The Worm On My Windshield

Yesterday, I was driving and noticed an inchworm on my windshield. He was frantic. We were barely moving, and I saw him (maybe her?) trying to get across the windshield, presumably so he could do his larval life-work, in an oak tree. Unfortunately, his energy was being wasted, because he was trying to do the same things the old way.

I believe if I could have explained to him that he could just ride along, he would have saved energy. Once I stopped (and was able to rescue him) I could get him to a safe place without him expending more effort. Of course, I never thought to tell an inchworm the reasons I was moving my car and he never stopped to ask if he could do things differently. Without getting too off topic regarding the cognitive power of inchworms, and the language barrier associated with trying to talk to them, there were certainly some parallels to implementing software.

Sometimes, when you’re on the tech side of things, its hard to remember that generations of working folks are now being asked to work in these same unfamiliar environments, and it might feel like it’s moving so fast it’s scary. Logically and openly focusing on the challenges a new software program will address can keep your implementation from failing. Getting input from users about what is and isn’t working for them now goes a long way toward combating resistance.

This article on change management best practices is full of good advice and visual cues to manage the culture change involved, and even highlights some key sensitivities of different generational groups.