employees to embrace digital transformation, the “why” is always important.
As many as 63% of organizations said the speed of technological change at their places of work is too slow because of a “lack of urgency” and poor messaging about how the new tools are beneficial. If you can effectively communicate how new technologies will directly benefit your employees, you are far more likely to achieve buy-in.
Employees expect to be informed about your long-term tech strategy, but they also need their opinions and experiences to be heard.
Collect feedback regularly to determine how your workforce is coping with newly implemented tools and hear their thoughts on how the user experience might be enhanced. Not only will this boost employee engagement, but it will provide you with useful data on what’s working, what’s not, and how you can improve.
You can’t expect your workforce to embrace new technologies if your organization’s senior management doesn’t lead by example.
As well as encouraging your leadership team to be early adopters, you might consider identifying key influencers throughout your organization who can serve as cheerleaders for your new tech solutions.
The most stubborn of your employees may require an additional nudge to get them on board.
Consider implementing an incentive scheme that rewards people for using new technologies. You could offer financial rewards, gift vouchers, or fund social events for the most compliant teams.
As time goes on and you continue to roll out your new tech strategy, don’t forget to keep your workforce in the loop. Get complacent and you run the risk of losing the buy-in you’ve worked so hard to achieve.
Send notifications when new tools are going live, offer refresher training courses, and make sure your service providers or in-house tech teams are on hand to answer any queries and concerns.
Image Credit: Monkey Business Images / Shutterstock.com
Career & Workforce
Career & Workforce
Career & Workforce
Career & Workforce
Career & Workforce
Career & Workforce
Career & Workforce
10 Types of PPE That Should Be on Your Essential List for a Safe Industrial Workplace [Checklist]
7 Ways to Prevent Strikes in Manufacturing and Industry
How to Manage Differing Opinions in the Workplace
The Average Worker Holds 12 Jobs in Their Lifetime: Now Is the Time to Switch to Industry
How to Shatter the Bamboo Ceiling in Your Workplace
Engineering & Design
Daily Bite
Business & Industry
Business & Industry
Career & Workforce
Select From Over 500,000
Industrial Suppliers
Find and evaluate OEMs, Custom Manufacturers, Service Companies and Distributors.
Receive Daily
Industry Updates
Stay up to date on industry news and trends, product announcements and the latest innovations.
Search Over
6 Million Products
Find materials, components, equipment, MRO supplies and more.
Download 2D & 3D
CAD Models
10+ million models from leading OEMs, compatible with all major CAD software systems.
Copyright© 2022 Thomas Publishing Company. All Rights Reserved. See Terms and Conditions, Privacy Statement and California Do Not Track Notice. Website Last Modified June 1, 2022.
Thomas Register® and Thomas Regional® are part of Thomasnet.com. Thomasnet Is A Registered Trademark Of Thomas Publishing Company.