Can't tech. Won't tech.

The views and opinions expressed do not necessarily represent the organisations mentioned. In other words - my post, my opinions.

“CAN’T COOK, WON’T COOK” was a 90s British TV show. The premise was that two people, one that can't cook and one that won't cook, were nominated to appear on the show. With a celebrity chef by their side they would prepare and cook a meal. When the dish was cooked, the nominator would be blindfolded and asked to taste the food and decide whose dish was the best. Turns out both contestants can cook, they just weren't motivated to. Host, Ainsley Harriot, would then ask them if they’ll cook more in the future. The contestants would say “Yes” (would they really?) and Ainsley would finish off with a cheeky quote, they’d all look at the camera and wave. Roll credits.

A recent YouGov survey showed that, regardless of whether they have the capacity, 1 in 8 people in the UK don’t cook.

Can’t? Won’t? Regardless, they don’t.

When I was growing up, my dad was forward-thinking in many respects. He spent his hard-earned money on sophisticated sound systems and he was also an early advocate of computers.?He brought home a BBC Micro when I was younger so obviously, he was the coolest dad ever! Also, as a semi-professional musician, he owned a wide selection of midi keyboards, effects pedals and synthesizers. The vast majority of which he still has, and they take up half of the 1st floor of their home - much to the dismay and frustration of my mum.

For some reason though, despite his openness to certain technology, it took him forever to accept a proper smartphone purchased by mum! He had one of those JCB rough and tough phones for about 4 years - basically, a Nokia 3310 encased in protective material for people that work on building sites. He tickled the ivories; he’s never been within 30 metres of a JCB but it was all he needed...or so he thought!

How many times have you heard someone say “I’m no good at learning other languages”? I wonder if that would be the case if they just uprooted and lived in a non-English speaking country - one where they had no option but to learn the local language? Would it prove that they actually can’t learn a new language or would it transpire that they didn't want to learn a new language?

These people – non-cookers, my smartphone-avoiding old man and monolinguists – all have one thing in common...which I’ll get to.

Before I do I want to talk briefly about my time at Promethean, a company that manufactures interactive panels for schools. These huge interactive screens with computing modules are the latest evolution in front-of-class technology. First, you had the blackboard, then the whiteboard, then the projector interactive whiteboard and now you have the interactive flat panel. What I often saw with schools making a transition to the latest education technology was resistance to change, a “don’t fix it if it ain’t broke” thought process. I’m not criticising. It is a mixture of human nature, the effects of personal experience and each person's presuppositions that cause that resistance.

I recently joined Channel 3 Consulting , a digital transformation consultancy that specialises in digital health. One of the scenarios in which health organisations work alongside Channel 3 is in embedding electronic prescribing and medicines administration (ePMA) systems. An ePMA uses electronic systems to facilitate and digitally communicate the prescription of medicine. The benefits, as with most digitised processes, are greater efficiency and a robust audit trail for medicine administration, ultimately limiting clinical risk.

Within a hospital trust, an ePMA system is often implemented and rolled out within various wards on various sites at the same time. Additionally, similar to an IT Director of a multi-academy trust of schools rolling out new technology at scale, digital health project managers can experience resistance to change from some (by no means all) stakeholders.

In fact, the comparisons between teachers using front-of-class tech and nurses using ePMA are striking.?

Understandably, if a teacher sees a big fancy interactive screen in their classroom when their whiteboard and pens have sufficed for years, or when a nurse has a new electronic trolley when the one they’ve been using works just fine, they only believe that extra effort is required. Consciously or subconsciously they may hide behind “Can’t”.

It’s actually a “Won’t” disguised as a "Can't". The reality is they “Can!” and they “Will!”

What all this boils down to is perceived effort vs perceived reward. The keyword being "perceived".

Not actual. Not calculated.

Perceived.

Is the effort of changing a process that works really worth it? The current modus operandi ain't broke after all.

If you said to someone “Cooking food from fresh is easier than eating fast food and tastes better too!”, then you are going to struggle to convince someone that doesn’t cook. Cooking from fresh is not easier than zapping a ready meal in the microwave. To truly convince someone, you have to explain to them “Yes, cooking your own meals is more effort - HOWEVER, it can be tastier, cheaper, healthier and more fulfilling than not cooking.”

My Dad with his phone. “Yes Dad, you’ll need to learn how it works, however, you’ll be able to receive notifications about your beloved Man City, have video calls with the grandkids and listen to audiobooks on it too!”

With more complex scenarios, within a school or hospital trust going through a digital transformation journey, it’s about identifying stakeholders, building a plan with clear benefits and requirements, and then taking them on a journey together. This changes the PERCEPTION of the effort required because, rather than tech-dread, they see the ACTUAL effort required (which is never as bad as they think). It also opens eyes to opportunities that tech offers, thus increasing the perceived reward in the mind of the user. ePMA systems for example can shave 30% to 50% off the time it takes to do medicine rounds.?That’s the kind of tangible benefit that increases the perceived reward and justifies the efforts being outlined.

With all these scenarios, the assumption that they “Can’t Tech” was just that. An assumption. When you take the time to outline what is ACTUALLY required, (which is less effort than they thought) and explain how they will ACTUALLY benefit, (the benefits are often higher than they thought) then together you can make the journey towards fulfilling effort and enjoying the rewards.

It's key to remember that tech in isolation solves no problems - digital and tech solutions need to be planned and properly embedded in order to succeed. Even more importantly, people need to be brought along on the journey!

One last point on Pa Stevens. He also used to say he couldn’t cook. He used to cremate pork chops under the grill, burn oven chips and zap garden peas until they looked like green peppercorns. Once his kids had flown the nest he had the chance to reconsider the effort and reward of proper cooking and realised it was worth it. Now he has 20-30 specialist dishes in his repertoire.

What happens when he forgets a recipe? Well, he searches for it on his smartphone!