Change … a dreaded word for many. No one likes change - learning change, dealing with change, processing change, it's all around hard. Even if it does turn out for the better. The best way to reduce the negativity around change in your organization is by better preparing your employees for the change.
Organizational change creates anxiety when employees do not know what will be expected of them after the change takes effect. Software rollouts, process updates, and tool migrations all trigger this uncertainty. Employees who feel competent in the new environment adapt faster and resist change less.
iorad reduces change anxiety by providing interactive step-by-step tutorials for new software and processes before they go live, so employees arrive at launch day already familiar with what they need to do. Organizations that pair change initiatives with iorad training see faster adoption, fewer support escalations, and less resistance from frontline staff. This article covers the relationship between training quality and change acceptance.
Change is better processed when you:
- Inform employees of the change ahead of time: What it is and how it will affect the employee.
- Inform them how to navigate the change: Let them know how to access change information when they need it.
Simply put, when change happens - notify the employee to let them know that change is upon them and then reassure them where they can find the new information when needed. This will put the employees at ease.
This process can be implemented using a variety of tools, however, we are partial to iorad.
Use iorad to capture the process then insert the link into an email. In the email, speak to the change and include the tutorial link. Use that email to point employees to the library of tutorials so they know where to find it later. Whether that be the iorad widget, extension, help center, 3rd party knowledge base or maybe just a spreadsheet, they’ll be comforted knowing that they have one source to access the information when they need it.
Why not let iorad start reducing the anxiety of change in your organization.
The training timing problem in change management
Most change management programs include training, but the timing is often wrong. Training delivered weeks before a change goes live is forgotten by the time the change happens. Training delivered simultaneously with the change overwhelms employees who are already dealing with the disruption.
The most effective window for change training is the week before go-live, with reinforcement available on demand from day one of the new environment. iorad supports this timing model because tutorials can be built in advance and released on a specific date, and they remain accessible to employees indefinitely after launch for on-demand reference.
How to build a change readiness training program with iorad
A change readiness training program with iorad starts before the change announcement. As the new system or process is being finalized, have power users or implementation leads record the workflows in iorad. Build tutorials for the five to ten most common tasks in the new environment.
When the change is announced, employees receive links to the relevant tutorials as part of the communication. This gives them access to hands-on practice immediately, reducing the gap between learning about the change and feeling capable of navigating it. Employees who practice before they are required to perform arrive at go-live with confidence rather than anxiety.