Organisational behaviour varies on an individual basis and creates individual barriers to adoption of new technology.
A bit too much jargon in there which might confuse some, but in essence we are saying that whether a person chooses to use new technology comes down to their individual working practices.
These practices can be defined by a number of factors and in this blog, we try and explain some of the contributing factors that make it hard for businesses to bring in technology like Unified Communications.
- Age Often overlooked when people are looking at new technology is the age of the individuals using it. We often forget that the workforce is made up of different generations and some of what the youngest employees take for granted has only been in existence in the last 10 years. Employees who are nearing retirement age at 65 today will have seen the biggest disruption to their working practices and often will embed themselves into technology that enable them to do their job, although that phrase is consistent with every age group
But consider the fact that most 65-year olds saw computers and landline telephones as the new technology they adopted. This became their bread and butter. As such they’ve struggled with mobile phones, Smart Phones, and WhatsApp. They often take comfort in desktop technology like PCs and deskphones.
Compare that with Millennials, who were brought up using software through a variety of different devices from watches through to smart phones.
Whilst these differences in age and use of technology aren’t critical it plays a defining role in how each of those age groups chooses to communicate, how they absorb information and how they feedback. And this is where we see the success or failure of adopting new technology. Spending time making individuals feel comfortable using technology often produces greater success. This can often mean seeding the technology over time to change those working practices. Giving people everything straight away can often create its own barriers.
- Industry There are some industries where the need to change to Unified Communications is just not worthwhile the exercise. Particularly in the manufacturing industry the majority of the employees probably don’t engage in two-way communication to do their job. That is not to say that technology hasn’t changed their job and the way they receive instructions has probably become digital either through tablets or other devices. Primarily it is a one-way instruction with an acknowledgement by return. The need is often just not there.
- Job Role Similarly there are job roles that don’t naturally involve elements like video conferencing and online presentations. As a tendency these are primarily use by Sales, Marketing and IT teams. Teams like Finance and Operations have less external requirement for these tools and as such they are unlikely to be used often.
- Working Environment As the workplace changes so does the working requirements on the Users. With increasing frequency businesses are now enabling staff to work flexibly and/or work remotely. Where staff are more centralised to offices adoption on wider departments is less likely. However, in environments where there is more remote working there is a greater need to use the tools Unified Communications can offer to enable a more constructive, collaborative environment.
There are other influences that can affect an individual’s behaviours, but these tend to be more about the individual and their personal desires; an early adopter of new technology can be any age. The ones we have listed tend to be the generic influences that a business can change.
We’ve worked with businesses to phase in new technology, a gradual more organic adoption, often working with Change teams to implement strategies for adoption and engagement.
If you’d like to know more about how we can help you, feel free to get in touch with chris@edisonnetworks.net
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