The document provides 12 tips for overcoming common user adoption and change hurdles when implementing new collaboration technology like SharePoint. The tips include making solutions solve real problems, engaging helpers, ensuring comfort through training and support, focusing on communications, listening to feedback, and recognizing that adoption requires ongoing efforts like sharing lessons learned. The document advocates shifting focus from adoption alone to business outcomes and emphasizes change management strategies for successful user adoption and engagement with new technologies.

1. Practical advice to overcome common
user adoption and change hurdles
SharePoint Tech Fest
April 6, 2016
Susan Hanley
www.susanhanley.com

2. 2
• President, Susan Hanley LLC
• National Practice Lead: Portals,
Management Collaboration, and Content
practice at Dell
• Director of Knowledge Management at
American Management Systems
• Information
Architecture
• User Adoption
• Governance
• Metrics
• Knowledge
Management
• Intranets & Portals
• Collaboration
Solutions
susanhanleysue@susanhanley.com
www.networkworld.com/blog/essential-sharepoint
www.susanhanley.com
www.improveit.how

3. User Adoption
User Engagement

4. 4
But wait,
then why are
we here?
RESULTS
Tip # 1: Adoption is not the end game

8. Product
Development
• Engineer
struggling with
a problem –
find answers
quickly
• Feedback
“crowd-
sourcing”
Resource
Planning
• PM looking for
the most
qualified
resources for a
project –
expertise
location
Customer
Support
• Services agent
working trying
to solve an
unusual
customer
problem
• “Organic”
knowledge
base
• Sales team on-
boarding
• Sales team
training and
mentoring
Sales

9. Tip # 3: It’s personal

11. “Our intranet is a tool which
allows us to make business
decisions therefore it cannot
be overcomplicated or
distracting, making our
designs concise, sharp and
distinct.”

12. 12

14. The
9X
Effect
A new product has to
offer a 9 X
improvement over the
existing solution in order
to be immediately or
easily adopted.*
*Gourville, John T., “Why Consumers Don’t Buy: The Psychology of New Product Adoption.” Harvard Business School
Note #504-056 (Boston: Harvard Business School Publishing, 2004).

16. Tip #5: Engage some helpers

17. 17
Leaders
model the
behavior
“No involvement by
leaders,
no commitment by
employees.
No exceptions.”
Vala Afshar, Chief Marketing and Customer Officer at
Enterasys

19. Tip # 6: It’s all about comfort

20. Don’t assume
it’s intuitive
Don’t try to
train all at once
One size does
not fit all

21. www.visualsp.com
Context sensitive Help items:
• Videos • Images/Screenshots
• Documents • Links

22. www.contentpanda.com

23. Train teams
together

27. http://www.scoop.it/t/intranet-launch-videos-and-teasers - comprehensive collection
compiled by Ellen Van Aken
Additional examples: http://tiny.cc/ThreeSampleVideos
http://www.youtube.com/watch
?v=PN1IyDvyA2o
MAN Diesel
http://vimeo.com/60729239 http://youtu.be/SinFM8hNcOg
Dartmouth-Hitchcock
Intranet Home Redesign –
watch the end for outtakes

28. 30 for 30
Get Sharp on
SharePoint
Intranet
Learning
Cafés
(with great coffee)

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30. Tip # 8: It’s about support

31. Make sure
the help desk
is prepared
 Pilot team
 Volunteers
 Employee
advocates
Seed the
organization
with
evangelists
 Office Hours
 Center of
Excellence
 (Just-in-Time)
Training and
Documentation
Plan ongoing
support

33. Tip # 9: Don’t forget the fun

34. 
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35. CollaBOOration -
A Ghoulish Guide
to Metadata
SharePointoberfest -
inebriate while you
collaborate!
SharePointgiving –
Give thanks to document
workflow and approval

36. Recognition
and rewards
must
align with
desired
outcomes

37. Take a lesson from
hockey –
don’t just track
goals, also track
and encourage
assists

39. Feedback
identifies
challenges
Ask for
feedback-
everywhere
Conduct
usability tests,
LISTEN and OBSERVE

40. Tip # 11: You’re never done

41. Tip # 12: It’s about sharing

42. 1. Adoption is not the end
game
2. Adoptable solutions solve
real problems
3. It’s personal
4. It’s about change
5. Engage some helpers
6. It’s about comfort
7. It’s about communications
8. It’s about support
9. It’s about fun!
10. It’s about listening, but …
11. You’re never done
12. It’s about sharing

43. 
 User Adoption Strategies: Shifting Second Wave People to New Collaboration Technology
 http://www.useit.com/alertbox/
 http://www.nngroup.com/articles/intranet-
social-features/

 Fasttrack.office.com

 Essential SharePoint 2013
 Practical Framework for SharePoint Metrics
 ImproveIT