Implementing New Technology

1
Implementing New Technology

• Leonard-Barton Kraus
• HBR

2
Do People Resist Change?
3
Questions?

• Whats the difference between a marketing and a
  sales IT implementation perspective?
• Those who manage technological change must often
  serve as both technical developers and
  implementers. Precisely true?

4
The higher the organizational level at which
managers define a problem or a need, the greater
the probability of successful implementation.
But----
5
The closer the definition and solution of
problems or needs are to the end-users, the
greater the probability of success.
6
More Questions/Issues

• Promotion, hype, and vaporware, where is the
  proper balance?
• The Pilot issue- - Risky site, safe innovation
• Suggested roles - - sponsor, champion, project
  manager, integrator
• Supporters, assassins, hedgers (handling the
  latter)

7
The Magic Bullet Theory

• Markus Benjamin
• SMR

8
Change is not produced by planners planning,
designers designing, and funders funding.
9
Is it true that, implicit in major IT-enabled
change projects are expectations that the
organization and its people will operate better
when the technology is successfully installed
and used?
10
Central Theme is Simple

• IT is not a Magic Bullet
• Change is everyones job
• Roles (champions, execs as sponsor) dont work
  (everyone must play these roles)

11
Questions/Issues

• What is Magic Bullet Theory?
• Change agents -IT?-Middle management?-Users?-S
  enior management?-Consultant (OD, training,
  other)?

12
Magic Bullet Theory Simply IT makes benefits
happen, as if by magic
13
Magic Bullet

• IT changes behavior of people who use it by
  enabling new work practices
• Users are the intended target for the bullet
• IT specialists - tool builders - build guns, they
  dont worry about aiming and firing -magic
  bullets always hit the target
• Senior line managers contract for guns hoping to
  profit from their sale - if the product doesnt
  work, the builders are responsible and to blame
• The gun fires itself
• Blame- - no top mgmt. support-users who play
  with loaded guns

14
Views of Change

• Tool Builder View If we build it, they will
  come
• OD View People, not technologies make change.
  A facilitating role in the process
• Change Advocate View Dont worry about elegant
  tools or staying on the sidelines while people
  work things out.

15
Change Advocate View

• Whatever works
• Overt persuasion
• Covert manipulation
• Symbolic communication
• Naked exercise of formal power (when available)

16
Change Advocacy

• Works best in organizations in which IT is viewed
  as supportive rather than strategic(is so, what
  works best with strategic view?)
• Works better when the role of the IT function is
  more advisory than control oriented
• Can be deadly in multidivisional companies with
  strong general mangers and a CEO who wavers on
  questions of shared IT needs.

17
Final Issues

• Good ideas and good designs together do not
  ensure success.
• Change management involves listening,
  understanding, giving people a chance to learn,
  designing learning experiments, and visualizing
  and dramatizing ideas. This activity must be done
  as an integral part of initiating, designing, and
  building technology-enabled change. It cannot be
  successfully ignored, delegated, or deferred.

18
Change is a Contact Sport