Technology is embedded in nearly every aspect of your organization. It powers operations, enables communication, and drives growth.
However, despite its constant presence, new technology implementations still fail to deliver the results leaders expect.
Why does this keep happening?
Because leaders continue to buy into three persistent myths about IT implementation that shape their approach and ultimately sabotage success.
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Myth 1: Technology Is the Solution
In a world where there seems to be an app for everything, it’s easy to assume technology is the solution to every problem.
I see this even with behaviour change. A quick scan of your phone and you can find hundreds of apps to create new behaviours and habits. When in reality, all they do is enable you to monitor and track your activity related to the desired behaviour or habit.
And yes, tracking your progress with the activities related to a behaviour helps develop a new habit, but it is not what determines your success or failure.
The belief that technology is the solution creates two problems with your IT implementations.
The first is that leaders often take a “build it, and they will come” approach to implementation. The result of this type of approach is that you spend too much time and energy on the technology and not enough on the behaviours, beliefs, attitudes, and processes that created the problem.
Technology alone doesn’t create value. The beliefs, behaviours, and processes people bring to it do. The lack of focus on these underlying beliefs and behaviours leads directly to the second problem: the one created when you buy into this myth.
When leaders treat implementation as purely a technical project, responsibility often falls solely to IT, rather than having the business and operational leaders share ownership.
Your technology must be fully embedded in your operation to get a return on your investment, and to do that, you need the active involvement of your operational leaders and the people who will use the technology.
The result is that you successfully deploy the system, but you don’t achieve the desired outcome or ROI.
To move beyond this myth, shift your perspective. Technology is an enabler, not the solution.
Start by defining a clear, concise, and concrete outcome story. Your outcome story describes what it will look and feel like when the technology is fully embedded and you have achieved the desired outcome.
Myth 2: Training Guarantees Adoption
Training is necessary, but it’s not enough. Teaching people how to use a system doesn’t ensure they will integrate it into their daily work.
To achieve the required integration, you must enable the time and the activities to support the unlearning process.
You often implement new technology to replace, augment, or add to a function or activity already within your organization. For example, automating a manual process or updating an existing system, like your CRM.
Therefore, that new technology will require people to do similar work but in a different way or with different tools. Before they can embrace new behaviours and activities, they must let go of their existing habits, beliefs, and workflows. Letting go is the unlearning process.
Unlearning must occur before training. And it is at least and possibly more difficult than learning the new task.
Organizations that focus solely on training miss the broader picture. To drive adoption, shift your focus from training to learning and behaviour change. Then you can create space for unlearning, support new habits, and align processes with how you want the technology to support your organization.
Myth 3: People Care About the Technology
Here’s the reality: most people don’t care about the technology itself. They care about getting their work done efficiently.
Have you ever noticed that car commercials don’t discuss or show how the engine works? Instead, they focus on the car’s appearance and the feelings you will experience when you drive it, or the feelings they want you to have.
It’s similar with your new technology. The people who will use the technology don’t want to know what’s under the hood. They want to know:
- What it will look and feel like to do their work using the new technology,
- Its impact on how they work (processes, behaviours and habits),
- Their experience before they commit.
Leaders who focus too much on features and functionality miss the opportunity to connect with what truly matters. Instead, emphasize the user experience. Show how the technology improves workflows, involve employees in the design and implementation process, and help them see the tangible benefits.
One IT Manager discovered that people were more engaged, asked questions, and were more open to learning when he stopped talking about the bells and whistles of the technology. Instead, he focused on the employees’ experience using the technology.
Rethinking Technology for Better Results
Technology implementations are expensive, complex, and resource-intensive. The difference between success and failure often comes down to how well organizations align technology with people and processes.
By challenging these three myths, you can take a holistic approach to your IT implementations. An approach that prioritizes the people experience, the process (unlearning and learning), supports behaviour change, and focuses on the value for the people and organization.
When that alignment happens, technology stops being just another system and becomes a true driver of value and return on investment.
And if you need help aligning technology with people and processes, book a Change Strategy Call with me today.
