By Krysty Wideen

With new gadgets, new software, and new rumors out every day, it’s no wonder that people start to think about technology as the solution to all life’s problems.

I personally look to Google to answer any question I could ever have. The other day I typed in “How much should I contribute to my RRSPs?” only to admit that this may not be the best source of information on what to do about my finances.

I have helped develop and create a company wiki for document and knowledge management, and the hardest part was convincing people to adopt it. A knowledge management system is useless without people contributing knowledge!

I’ve seen companies implement new tracking systems for hourly employees, only to realize they were constantly being overridden when employees forgot to sign in.

The point I hope I am making is that technology has become so powerful that we expect a lot of it, and we should, but sometimes we forget that people have to use it in order for it to work. I’m not going to pretend that I am a guru for implementing technology in the workplace, but there are a few things that I can suggest keeping in mind when implementing a new technology in the office. I’m sure there are some other folks out there with some great experience and knowledge they can share, so I invite you to do so!

First, what does the everyday use of this technology look like to your employees? Will users have to spend five minutes waiting for the program to sign in? Does it add/reduce steps?  How does this compare to legacy systems or ways of doing things? Really simple setbacks can make adoption an uphill battle and, on the other hand, really simple enhancements in the way people do things can also be a source of momentum and buy in.

Next, what will it really take to adopt this technology? This includes the entire technical infrastructure as well as the training involved and any other support required. For instance, in the example of a knowledge management system, people understood how to add documents and share their ideas, but some guidelines were required so that people understood the organizational context – what was required of them, what was part of the system, and what wasn’t, and frankly what a wiki is.

The last question I want to bring up (did I mention that this is not an exhaustive list?) is, what does this do, and more importantly, what does it not do? The reason I think this question is important is because often, by not being clear from the get go as to what is not included, it can set people up for disappointment.

With any technological upgrade, initiative, or change, just be purposeful. Think of all the questions you need to ask and then start trying to answer them. Communicate clearly with users and don’t do it for the sake of the latest and greatest. Finally, and most importantly, don’t let initial setbacks get you down.

Krysty Wideen is a learning and organizational development consultant with The Refinery Leadership Partners, based in Vancouver. Her professional interest and expertise is in emotional intelligence, type psychology (MBTI), conflict, team dynamics, learning design, and program evaluation. An emerging practitioner in her field, Krysty is actively seeking new information, ideas, insights, and experiences and loves to share them with the online community through the BC HRMA and Refinery Leadership Partners Blogs.