When high-cost IT projects fail to deliver the expected return on investment, blame is placed too often on the technology involved, rather than on the failure to provide adequate training, explains Lisa Clark
Software Source, 07 Aug 2003
In the current business climate every investment in IT for HR is examined with a critical eye. When a project fails to meet expectations attention focuses most often on the technology itself, although further investigation often reveals that poor change management strategies and inadequate training are to blame.
The crux of the problem is often insufficient co-ordination between IT and HR departments. From the outset of any IT project they must work together to determine the likely impact on the organisation’s culture. Poor planning can lead to skills gaps being ignored, or identified too late. The outcome: technologies purchased to save money through increased productivity may have the opposite effect as people struggle to use it properly.
As technology solutions expand into traditionally non-IT environments, such as HR, they are affecting more and more workers. Usage of such systems trickles down an organisations, often to workers without previous exposure to the technology. Worse still, poor skills are contagious - inefficient methods of working may be passed from employee to employee, increasing the threat to productivity.
To avoid such inefficiencies, IT and HR must address three key areas.
Change management
The right expectations of the new technology must be created in all parties. To achieve this, HR managers must work with the IT department to prepare a change management strategy.
If a solution is implemented with inadequate user involvement, staff may be unprepared for the changes and may misunderstand how the technology will affect the way they work. Many staff integral to the success of the programme will have been hired to complete tasks unrelated to IT. If their expectations are not properly managed, there may be some resentment.
A change management plan - usually covering education, motivation and internal communications - will clarify areas of concern. It should identify a strong project team within the business to champion the new solution. If successful, the plan will produce a community of people who understand the reasons behind the change, the impact on their roles - and their role in the success of the change.
Initial user education
Workers must be taught how to use the technology. Most organisations – and their suppliers - recognise the need for this and do it well.
Ongoing training
A few years ago businesses saw education growing in importance. As budgets have tightened it has become harder to win boardroom support for maintaining training momentum. Yet companies that overlook ongoing training are likely to pay a high price in the longer-term.
E-learning or blended learning - a mix of online learning and traditional instructor-led training courses - can be cost-effective ways for HR and IT managers to achieve board-level buy-in. Such approaches can be tailored to individual needs, a factor that is increasingly important as businesses expect employees to possess a solid mix of business and technical skills - but recognise that they are at different stages in their skill development.
Over the years, I have found that senior managers are often surprised at the impact an IT implementation will have on their business. But to ensure the full benefits are delivered, HR managers must drive home the fact that cuts to training budgets now are likely to be very costly in the future.
It is the responsibility of HR and IT managers, working together, to ascertain the extent of change, develop a strong plan to combat any adverse effects and ensure the desired return on investment.
Measured response By dramatically reducing the time and money spent on managing human capital, the latest HR software systems are freeing up more time for strategic thinking
