6 Tips to Accountability Adoption and Change Control

 

The truth is, any software project implementation that impacts people and their behavior is going create resistance that will slow or threaten adoption and ROI. While some leaders at your organization may realize that a culture of accountability in the workplace is necessary and that implementing CommandHound will save time and resources, convincing teams to change their behavior can seem like an uphill battle.
The biggest oversight is to focus only on “installing” the software, without considering the people objectives required to “implement” and adopt the new technology. The result is often low adoption and negative ROI. Resistance is inevitable – but it can be managed.

The 6 Tips to Accountability Adoption

Here are 6 sure-fire tips that you can use to manage resistance and increase adoption of your CommandHound accountability solution:

Leverage a Proven Change Management Process.

• Like a good project plan, leveraging a proven change management process such as DNA’s Change Management Essentials® will ensure that you’ve covered all your bases from introducing accountability in the workplace to the organization and addressing critical implementation steps to changing behavior and increasing adoption. CommandHound’s Premium and Enterprise clients receive one-on-one support from DNA when beginning implementation.

Start with a Business Case for Change.

• Developing a solid business case for change ensures alignment between management, those implementing the change control, and end users. A Business Case for Change should be your first communication to end users about the new software and should answers these 3 questions: What is the change? Why are we changing? What are the negative consequences for failure to implement and adopt?

Ensure Cascading Sponsorship

• Educated and visible sponsorship by the right leaders within the organization is critical to ensure that there is reinforcement of change and adoption. Identify the right sponsors for your CommandHound accountability software and secure their commitment to continuously communicate, model and reinforce the new system.

Anticipate, Surface and Manage Resistance

• Resistance can be good when you know what it is and can manage it BEFORE your implementation. Resistance is bad when left un-managed because it slows adoption and erodes ROI. Your challenge is to surface resistance, then manage it head on. Use creative ways to surface resistance including adopting resistance assessment* tools, surveys, focus groups, and more.

Create A Reinforcement Strategy

• Behavior change and adoption occurs fastest when the end users impacted by change are properly reinforced by sponsors in the organization using all three reinforcement elements: Rewards, Negative Consequences, and Level of effort required

Communicate Early and Often

• Develop a custom communications plan for your project that is designed to change behavior. Deliver a steady stream of communications with built-in feedback loops beginning with your “Business Case for Change” throughout the lifecycle of your project.

What’s your plan for adoption? We can help! Call CommandHound today for access to tools and expertise from our change management partner DNA Worldwide including a complimentary online resistance assessment* to ensure that your accountability software is successfully adopted within your organization.
 

 
*CommandHound Enterprise-level prospects and clients are eligible to receive a complimentary Adoption Inventory AssessmentÒ from DNA Worldwide. DNA will extend an online assessment to up to 12 end users within your organization. Data from end user responses will be collected, interpreted and reported by DNA in a conference call that highlights areas of resistance to your accountability project while providing recommendations on how to best manage the resistance. ($4500 value)