How To Quickly Adapt To New Technology into Your Business

The coronavirus pandemic has caused an accelerated dependency on a range of technologies, which has meant that businesses and individuals alike have had to quickly adapt to unfamiliar technologies in order to work remotely, stay in touch with loved ones and even run basic everyday errands. During the pandemic, many different companies’ and businesses’ survival has depended on integrating somewhat new technology and procedures quickly and effectively. As the pandemic continues and the effects of which reverberate far into the future, it may be crucial to revaluate business models to further incorporate use of technology which could protect and optimise workflow. However, many people may struggle to adapt to new technologies and protocols, and this is a particularly difficult issue when it comes to running a business.

Get employees on board
Incorporating new technology starts with your employees, and getting them on board is integral to that process. According to Forbes, ‘a 2018 survey by PwC showed that only 47% of employees believe that new technology is chosen with their needs in mind. There’s a sizable disconnect here, as the same survey showed that 90% of executives believed they were paying attention to people’s needs when making technology-related decisions.’

If possible, before you select your new tech, listen to your employees concerns and needs and make decisions with them in mind. If you choose technology with your employees in mind, then express this to them. When rolling out this new tech be sure to highlight the ways in which this new technology is going to make their working lives easier – it is a great benefit so be sure to shout about it. Also, outline how this new technology can open up new working opportunities – for example during the pandemic many companies had to work remotely and rely on video conferencing. However, the successful incorporation of remote working may mean that more employees can access flexible working arrangements in the future, so by learning remote technologies it could benefit their needs in the future.

Further, you can even incentivise to use the new tech, whether by offering learning sessions over a company paid for lunch, monetary benefits or simple team building sessions. Making the experience of learning new tech, enjoyable can often offset frustration when it comes to learning.

Support and Information

There may be several employees in your organisation that resist new technologies, due to a fear of the unknown, insecurities about their ability to grasp new information, comfort in old ways, a concern that new procedures will actually make their job harder and so forth. This may mean that it is particularly difficult to encourage members of staff to use this technology effectively. The trick here is to offer learning and development opportunities and therefore set your employees up for success. Actively encourage skill development, provide employees with information about the new programme or tech, and make the tools and skills needed easily available. Harvard Business Review writes: “Rather than thrusting new technologies upon employees, organizations should provide them with the right training and support to better use and adopt those tools.”
Foster an environment of communication and learning. If employees feel empowered to share feedback and suggestions they may be more inclined to grow and change with the company.

Further, before rolling out the technology ensure that It does work properly, invest in dedicated tech personal to help the transition go as smoothly as possible. It can often be demoralising and off-putting for employees if they cannot get on with their work because the new technology is glitching and preventing them from learning or working. This can put a bad taste in already-reluctant employees mouths, so make sure the technology is incorporated into your company as smoothly as possible.

Incorporate technology growth into company culture

Many employees may be set in the ‘old ways’ of working, and the mindset therefore is to resist change, whether or not it optimises the efficiency of workflow. Therefore, part of the challenge with bringing in new technology is to address and alter employee outlook and make the adoption of new technologies part of the culture. Further, encouraging a workplace that supports education, growth and change may also help to make employees feel more confident in new technology and changes. Harvard Business Review writes “organizations must have a long-term strategy toward the creation of a culture that encourages and embraces technology adoption. A piecemeal approach to tech adoption and implementation may feel like short-term progress, but will not lead to the creation of a digitally-focused mindset, and it will not result in a clean departure from legacy systems or attitudes.”