One of the, if not THE only, major challenges to innovation is resistance to change. Corporate resistance to innovation either stems from a majority of the workforce, unwilling to adopt (or accept) technological advances; or at the senior management level, with CxOs shying away from implementing major changes.

Societal resistance to innovation can originate from either economic, environmental or governmental factors. Looking at innovation through a historical lens, there was significant resistance to coffee, refrigerators, mobile phones and I’m fairly certain there might have been some unrest when the wheel was invented back in the day. (This cartoon here will help provide a visual to my random musings).

Facebook recently reminded me of an update I shared more than a few years ago, stating my exasperation at the launch of FB Messenger and “predicting” that no one would ever use it, terming it as a me-too move. Fast forward a few years, FB Messenger is (annoyingly) one of the many ways I keep in touch with my friends across the world. Thanks, Mark.

What I’m trying to get at here is that culture, societal or organizational, needs to evolve to accept the role innovation and change has in our lives today. Resistance to new technology in the past has been overcome (for the most part) but imagine if the resistance was addressed before the technology was introduced? Quicker adoption, faster permeation and rapid evolution better suited for different environments and situations. Harvard Business Review published an article on how to deal with resistance to change back in 1969 that I think is more relevant today. Check it out – it’s definitely worth a read.

But how DO you overcome this resistance to innovation?

Timing

Revamping systems that have been used for years overnight will result in significant resistance across your workforce. Gradual introduction of new platforms and technology will allow employees to adapt at a pace that is more acceptable to them, not hampering productivity.

Communication

Speak to your teams, communicate the need for change. Convey how that change is going to impact not only the company, but individually as well. Share ideas with each other on how to implement any change within the organization.

Participation

Get people to contribute to make sure they are active agents of change in place of passive players with minimal control. Contributing their own ideas and thoughts enables employees to feel more involved and heard through the change. Participation boosts relevance, doing away with any fear of being substituted by innovation, but rather augmenting it.

Resources 

Innovation can often leave people scratching their heads in confusion. What once was is no more, and it’s crucial to provide those most impacted with the opportunity (and time) get acquainted with the new way of doing things. Educating teams about change will help in the smoother transition to new platforms and technologies.