Ch.4 Communication for user adoption. White paper

Transcription

1 Ch.4 Communication for user adoption White paper

2 Usage matters Critical steps for user adoption of HR software Chapter 4: Communication for user adoption In this chapter we consider communication, recognizing that different stakeholders will require different messages. We ll consider how to define our communications specific to their needs. In the first chapter we introduced Everett Rogers Diffusion of Innovations and his categorization according to how people adopt new products / services. We ll apply this to all our stakeholders with the understanding that some groups will get it earlier than others. We ve identified that people using the new HR software to support their evolving talent and performance management processes, is what ultimately affects our return on investment and lets us realize the potential benefits of a new system such as increased engagement and better productivity of employees. Managers will also improve their ability to coach and provide feedback through improved talent management processes. These will combine to help realize the corporate strategy of the business. To achieve high usage, communication needs to extend beyond implementation for us to affect the user adoption curve. Our communication has to be relentless. We hope the following chapter provides some useful information and pointers. Best regards Mark Barlow CEO Page 1

3 Communication specific to stakeholders A major component of change management is communication, but communication needs to be tailored to your different groups of stakeholders. It is worthwhile brainstorming all of your stakeholders, specific to your company and specific to this project. Stakeholders might include the following, with the major emphasis on current and potential employees: 1 Your boss Shareholders Government Senior executives Alliance partners Trade associations Your co-workers Suppliers The press Your team Lenders Interest groups Managers Analysis The public Employees Future recruits The community New recruits Good planning upfront, combined with thoughtfulness and insight into your stakeholders and what matters to them, will pay dividends when it comes to implementation and rollout. Good planning upfront, combined with thoughtfulness and insight into your stakeholders and what matters to them, will pay dividends when it comes to implementation and rollout. Different groups We ve said no audience is the same, and definitely there is never one type of employee! We ve spoken about a simple classification into five main categories: Innovators Early Adopters Early Majority Late Majority Laggards Within each of the above groups of stakeholders there will be some that appreciate the innovation and others that will lag behind. Try and identify those key innovator individuals as they will be essential in personally advocating for the change on a local level. Bombardier understood this well when it rolled out a new talent and performance management system. HR departments were the first to trial the system internationally and were essential stakeholders. They had to understand the system and know the benefits, as HR would be the first point of call for questions and feedback. Other organizations have purposely included representatives from 1 Source: MindTools Page 2

4 employee communities to also create geographically dispersed champions from different parts and functions of the business. Whatever the group, be personal. Drop the corporate speak and talk them as individuals. Be sensitive to cultural nuances. Talk to people in their own language. It s these little touches that make the difference. Elements of communication A full communication plan will be specific to your people and your organization. Below are some pointers regarding different elements of communication and what to consider when putting together a plan. Benefits o Why you re changing your system align to strategy o The business benefits o Importantly, identify and communicate the benefits to the individual, and answer the important, What s in it for me? question. In the previous chapter, we spoke about change creating anxiety. As well as being upbeat and positive, you ll also need to manage anxiety and show your understanding that this change will require some effort from them to learn new processes and systems. You ll need to reassure them that you ll take care of them, so highlight what support and help you ve put in place during and after the transition. you ll also need to manage anxiety and show your understanding that this change will require some effort from them to learn new processes and systems. Involvement in choice / selection If you ve not yet selected or implemented your HR software system, you have a fantastic opportunity. People buy into a system more easily if they ve had a part to play in the selection. Find out what your employees would like to see in a talent and performance management system. Involve a cross-section (from all users including executives) in the trial and demonstrations. Use their experience to feedback on your final selection. This is the perfect time to engage with innovators in your organization and bring them on board early. They can then help with the communication at a local and team level. Welcome celebrate the implementation We can all get caught up in the process of getting a project to completion and can completely forget about the celebration. You ve done a fantastic amount of work to get the new system and processes live. Spend a little bit more time to really celebrate this. William Tincup asks the question, What do we want users to feel the first time they experience the new software? Use this question to define the welcome experience this could include a welcome letter or a welcome package. After all, we only get one chance to make a great first impression. It s also a great opportunity to remind and reinforce some of the key messages relating to corporate strategy and personal objectives. Page 3

