“If you build it, they will come,” said no one ever in regards to intelligent automation (IA) and robotic process automation (RPA) implementation. 

No matter the size of your implementation, whether function-specific or enterprise-wide, an effective management strategy is paramount to the success of any technology rollout. However, with all of the fears surrounding artificial intelligence and automation (i.e. that people will lose their jobs or their skills will be rendered absolute) this is especially true. In fact study after study has confirmed that unless your RPA/IA strategies includes a robust change management framework, it’s very unlikely to succeed. 

That being said, change management, too, is harder than it looks. All too often, those tasked with spearheading change neglect the human, psychological components to change. While they may be adept at evangelizing the new technology in a business sense by pitching it’s business value or cutting-edge capabilities, such proclamations will do little to entice the average frontline worker. 

According to Guilhem Vincens, ABN AMRO Bank’s Head of Change and Innovation APAC, automation leaders should instead adopt a more human approach to change. Here are 3 ways that, according to him, you can do just that.

DON’T MISS Guilhem’s Presentation on “Making Change & Inspiring Innovation” at the Scalable RPA & Intelligent Automation Virtual Event

Show Empathy

“Innovation is less about technology and more about transforming people and mindsets. It requires inspiring people being part of the journey and take ownership of innovation. So they feel on board and part of the process. This requires being humble, sitting down with them, listening, doing active listening, showing empathy,” Guilhem tells us. “Organizations don't change, people do. You cannot make people change. They must change for themselves. So you need to spend time with them and you need to convince different levels in the organization.”

Though there are a number of ways organizational leaders go about gaining a better understanding of what drives automation stakeholders is empathy mapping. A commonly leveraged tool in design thinking an agile methodologies, an empathy map is a collaborative visualization used to articulate what is known about a particular type of user. The goal is to create a shared understanding of stakeholders’ emotional and, using this information, build better, more effective change management strategies and user experiences. 

Try to Make Change Fun

In order to inspire people to leave their comfort zones and try something new, you have to make it fun. As Guilhem explains, “if you look at a department like back-office operations, they have their BAU, their “business as usual” processes. They follow the correct procedures, have no errors and they love it because they know exactly at what time they can leave the office because they follow the procedure exactly. 

For them, when you come and basically say, ‘Hey, we're going to do things differently.’ It strikes fear in their hearts. First, they need to work with you on a project so it's additional work and, secondly, you're going to disturb their current way of life. So you need to find a way to make it fun. And the key to this is learning.”

It’s no secret that employees are much more likely to adopt a new technology if they view it as an opportunity for growth. In fact, a 2018 PWC survey asked over 12,000 workers what motivates them to adopt new technology. They found that:

• 34% stated general curiosity and the promise of better efficiency and teamwork
• 37% said if it helps them advance their careers or gain status
• 29% prefers individual achievement within a predictable environment.

In other words, 71% workers said they would welcome the chance to adopt a new technology if it gave them a chance to learn something new and advance their careers. 

“To succeed in this, either as an innovation manager or somebody who’s part of an innovation journey, you need to be curious and you need to be good at inspiring others to be curious. If there is a new, emerging technology, you need to explain it in a way that emphasizes innovation as an opportunity to learn and collaborate more closely,” according to Guilhem. 

Become Comfortable with Uncertainty

Just as important as getting people excited about innovation is setting realistic expectations. Change doesn't happen overnight, uncertainty is the new normal and even the most powerful IA tools aren’t silver bullets. 

“To be successful with innovation and change, you need people that are comfortable with uncertainty. Because no one can predict the future,” says Guilhem. “This reality that we find ourselves in an environment where disruption is the norm. It's almost disruptive to have the same thing happen week by week. Geopolitical, health, it's crazy that all of this disruption is happening in this short amount of time and all of that while global corporate enterprises reinvent themselves for the present and the future. So being in a constant state of flux is the name of the game, might as well be positive while we're doing it.”

Learn more about Guilhem’s human-centric approach to change! Register for his presentation,“Making Change & Inspiring Innovation,” on April 1 at the Scalable RPA & Intelligent Automation Virtual Event 

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