Change Management Strategies for Successful Technology Adoption in Associations
Change is part of our lives, especially at work. But when change is so pervasive, why doesn’t everyone understand how to deal with it by now?
Just because people are used to change doesn’t mean they accept it. Let this stat from Gartner sink in:
“The share of employees willing to support enterprise change collapsed to just 38% in 2022, compared with 74% in 2016.”
You’re thinking, “That percentage has got to be better at our association.” I’m with you. I hope it is too, especially if you’re introducing enterprise-level technology, like an association management system (AMS).
You can’t just wing it and assume everyone will get on board. Instead, resolve to be proactive. Learn about the psychology of change and change management strategies. Then, make a plan to help ease the disruption that change will cause.
Why Do People Resist Change
When people resist change, they’re just being human. Neuroscience researchers believe brains are wired to see change as potentially dangerous. Our brains go into self-protection mode. We think about everything that might go wrong.
Change pushes people out of their comfort zone. It threatens their attachment to familiar ways of doing things. Work seems more uncertain, except for one depressing thought: they’re losing their sense of mastery and any status that went along with it. What if the new software is too hard to learn? They fear appearing less competent and not meeting expectations.
Change takes away time. They have to spend time at project meetings and training. They’re stressed about all the time they’ll spend trying to figure out how to do something they used to do quickly. They don’t have any time to spare. This change of yours is the last thing they need right now.
Boards can be resistant to big changes too. Their collective ego wants to yell, “No problems on our watch!” They’re concerned about their legacy. They’ve seen projects go south at their offices. They don’t want any fingers pointed at them.
Like everyone else, your board and staff are tired of constant change. Haven’t they been through enough in the past three years? Now they have to deal with this?
Change, especially technology change, is inevitable. You can’t put it off, so you might as well learn how to help your colleagues and leaders embrace it.
Change Management Strategies for Change-Fatigued Associations
If you anticipate what lies ahead for your AMS project—or any technology implementation—you can create the conditions for a smooth adoption.
Understand the Psychology of Change.
Learn how brains and teams process change. If you see articles or podcast episodes about change or change management, read or listen to them.
Cultivate a Learning Culture
You’ll have more success if your workplace culture acknowledges the need for continuous change. People who make intentional efforts to learn and grow professionally are more amenable to change.
Encourage a learning culture by investing in your staff’s professional development. In performance reviews and compensation decisions, reward a demonstrated willingness to accept change.
Assess Everyone’s “Change Load.”
Map out the current state of change in your organization so you can see if any person or team might become overwhelmed by an additional project.
Dr. Britt Andreatta uses a matrix to assess the impact of change. One axis represents the time it takes for people to get used to change. Another axis represents the amount of disruption caused by change. These quadrants represent the four change journeys:
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- A lot of effort but it’s over quickly
- A lot of effort lasting a long time
- Little effort and finished quickly
- Not much effort over a long time
Put projects into their appropriate quadrant. Find out if too much disruption is going on at once for everyone or for particular teams or people.
Involve People in Decisions That Affect Them.
Associations aren’t democracies; staff can’t vote on all decisions. But you can give them a voice and a chance to raise concerns.
Project teams should represent every stakeholder group. For example, on an AMS project, stakeholders are teams or people who use the AMS or data from the AMS. These people can raise technical or procedural concerns that have merit, but otherwise might be overlooked.
Involve stakeholders, so when they grumble about change, you know if their concerns are based on real issues or natural resistance to change.
Explain Why Change is Necessary.
Share the many reasons you need a new AMS. Everyone affected by the change needs to hear this repeatedly in a way that makes sense for them.
Describe the cost of protecting the present state of things:
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- What the association and teams can’t do
- What you’re doing poorly
- What opportunities you’re missing
- What insight you lack
- How value delivery is affected
- How sticking with the status quo is impossible
Demystify the unknown by painting a picture of a better future. How will a new AMS make their jobs easier, save time, help teams and the organization reach their goals, and open up new opportunities?
People need information about the reasons for change. If they don’t understand why you’re getting a new AMS, they’ll continue to see the potential danger in change. In the absence of information, they’ll make up their own story—and it will always be the worst-case scenario.
Reassure People About Their Employment
With all the talk of AI taking over jobs, many people are in a more sensitive headspace than they used to be. When you talk about all the things your new AMS can do, the first thing some of them will think about is being replaced by technology.
There’s some truth to this because some employees won’t have to spend as much of their time on laborious administrative or marketing tasks. Ideally, they’ll use that freed-up time on more meaningful work—work that only humans can do. If they don’t have the skills to do that work, then you have to decide whether you’ll give them the opportunity to develop them.
Involve these people from the start in requirements discussions and process documentation, so they know about the coming changes. Always be transparent about what lies ahead.
Acknowledge the Difficulty of Change
Admit it up front: change is hard. You understand that and will do everything you can to ease the pain of transition.
The last thing you want to be is an obnoxious change cheerleader who’s tone-deaf to the very real concerns others have, whether those concerns are psychological or procedural. Position change as a messy process that will bring you all to a better future. Continually remind people why the pain is worth it.
Let people complain to you. They need to vent before they can resign themselves to change or choose a better attitude about it. Listen with empathy and curiosity so you gain their trust.
Get to Know the Resisters
Some people will resist change but won’t be vocal about it. Instead, they’ll take a passive aggressive approach to change. On the outside, they’re nodding and agreeing, but it’s a pretense. They’re the ones who miss meetings, delay the timeline, and continue to do their own thing.
Spend time with obvious resisters who make their discomfort known so you can understand their concerns. Honor their feelings and expertise by involving them in requirements discussions, process documentation, and testing.
Over-Communicate
Continue to sell the change. When people are busy or caught up in their own feelings about change, they don’t always take in information. Keep repeating messages about the reasons for a new AMS and how it will improve their work life.
Don’t let rumors and wild thoughts take flight. Regularly update staff on the project’s status and any changes to the timeline, project scope, or product functionality.
Promise Support
It’s a long road to adoption. It takes 40 to 50 repetitions of an action for the basal ganglia part of the brain to turn behavior into a habit. Promise and deliver training and support not only at launch but down the road. Recruit AMS champions and give them time to help others learn how to use the system.
Your AMS partner, and your Customer Success Manager in particular, can help you and your organization adjust to the changes introduced by a new AMS. Get a sneak peek at how things can change for the better by watching a demonstration of MemberSuite.