To Train or

Not to Train:
A Game Plan to
Find the Real
Problems Fast
A WHITE PAPER

Implementing new technology requires

a gradual, well-thought-out process. It’s
not solely about training or re-training if
something is going wrong. Finding the
real problem could be the difference
between tens or even hundreds of
thousands of dollars for your company.
Managing the change cur ve
Companies are making strides to change. They have to. Technology is
evolving and it’s time to implement, adapt, or be left behind. Changes include
transitioning from on-premise to cloud technologies, integrating social and
mobile capabilities, and implementing ways to manage big data and deliver
analytics—all of which are forcing businesses to change the way they work.
From a technology standpoint, it’s a lot to manage—and we haven’t even
mentioned people.

As the systems employees use every day begin to change, user perspectives
and habits must change as well. And change can be difficult.

Organizational change management (OCM) helps to manage the people aspect

of technology change. Upon implementing a new technology, OCM outlines
phases that help organizations successfully transition from one piece of
technology to the other, or move to technology from no technology at all. There
are many aspects and elements based on different change methodologies, but
some of the basics include:

ƒƒ Communications plan: Outreach to targeted audiences outlining what’s

being changed and why

ƒƒ Sponsorship: An active executive sponsor playing a major role in

communications or removing barriers

ƒƒ Coaching: Often between the direct user and reporting manager or

leading stakeholders to influencers within the organization

ƒƒ Learning: Not to replace the communications or coaching efforts, but

instead to augment with knowledge and skill building for direct users

ƒƒ Resistance management: Identifying and mitigating pockets of

resistance throughout the broader audiences

Best practices insist that OCM is a change curve (can be different for each
individual) to be managed. Implementing technology isn’t just about training
users to get them up to speed, it’s about planning, communication, executive
sponsorship, and discipline. However, more often than not, the assumption is
made that roadblocks in user adoption or technology success is due to a lack
of knowledge or skills—thereby requiring more training. But that’s not always
the case.

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To train or not to train—that is the question.
“We need training!”

We’ve all heard it. These three words can be heard as much as any other
often-used phrase in business culture. And, they come from all individuals—
administrative assistants, functional subject matter experts, human resources
generalists, managers, and executives—even training professionals.

But maybe the best response to such a proclamation is, “Is training the real
need?” Instead of immediately assuming that a lack of knowledge or skills is the
case, it’s important to truly understand what’s missing. Three questions to help
discover what’s really affecting productivity are:

ƒƒ Have those closest to the process or issue been asked for their input?

ƒƒ Is a significant percentage of users truly lacking the knowledge or skills

needed?

ƒƒ Where does the root cause of the problem actually lie?

Your transmission is not really broken

Have you ever taken your car into the auto shop expecting something to be
incredibly wrong, preparing yourself to spend hundreds—maybe thousands—of
dollars only to find out the issue is a damaged sensor and will be $79 to fix?

Instead of relying on someone to disassemble and reassemble the entire engine

only to come to the same conclusion, you went to an expert to assess the
situation with the right diagnostic tools to find the actual issue. Not only is that
great news for you and your car, the process of properly assessing the situation
saved you hundreds of dollars in man hours alone.

In technology-based change, user adoption of new tools, solutions, and related

processes is a broad and potentially expensive symptom of what might be a
more straightforward problem. Declaring that users aren’t well trained infers that
a lack of knowledge or skills is the direct and only contributor to low adoption.
But is that the real root cause of the adoption gap?

It’s easy to point the finger and declare training is the issue. But in the world
of training, a major undertaking would be similar to an expensive transmission
repair. In an effort to respond quickly, resources are hired or reassigned,
elaborate strategies and plans are built, and a large portion of the workforce is
required to attend more training—all of which equates to tens or hundreds of
thousands of dollars. And when all that is said and done, the underlying problem
causing low adoption may never have been identified.

The actual problem could be one of many. To thwart potentially superfluous

training costs, keep these two items in mind when adopting new technology,
solutions, and processes: sponsorship and discipline.

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First—sponsorship.
To affect change—particularly in large, technology-based organizations—efforts
need an executive sponsor. Leadership endorsement is needed to demonstrate
support of the tool and encourage timely and effective participation within the
new solution and/or processes. Actively expressing support in forums or one-
to-one conversations reinforces the importance of the implementation and user
adoption. These actions are forms of demonstrated support. It’s less about
dictating what needs to be done with a “get-on-board-or-else” mentality, and
more about engaging with people on the topic and explaining why it’s important.

Effective demonstrations of support must be repeated genuinely and often.

Without demonstrated support or direction, it’s easy for team members to find
other priorities instead of taking the time to explore and use the new tool. And,
if the executive sponsor finds themselves saying, “I’m really busy today, I’ll get
back to that tomorrow,” then it’s easy for everyone else to do the same.

Demonstrated support bridges the gap between “executive row” and the every-
day user. It creates a real sense of ownership and autonomy when executive
sponsors lead by example.

Now— discipline.
With a communicative executive sponsor in place, it then comes down
to discipline. That falls to everyone in the organization. And it’s not easy.
Discipline—or lack thereof—reflects a deeply rooted culture that takes time
and commitment to improve. However, without support and discipline, new
technologies, solutions, and related processes may as well fall to the wayside.

It’s much easier for teams and people within an organization to participate
if they know others are, too. Behavior can be contagious—particularly if the
benefits of a new tool are known. Again, this ties back to good sponsorship and
communication. It’s another chance for leaders to express the desired focus
and behaviors within the environment in question. If an end user knows how
a new technology and their participation in using the tool impacts the bottom
line, they’ll be more likely to invest the time and discipline needed to reach the
desired outcomes from the change.

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 Still think training is a must?
Training, or the learning process for individuals, is an essential part of technology
implementation and user adoption. But too often it’s used as the scapegoat
for something else. It’s also an expensive means to an end if it is not the root
cause of an issue. Figuring out what can be done to mitigate risk in technology
adoption (and that includes unnecessary training activities) starts with knowing
where the problem actually lies and working to fix it without a training band aid.

Instead of rushing to the decision to train more, assess the sponsorship and
discipline around the technology or process in question.

There’s a bet ter first step

Another great starting point is to actually engage with users, asking for their
input. Not only is it an effective way to unearth real problems, it’s also a positive
way to mine useful data and help users feel included in the overall success of the
technology.

Encouraging participation by providing feedback shows that all opinions—not

just that of the executive sponsor—actually matter. If people feel empowered and
part of the solution, ownership and commitment usually begin to rise. And even if
the conclusion is that training is needed, people will be much more receptive as
they were included in the discovery process from the start.

About Changepoint
Changepoint delivers market-leading solutions in Business Execution Management™ (BEM) to
companies around the world. Our solution suite is comprised of Project Portfolio Management
(PPM), Enterprise Portfolio Management (EPM), Professional Services Automation (PSA), and
more. With Changepoint, flexibly adapting to change is easier to do. The result? A shorter time-
to-value, and a clearer road to innovation and customer satisfaction. For more information about
Organizational Change Management, contact a Changepoint solution specialist at
requestinfo@changepoint.com or call 1.718.968.5477.
0316 © 2016 Changepoint

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