Digitization
How can the internal communications department effectively support this process?
Various levels of digital competence
#idontwannaicant
- + You mustn’t assume that everyone is equally capable of using tools such as email, web browsers, MS Office, etc. Some employees feel more and others less comfortable interacting with the digitized world, and when implementing new digital solutions, it’s worth bearing that in mind. This will affect both the form in which new solutions are implemented, and the way in which you communicate them.
- + In order to do this well, you want to review the digital competences of our employees and translate the identified skills into pain points that you’ll then address with appropriately selected tools.
Different degrees of tools’ intuitiveness
#uxdesignercried
Some of the solutions you will be implementing are simple, and most employees, regardless of their level of digital competence, will be comfortable navigating them. Unfortunately, this is not always the case, so it’s good to review the level of intuitiveness of the solution being implemented, and to optimize it. You can also use internal communication to introduce employees to the biggest challenges they may face when interacting with the new interface.
I don’t know, I don’t understand, I don’t use
#idontlikechange
By nature, people don’t like change, and whatever is new always seems to be inferior or pointless. This is a normal human reaction when faced with having to give up old habits and customs. It has nothing to do with what tool, solution, or process you actually want to introduce. Therefore, this rule and several other psychological mechanisms are worth taking into account when communicating new digital solutions.
Change management
#ADKAR
‘Leading by the hand’, for example, by using the ADKAR model (or any other change management model), will enable an effective process of adaptation to the new tool or, more precisely speaking, adoption. ADKAR is an acronym for Awareness, Desire, Knowledge, Ability and Reinforcement (Jeff Hiatt). It’s a model used in change management. When you design internal communication according to this model, the process of change, especially major and digital change, goes well.