Here's how you can navigate resistance to innovation in your organization's Enterprise Software.

Agree, fear is common with change. However, it’s important to understand that resisting change and not updating yourself with new technology will soon make you obsolete. While resistance may provide short-term security, embracing fear and taking risks is essential for growth. If you succeed, that's fantastic! Even if you fail, the journey will offer significant learning experiences that will benefit you in the long term.

Fear of change is common, but a mistake if it leads to inaction. To effect any real change, we must always accept the risk of failure, so our strategy must begin with an acceptance that whatever we do may not work as we hope, so we need to treat change as an experiment, and control the variables in ways that not so much limit risk, but rather control it, so that the consequences of a mistake are not serious. Avoiding failure is a mistake, because it is only through failure that we can genuinely learn new things. If my plan works out perfectly, I have learned nothing, because I correctly predicted what would happen. When something goes wrong, then I have learned where I was in error, and have the chance to fix it!

Sometimes tenured employees in an organization show active/passive resistance to innovation related to enterprise software. Such resistance typically results from a fear of organizational structure change, insecurities of those employees, and their shallow understanding of why innovation is needed and how it will benefit the organization and their career. Its important for the leaders to understand the specific reasons for such fears and develop an effective communication and innovation advocacy plan to arrest such resistance.

Innovation in Enterprise Software can feel like storming a castle – met with resistance from various stakeholders. But fear not, brave champion! Here's your battle plan: Unfurl the Banner of "Why": Clearly communicate the benefits of the new software. How will it streamline workflows, boost efficiency, or improve data security? Scout the Ranks: Identify pockets of resistance. Are some worried about job security? Offer Training & Support: Equip, Provide comprehensive training and ongoing support to ease the transition. Champion Early Wins: Showcase success stories! Let their wins inspire others. Open the Gates of Communication: Address concerns head-on and encourage feedback. Transparency builds trust and reduces resistance.

Senior leaders need to listen to their team's concerns/issues related to innovation / new or revamped enterprise software. Leaders can meaningfully respond to such issues/concerns and help their teams get a resolution. Many times the anxiety felt by your team will just be because they haven't experienced innovation earlier, In such cases, do a little more hand-holding for them to be able to embrace the innovation and express their thoughts about their journey through this change.