TECHNOLOGY MATTERS
Fostering Employee Buy-In for New Construction
TECHNOLOGY
Finding the right fit and strategies for thoughtful implementation
C
onstruction companies know that the industry’s future is digital, but there is a widespread struggle to create employee buy-in around technology solutions. Effective technology adoption begins well before purchase and is sustained by comprehensive support solutions and thoughtful implementation. There are specific strategies that can make buy-in easier, including: • Identify what problems the tech needs to solve by asking internal stakeholders for feedback on specific challenges they are experiencing. • Choosing a tech partner and solution that understands and aligns with your organization’s specific needs. It’s also essential to have ongoing support and training available.
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• Introducing the tech to a small group of cross-functional employees to become advocates for the larger team. Here’s more about what each of these best practices for driving tech buy-in among the employee base looks like: GO TO THE SOURCE: WHAT ARE EMPLOYEE PAIN POINTS? Before looking into technology solutions, construction companies need to first understand the problem they are trying to solve. What are the challenges, and what do the stakeholders in the construction landscape really need? Not want, but need? To answer these questions, it’s best to go to the source. Ask employees for their feedback. Send out a company-wide survey or select a small team to work with throughout the decision-making process. Be sure to talk to people in various positions to get different perspectives of the company’s challenges and to identify any underlying causes. Only once
Technology can help you efficiently schedule the best crew and equipment to each task, but you need employee buy-in first. Assignar/Facebook
problems have been clearly identified should a technology choice be made. Here’s an example of what this looks like: Many contractors and subcontractors are asked to submit daily job reports and equipment maintenance requests based on what occurred in the field. However, they often find that reports cannot be completed accurately because they can’t remember everything that is typically collected on the forms. Companies experiencing this should look to adopt a technology solution that supports real-time data collection and reporting from a tablet or smartphone in the field. This helps save time and improves communication with clients as teams are able to access readily available data immediately.
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