User Adoption Strategies for Collaboration Software

User Adoption StrategiesThe Central Desktop Approach

Michael Sampsonwww.michaelsampson.net

Who is Michael Sampson?

• Collaboration Strategist– Author– Consultant– Workshop Leader

• Serve end-user organizations– NOT the vendors

• Improving the performance of distributed teams

Where Are We Going Today?

• Setting the Stage• A Framework for User Adoption• Strategies for User Adoption• How Others Are Doing It– Case Studies– Survey Findings

• Endnotes & Resources

Setting the Stage54321

It’s easy to deploy new tools.

A Web browser dash.

A credit card flash.

And you’re done.

Challenge ... Getting people to use the new collaboration tool

This isn’t just aCentral Desktop issue

SharePoint customers face it.IBM Lotus customers face it.Every organization faces it.

You need a (great) answer to the question …

“How is this going to improve my work and life?”

I’m busy. I have a lot on my plate.Why should I give you the time of day?Why should I care?Is there substance here?

Assumption1 You have worked out the “global why” of Central Desktop

Business driversTeam drivers

Assumption2 You have translated “the global why” into a “personal why”

MeaningfulPersonally relevant

A Framework for User Adoption54321

MakingIt Real

Four Stage Model of User Adoption

EnliveningApplicability

CultivatingBasic Concepts

WinningAttention

Stage 1. Winning Attention

• They aren’t interested in features and capabilities

• How do we get them interested?• What others are doing

WinningAttention

Stage 2. Cultivating Basic Concepts

• Explain how the new stuff works• Train how to use it• Provide grounding, conceptual

understanding, and practical experience


Stage 3. Enlivening Applicability

• Explore reasons and value• How could it apply to their work?• “me, us, my group and team”Enlivening

Applicability

MakingIt Real

Stage 4. Making It Real

• Make it real and personally relevant

• It’s the new “now” way• Don’t shoot yourself in the foot

Strategies for User Adoption54321

Stage 1. Winning Attention

• They aren’t interested in features and capabilities

• How do we get them interested?• What others are doing

WinningAttention

Exemplar Stories

• How other people in your organization are getting value and benefit

• Real people, real situations … “social proof”• “I want that”• On intranet, in newsletters

WinningAttention

Real-to-Life Scenarios

• Narrative scenarios about how a group works– “A day in the life of customer services”– “A project in the day of a research team”

• Shows the possibilities embedded in their reality

WinningAttention

Senior Executive Support

• Senior executives as involved as others– E.g., Senior Executive workspace

• Provides environmental context– Level 1. “This is important” (talk)– Level 2. “I am doing this” (action)

WinningAttention

Stage 2. Cultivating Basic Concepts

• Explain how the new stuff works• Train how to use it• Provide grounding, conceptual

understanding, and practical experience


Classroom Training

• Teach the “what” of Central Desktop– Various design considerations– Good for dense concentrations of people– Hands-on = better learning

Cultivating Basic Concepts

Web-Based Training

• Live webinars, Recorded webinars, E-learning courseware– Wide geographical coverage without travel– Self-paced instruction– Ease of updating with new material


Pages on the Intranet

• Help pages on the Intranet– Usually text heavy, can include screen recordings– Can be VERY boring, and LACK context– Self-paced instruction– Could include social engagement opportunities


Stage 3. Enlivening Applicability

• Explore reasons and value• How could it apply to their work?• “me, us, my group and team”Enlivening

Applicability

Facilitated Group Re-Imagining

• What are the activities the group does today?– These are underpinned by assumptions about

technology capability sets– BUT … these have changed– So what now?– How can we re-imagine work?


Sandbox for Experimentation

• A place to play and try things out– Less about “doing business”– More about “what could this do for me or us?”

• See Six Steps to Collaboration Success– www.centraldesktop.com/whitepapers?w=six_steps


Easy First Steps

• Help them to accomplish the first things– Setting their profile– Uploading a picture– Creating subscriptions– Looking at the various places

• Changes it:– from “a system out there” – to “something I am involved with” Enlivening

Applicability

Over the Shoulder Watching

• Observational learning about current work practice

• In-situ recommendations or ideas:– “Did you know you could …”– “Have you tried doing it this way …”– “Why are you clicking into there?”


MakingIt Real

Stage 4. Making It Real

• Make it real and personally relevant

• It’s the new “now” way• Don’t shoot yourself in the foot

Stop Doing, Start Doing Patterns

• A mini-activity or set of sequences for a group– Frequently repeated, well embedded– A way of encapsulating the transition from the old

to the new• Document reviews• Discussions• Finding expertise

– Accountability leverMakingIt Real

Internal User Group

• Internal group made up of supportive individuals– Focus is on doing work better with the new stuff– Discussions, Asking questions, Finding expertise,

Moaning together

MakingIt Real

Zero Other Options

• Treat the Central Desktop as the place of work– Post the meeting notes– Upload the latest document version– Keep team member details– “We do work in here”

• Don’t make exceptions for people

MakingIt Real

How Others Are Doing It54321

Case Study: Publishing (Global)

• First educate, then allow usage togrow organically

• Dedicated Central Desktop IT training staff• Established training process– In-person and web meeting training– Handouts with usage tips

• Help Desk manages approval process for setting up workspaces

Case Study: Real Estate (USA)

• Made the process approachable– Gave Central Desktop an identity – “Cee Dee”– Introduced to staff in small doses

• Set up workspace with Central Desktopreference guides

• Proactively sent periodic emails with usage tips

Case Study: Marketing Firm (USA)

• Executive-level support• New employees are shown immediately how

to use Central Desktop• Created own help videos– Screen video capture program– 5-10 use case specific videos– E.g. “How to pull an old contract”

Survey on User Adoption

• Web-based survey– January 2010 to March 2010

• Recruitment of respondents through multiple channels– Twitter, Blog posts, Weekly newsletter– Blog posts via others (Central Desktop, Microsoft)

• Over 400 respondents (>200 Central Desktop)

Findings from a Recent Survey:Central Desktop Respondents

Central Desktop Slide: Org Size

Central Desktop Respondents Only



Zero Other Options

“It’s where we work”“Go find it there”

“Taking away alternatives”

Make It Real

“Examples using our work”“Actual tasks and projects”

“Using the tool for our projects”

People with Influence

Executives using itThe internal champion

Endnotes and Resources54321

The most common user adoption strategies …

Pages on the IntranetClassroom TrainingWeb-based Training

… are not the most effective user adoption strategies.

Over-the-Shoulder WatchingExecutive Support / Sponsorship

Real-to-Life ScenariosZero Other Options

and …

The strategies that are most effective for user adoption...

Over-the-Shoulder WatchingExecutive Support / Sponsorship

Real-to-Life ScenariosZero Other Options

… require that you also do the most common user adoption strategies

Pages on the IntranetClassroom TrainingWeb-based Training

Resource: User Adoption Report

• Survey findings– 206 CD respondents– Key strategies

• 20 pages• Available immediately

www.michaelsampson.net/cd.html

Resource: User Adoption Book

• My new book– The User Adoption Model– How to use each strategy

• 268 pages• Available NEXT WEEK!

www.useradoptionstrategies.com

www.michaelsampson.net/may26.html

Two very special offers!For 48 hours only

Questions & Answerswww.michaelsampson.net/may26.html

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User Adoption Strategies for Collaboration Software