New technology is making drivers’ work easier and safer: Think about the benefits of using in-cab dash cameras. 

But getting drivers to adopt the new tech isn’t always as easy as it seems.

Without the right framework in place, the odds of drivers accepting the change remain low.

We speak with Jonathan Shaver, Leadership and Transition Coaching through Organizational Change at Envision Partners, about the reason behind driver objections to tech and why early communication makes all the difference. 

Join us as we discuss:

• Why new technology falls flat with employees
• The ADKAR framework for organizations
• What’s next for Jonathan over the next 12 months

Why new technology falls flat with employees

Every organization has been through it — They find a new technology that will bring their team’s efficiency to new heights. But six months in, employees still haven’t used the new tech. From a leadership perspective, it doesn’t make sense; why the hesitation?

The reason: Organizations are forgetting to interface people alongside the technology. We’ve seen it with in-cab dash cameras: While they help improve your drivers’ abilities and protect against accidents that the driver is not at fault for, if the driver is not aware of these benefits, the dash-cam just feels like another integration taking away freedom on the road.

If you’re not bringing your drivers along for the ride, you can’t expect them to know a new tool’s use case.

How to get employees to use new technology

So, how does an organization interface employees with the technology rather than expect them to understand the tech after it’s been integrated? Jonathan suggests telling employees about the new tech integration as soon as possible.

The reason: That information will get out eventually. And without the entire truth available, employees will fill in the blanks with myth — Stories potentially so far from the truth that when leadership finally tells the team about the new tech, the employees have to go through a period of unlearning what they thought they knew. 

“Tell your employees about technology implementation as soon as possible, creating awareness around the change that's coming.”

— Jonathan Shaver

The ADKAR framework for organizations

To help facilitate more communication between leadership and employees, Jonathan shares his 5 step framework:

• Awareness of the change: Not just that the change is coming, but what is the business reason — Will it lead to profitability and efficiency?
• Desire to help employees emotionally accept change: Walk each individual through how the new tech will benefit them.
• Knowledge about the technology: Teach employees exactly how to use the new tool.
• Ability to try things out: Employees need to try and fail with the new tech multiple times before they’re comfortable using it.
• Reinforcement: Reward those people that are using the tool consistently and correctly. 

Creating open discussion with the team

So, what could that early communication look like with the drivers around a topic like in-cab dash cams? Jonathan suggests creating an open forum where you can discuss with your drivers early on. Getting the feedback allows employees to feel heard and improve your integration because of the front-line perspective. 

Most importantly: This is a time for leadership to listen, not impress on the team why they don’t understand the implementation. Listen and then respond at a later time instead.

“If you respond right away to driver concerns, you haven't really considered their comments.”

— Jonathan Shaver

When you do respond, you can speak plainly about what you can and cannot do for the team in regards to their requests. Not only are you positioning yourself as a reasonable leadership team, but creating a bond with your employees because of the courtesy.

What’s next for Jonathan over the next 12 months

For Jonathan, he is consistently building partnerships. So, when it comes to the next 12 months, he will continue to build those relationships and provide holistic talent management to companies. 

A key takeaway 

Implementing new technology doesn’t have to be a slow, grueling process of trying to convince your team to use the beneficial tool. As long as you’re bringing your team into the conversation early, responding to feedback with meaningful responses, and using the ADKAR framework, you’ll see that new technology is used right from the start.

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