Managing User Resistance

Managing user resistance when designing, and executing your global Lab Informatics strategy
John Trigg
phaseFour Informatics Limited
www.phasefour-informatics.com
www.theintegratedlab.com

Agenda
Success criteria for informatics projects
User involvement
The principles of technology adoption
Defining strategies to drive up user acceptance

What makes a project successful?
Immediate
On time
On budget
Delivered in full
Post Implementation
Return on investment
Productivity gain
Longer term
Permanent benefits
Better science
Improved knowledge management
Increasing user engagement

Knowledge Management
KM solutions do not come in a shrink wrap box
KM is not a process, it is an outcome
KM is about people and culture; technology and processes can facilitate good KM, but that’s all
It can take years to cultivate a good KM ecosystem, and minutes to destroy
Technology Enablers Knowledge Processes Cultural Enablers Create Share Exploit Data Information Networks Competence Behaviours & Values Coaching & Leadership Ownership & Empowerment

McGregor Theory X and Theory Y
Theory X
Management assumes employees are inherently lazy and will avoid work if they can and that they inherently dislike work.
Theory Y
Management assumes employees may be ambitious and self-motivated and exercise self-control.
Maslow's hierarchy of needs

User Culture/Technology Adoption Rogers, Everett M. (1962). Diffusion of Innovations. The Free Press. New York Innovators 2 - 3 % Technology Enthusiasts : want to be first to try new technology; want one of everything. Early Adopters 10% Visionaries : able to align technology with strategic opportunities; willing to take risks; horizontally oriented. Early Majority 36% Pragmatists : cautious with risk and money; loyal; vertically oriented. Late Majority 36% Conservatives : opposed to discontinuous innovation; believe in tradition rather than progress. Laggards 15% Sceptics : negative attitude towards technology; identify discrepancies between what’s promised and what’s delivered.

Project Success Factors Standish Group International (1999) User Involvement 20% Executive Support 15% Clear Business Objectives 15% Experienced Project Manager 15% Small Milestones 10% Firm Basic Requirements 5% Competent Staff 5% Proper Planning 5% Ownership 5% Other 5%

Ten Ways to Guarantee Project Failure
1. Abbreviate the planning process.
2. Don ’ t ask “ what if? ”
3. Minimise user involvement.
4. Select team members by the “ hey, you ” method.
5. Work people long and hard.
6. Don ’ t inform management of problems.
7. Allow changes at any point.
8. Discourage questions from team members.
9. Don ’ t give users progress reports.
10. Don ’ t compare project progress with project estimates.
Naomi Karten, www.StickyMinds.com

Technology Acceptance Model Davis, F.D. “A Technology Acceptance Model for Empirically Testing New End-User Information Systems: Theory and Results”, in MIT Sloan School of Management . Cambridge, MA; MIT School of Management. 1986. Perceived Usefulness Behavioural Intention External Variables Actual Use Perceived Ease of Use Attitude Toward The degree to which a person believes that using a particular system would enhance his or her job performance. The degree to which a person believes that using a particular system would be free from effort. Individual user’s positive or negative feelings about performing the target behaviour A measure of the strength of one’s intention to perform a specific behaviour.

Technology Adoption S-curve Time % User Adoption Contact Awareness Understanding Trial Use Adoption Internalisation Institutionalisation Robert G. Fichman, Chris F. Kemerer, “The Illusory Diffusion of Innovation : An Examination Of Assimilation Gaps”, Working Paper Series No.746, Katz Graduate School of Business, University of Pittsburgh, November 1995.

User involvement
Preparation
Understanding the problem
Helping to define requirements
Implementation
Need to be kept aware of progress
Need to be involved in testing
Training/support programs
Long term
Take advantage of productivity/process improvements
Contribute to and improve the corporate knowledge base
Do better science

Implementation
The project team must ensure that all ‘users’ and their interests are represented.
Project leadership is equally important as project management.
Communicate, communicate, communicate
Market’ the project; don’t ‘sell’ it.
IT project or Lab project?
Keep it simple, but be flexible and expect surprises.
Be wary of the risk of guerrilla warfare.

Technology Adoption Life Cycle Ref : ‘Crossing The Chasm’, G.A.Moore, Capstone Publishing Technology Enthusiasts Looking for some neat technology Innovators Early Adopters Early Majority Laggards Late Majority The Chasm Visionaries Looking for a breakthrough Pragmatists Looking for an improvement Conservatives Believe in tradition Sceptics Not looking!

Closing the gap
Adoption process
Contact
Awareness
Understanding
Trial Use
Adoption
Institutionalisation
Internalisation
What can we do to influence attitude in order to drive the ‘right’ behaviours?
Establish and articulate a well-defined purpose and a compelling reason to adopt.
Concentrate on usefulness, ease-of-use and low risk of failure.
Implement a ‘marketing’, training and support structure (Early Adopters).
Target and involve the pragmatists (Early Majority).
Separate project leadership from project management.
Engage a Management champion.
People are more likely to comply with a request when:
A reason is provided
There is give and take
They see others complying
The request comes from someone they respect or like
The request comes from a legitimate source of authority
Robert B. Cialdini, “Influence: Science and Practice”, HarperCollins, 1993.

Managing User Resistance

by John Trigg on Mar 24, 2010

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