Almost every organization mainly focuses on the technological changes they’ve to keep up with to stay on top of competitors and captivate customers. Amidst this, most companies neglect to define strategies on how the employee base will adapt to these transformations. After all, every technological innovation is as efficient as its user. That’s why training the staff and upgrading their skills to leverage the new technology is critical, even before implementation.
Employees who acquire training on older technology may need some time and guidance to adapt. What’s more, these individuals might resist the change, believing that the old systems perform better. For this reason, it’s crucial to support your team and encourage them to accept, learn, and leverage the new tech. In addition to that, you must also ensure that every individual understands the process completely and utilizes technology to its full potential. Otherwise, you might have some issues later on.
For this reason, let us discuss some tips organizations can utilize to help workers adapt to the new technology.
1. On-the-job training
In today’s highly tech-dependent era, no organization, large or small, can survive without leveraging technology in one or more functions. Nonetheless, mindlessly implementing technology will only incur high costs with little to no returns on investment. In the same regard, if your employees are not well-versed in fully capitalizing on the advanced systems, it’ll lead to decreased productivity and overall diminishing performance.
Therefore, before rolling out advanced technological systems at the workplace, ensure to provide training to workers. This way, your employees will be better equipped to fully utilize the new technology and reap its benefits for years to come. Likewise, employees willing to expand their knowledge of technology and computer science can benefit from online programs. They can opt for an online master’s in computer science program and attain an edge over other employees at the workplace.
2. Maintain a multi-pronged approach
Not every worker can effectively understand through a single mode of training. Therefore, to ensure proper understanding of each aspect of the new tech, implement diverse training methods. You can include written instructions as well as provide video instructions. Moreover, you can also teach through physical demonstrations.
Maintaining a multi-pronged approach in training will accommodate each worker’s learning style and preferences. In addition to that, ensure that constant support and guidance are available for employees at all levels.
3. Create a space practice stage
We understand that you might be eager to execute the new technological systems organization-wide as soon as possible and bring them into regular operation. However, you must know that your workers are still in the training stage. And so, you must give them a metaphorical sandbox. It’ll allow them to practice the new tech without fearing that their mistakes will lead to irreversible damage.
Providing them with a safe space to train and learn from their mistakes will ensure better efficiency and productivity once the tech is implemented officially. Nonetheless, making room for a learning curve before that stage is crucial.
4. Break up the instructions into steps
Indeed, you can’t change an old worker’s way of thinking and work within a matter of days or weeks. For this purpose, you must gradually transition the workers into the new processes by introducing the tech in small steps. While some of your workers may pick up the concept quickly, others may need a little more time.
Therefore, break down the learning curve into several steps, and give them time to absorb each part of the process. You can start by explaining and training the workers to work on simpler features and eventually move on to complex aspects of the tech later.
5. Implement skills evaluation
Evaluating skills after a couple of months or a year is an effective method to keep your employees motivated. After all, introducing new technology isn’t a matter of shifting skills. Digital transformation demands some core competencies that your current team may or may not possess. Therefore, give your team the time to evolve their skills and keep a check on their progress through skill evaluation.
The evaluation will also highlight the skill gaps in your workers, which you can work on later. Moreover, it will encourage the workers to stay in the competition and motivate them to train harder.
6. Offer incentives with guidance
Unarguably, your workers will need some external motivation to stay up-to-date with the new tech. So, you can present this motivation in the form of incentives and rewards. Start offering a stipend to the workers for adapting to technology.
But ensure you interlink these incentives with some guidance to learn and use the tech consistently.
7. Re-think the way your team works
Often, your team is focused on performing some baseline tasks that they find difficult to hone and use the new technology. For this reason, you have to consider the team structure and dynamics with a bird’s eye view. Consider if the new tech is necessary for their work and whether it improves company performance. Then, take your time restructuring the team structure and modify their responsibilities to include the tech.
Remember that upgrading the responsibilities does not mean increasing their burden. It is a sure-fire way of demotivating an individual. Instead, you must show them that using the tech can help them achieve their goals faster.
8. Introduce the technology as a project
When you take up a project, you get the most suitable individual on the team and work with them. Hence, considering the technological upgrades like a new project and getting the most flexible workers on the team can help you introduce the tech. Moreover, it will also help you evaluate the effectiveness of the technology for your business if you set some KPIs.
These KPIs will measure the project’s success and help you create a team of experts who can later help other workers. This team will help the rest of the organization understand the technology better and provide support if needed.
Conclusion
If you want to implement new technology in the organization effectively, you must ensure that the workers understand its significance.
Only when they understand the value and importance of this upgrade will they be willing to change their working style and adapt. Once you have relayed its significance, focus on giving training and instructions. Arrange practical training where they can go through a trial-and-error stage. Taking these steps will help you seamlessly introduce, train, and implement the new technology into the organization.
