To begin implementing audit/inspection software instead of conventional checklist books, you might need to overcome resistance within your organization. That’s because there are many reasons some personnel will resist change—no matter what the change is.

Loss of job or status. Employees might resist technological and administrative changes that could lead to their job being reduced or eliminated. 

Change fatigue. People can quickly get exhausted from a constant state of change and become disengaged from those changes. You need to make a serious effort to ensure that personnel don’t feel overwhelmed with the pace of change and burn out. This can be done by implementing change incrementally, leaving people enough time to adapt at each stage.

Past experiences. People’s past experiences can influence the way they react to change. Some of them may have had changes negatively affect them in the past, making them more resistant. Also, if your organization hasn’t handled change well in the past, your employees will remember.

Poor reward system. Employees will resist change if they don’t see any rewards for them. Without a proper reward, your employees won’t be motivated to support your change in the long term. Your reward systems must be structured in some way to support the necessary change.

Fear of the unknown/surprise. Continuous communication is one of your most important tools for handling fear of the unknown, which can easily occur when change is implemented without sufficient warning. When change is pushed onto employees without helping them through the process and explaining how their jobs will be affected, they can push back.

Mistrust. Trust includes faith in the behavior and intentions of others. If the organization’s members respect their managers because they have built up trust over time, the team will be more willing to accept any changes. 

Peer pressure. You might find this among personnel who feel obligated to resist your change because some of their coworkers are resisting it.

Fear of failure. Radical changes in the workplace can cause your employees to doubt their capabilities to perform. They may resist a change because they have concerns about whether they can adapt to new job requirements. If you want your efforts to be fruitful, you’ll need to help your coworkers work through these fears.

Poor implementation approach. Resistance can come up because changes are introduced in an insensitive way or at an awkward moment. You always need a thoughtful strategy and a well-organized implementation to minimize resistance.

Connection to the old way. It’s critical for your team to understand why a change is needed. As rational as the change may seem to you, your employees will have emotional connections to previous leaders and their ways of doing things. This can be a significant obstacle to overcome, so make sure you communicate the purposes of any changes..

Takeaway

If you want to begin using audit/inspection software to maximize the benefits of audits and inspections, congratulations! That decision is an important first step. But you’ll also need to prepare for resistance to the change.

Image: Shutterstock

Tags: safety management, inspection software, inspection management, audit software, audit/inspection software

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