5 We have one chance to make a great first impression. Sustain the communication It s all too easy to do communication in infrequent blasts. By having a communication plan it will help you remember to give regular updates. Let people know about the different stages of implementation. Give little hints and tips about ease of use and what they can get out of the system. Manage their expectations saying today you did, tomorrow you ll do. This all helps set the scene for the transition and onboarding to a new system. This takes us up to implementation. Then surely, we can take a wellearned break? Sorry, but not really. We ve seen that people adopt new innovations at different rates and we ve identified that user adoption is a curve. For us to impact on that curve and get our yield up we need to consistently communicate. Mark when there are key dates in the year. Perhaps, there s a set date for performance reviews. Potentially, there could be particular times of the year when you have new graduate intakes. All of these periods need to be identified as times for communication. Review: Establish a/the base-line of user adoption We ve mentioned that yield will never be 100% immediately. One of the benefits of HR software is its trackability. You should be able to know who is regularly using the new processes and tools, and who has yet to make the transition effectively Bombardier implemented a new performance management process. Within 90 days of implementation, every employee internationally had to complete his or her performance management review. This was a key metric for Bombardier how many people used the new system to complete their form. A base-line of usability was established. The other element of regular contact post-implementation is feedback. Your users will have valuable information about what elements of the new system they re finding great and where there could be improvements. Gather these nuggets and let your system provider know. Hopefully, they ll put in place improvements fast and then you ve got another great piece of news to communicate. Also plan to provide feedback on outcomes that the new processes and system have delivered e.g. key business metric improvements such as increases in customer satisfaction. This confirms that this was an initiative with business value and purpose and not just another overhead for HR s benefit! Page 4

6 Change management and communication We ve looked at different stakeholders, we ve identified the different stages of adoption and we ve assessed some of the key elements of communication. We will now need to develop a communication plan throughout and beyond the scope of the project. It might be useful to consider Prosci s ADKAR model, developed for individual change management. It utilizes building blocks and is an interesting basis for tailoring communication during HR software facilitated process implementation. A = D = K = A = R = Awareness of why the change is needed Desire to support and participate in the change Knowledge of how to change Ability to implement new skills and behaviours Reinforcement to sustain the change. Part of the communication plan will also be to assess the different channels that you have at your disposal. It will be useful to work in close collaboration with internal communication teams and marketing, jointly creating a communication plan. Conclusion Sustaining the change is a key challenge for successful HR software implementation and user adoption. As the majority of employees will only use the HR software and the processes intermittently, they will need constant reminders of the benefits to them and to the organization. Tying the communication back to the corporate strategy and demonstrating the resulting benefits will be fundamental in sustaining the change. Sustaining the change is a key challenge for successful HR software implementation and user adoption. Page 5

7 About AppLearn Ltd Embedded within HR software, AppLearn streams consistent training and communication to your employees wherever they are in the world, in any language, on any device. Through our consultancy services we collaborate with you to deliver change management, communication and training strategies with the overarching goal of driving up user adoption. AppLearn s roots are deeply embedded in HR software implementation, gained from more than 10 years experience. The management team founded AppLearn on the premise that there must be a better way to deliver application training and employee communications. AppLearn s platform delivers three key benefits: Enables organizations to communicate corporate strategy, values and ethos as well as reinforcing why new processes are important. Delivers just in time training for the new process in any language, at any time, on any device. Improves skills for managers by using training to raise soft skills such as delivering feedback on appraisals. Shared Vision. AppLearn works with customers who believe usage matters. Collectively AppLearn clients employ several million people around the world. AppLearn delivers thousands of training hours per month in multiple languages at any time of the day, or indeed night. Contact us info@applearn.tv Facebook: Linked In: AppLearn