Cast a vision for how their work is strengthened with these new transformations and changes. Be optimistic about those changes yourself.

Resistance to change is human nature, and treading into unknown waters is always a bit of a gamble. The proverb goes very similar to the equation of technology and the construction industry.

While the construction industry is ripe with new technologies allowing your business to be more productive and efficient, many companies are still conducting business in a similar way they did decades ago. Some view technology still as an intrusion rather than an improvement. It is pretty natural for people to be resistant to modification or change, especially in their professional work life. This is most probably because stability is craved and the introduction of whatsoever new, especially with the relevance to technology, is a possible threat to that. But it should be understood that new technologies are allowing construction companies to do business faster, more accurately, and with better distribution of resources – even raising revenues.

While resistance towards technology is inexorable, the intensity can always be modulated to a minimal level. So let’s see how to reduce the resistance to new technology-

Propose a Vision

When changes are imminent, and you’ve been open and honest about those transformations, help your staff observe what those changes will be, the reasons for the changes being made, and most essential, how these changes will prove beneficial for them. Help your team member understand how it helps to finish project work faster and under budget or moreover improve the work quality and productivity levels. Cast a vision for how their work is strengthened with these new transformations and changes. Be optimistic about those changes yourself. Your proposal will be hard to turn down if you show confidence and enthusiasm towards these potential changes.

Motivation is a must

With most of the people’s tendency of resistance to change and the unknown, it can make for a complicated environment to introduce new technology into the workplace. In an industry like construction, senior people might be people who’ve been in the industry 10, 20 years, still more comfortable with paper-based processes. These people are not typically new technology adopters, they’re more hands-on. In such a situation, managers and supervisors should motivate their staff and reduce their fears of technological change. They need to convince their team that the usage of technology is as beneficial for them as it is for the organization. While the managerial level has a great vision, it’s the core team and staff on the ground that will be utilising this new technology.

Focus on Training

One of the best ways to reduce technology resistance is training. Managers are the ones, who your employees look to when they face any kind of difficulties at work, and the same will go when they will have difficulty with new technology. By making your managers experts first, they’ll be able to provide your workers with the proper training to handle those challenges and new technologies. The crucial part here is to remove the doubts and give your workers confidence and assurance. If your workers believe that you will enable them to be successful with the new changes, they will be less resistant to the changes.

Cultivate a Workplace of Change

Make sure to be proactive in cultivating a workplace where people are expected to grow and learn new skills. If you challenge your staff with new ideas and innovative skills on a regular basis, they will learn to deal with the change. Moreover, they will become quite comfortable with such transformations. The change will no longer be something to fear.  Moreover, by creating a culture of innovation and improvement, your workers will be more knowledgeable, skilled and open to changes.

Conclusion

Rather than considering technology as another costly endeavor that will disrupt the status quo, construction companies should take it as an investment for long-duration sustainability. The right technology can push forward your business goals and the construction industry as a whole. Moreover, embracing technology will clearly benefit your construction company now and in the future. 

(The article is authored by Sunny Vohra, Director, and CTO, Tracecost)