EPISODE 054 - Mindset: What to do if the team isn't interested in new tools?

Michael Seidl: Welcome to a new episode of the Get Shit Done in IT podcast. My name is Michael Seidl and our topic of the day is what to do if the team isn't interested in new tools. So it is a little bit related to the last episode because we talked about automation and how to identify and what are good practices to have a successful automation onboarding or project start. This brings me to that topic. So what to do if the team isn't interested in new tools or maybe they are just, they're also not accepting new tools. And the first thing is to find the reason for this. Okay. To find the reason why is the team against a new tool, a new solution, a new platform, whatever. And they had one customer once, think it's now 10, 12 years ago. was in. bigger company in Austria of around 3-4,000 employees. It was the decision made by the IT leader, so the CIO, to implement a new ETSM. First, a ticket solution. Back then, I worked a lot with Microsoft System Center's service manager and it was not the tool, trust me. I know the tool is not very handy and that we're user-friendly, but there have been solutions to make it better. So in this case, it was not the tool. Of course, this can be also reason. If the tool sucks, the people will not like it. So that's it. But in that case, it was a little bit different. The CIO decided we need an ETSM solution. First phase one is ticket system. And that customer, three, four thousand employees, doesn't had a ticket system before. They used a public folder and everyone get the email out to his inbox and worked with the email ticket and directly from his inbox. So there was maybe a central point to create a new ticket.

Michael Seidl: But to communicate, to have a platform tracking, no solution, no way. if the IT guy was sick or holiday, nobody took care about the ticket. If the customer or the employee asked about a status to a central person or central station, nobody could give an answer because only this only person, this single person had an idea about the ticket, nobody else in the department. So if user A was creating a ticket about an issue and user B was creating a ticket about the same issue and every ticket was assigned to different person, nobody talked to each other. So to be honest, a really bad situation. But so that's the reason for a ticket system, of course. But IT people, so the IT team, was afraid of being tracked or monitored by the new system. So over the years they implemented a cozy working environment. I don't want to talk about bad, but I think you know what I mean. So not trackable, not monitorable, not I have to say, nobody knows what the workload really was. Of course, they pretend that the workload was really high, but yeah, I think you know what I mean. And that was the real reason why they have been against a new ETSM solution, a ticket solution, because they have been afraid about losing their cozy working environment. Because then they are trackable, then they're monitorable. So then they see how many tickets, how many effort they put into the ticket system and the maintenance of the IT. Then it would be easier for CIOs and team leaders and everything to decide, do we need more people, do we less people, whatever. That was the real reason. And they have been successful, at least at this time when I was in the project.

Michael Seidl: They have been successful by... in declining or by stopping the project. we haven't implemented the solution back then. I'm not sure if they have not. I followed the company a few years after that and they had several tries to implement such a solution without a success. right now I'm not sure. Maybe they have something, but it took a lot of time for them to also get rid of those mindset, those cozy work environment and everything is done as alike. And of course, they also fired some people off that because the whole team was very against any new stuff. And that was one reason. The second one was also in that specific example, but also we see at a lot of others. that decisions are made without getting the team, the employees included. And that's very bad start for new projects, new tools, new solutions, whatever. So you need to bring your employees on board. You need to take them on hand, explain them why you should be good. Mainly employees are not against anything new. They like new stuff because most of the people see the lack of any circumstances of process, of tools or whatever. But they want to do it together, not...

Michael Seidl: not overruled by someone. They want to do it together to get them on board from the beginning to the end with education and teaching and everything. And then usually no employees against any new tools. Of course, there might be some employees, but those need special care. And sometimes if that is not enough, you need to get rid of them. Okay. So then that's the wrong company. But second one is get your team on board and do it together. And the third one is if you get your team on board, if you see all the reasons why they might be against a new tool and you get rid of them and you get them on board and you do it together, you teach them, you bring them the good part of new tools, the positive things. And if you then implement it, then you also have to celebrate the quick wins. So for example, the ticket solution, maybe the hundred whoever resolved the first hundred tickets get a six-pack of beer or the first hundred tickets and you do a little party after work. Something like this. And constantly evolve the tools and listen to your employees. What could we do next? What helps you? And so on. Of course, everything needs to decide if it makes sense and so on. That's fine. But keep your team engaged. and keep your team included. And then usually every product or every product and every project and every tool and every solution and every platform should be a success. Every time you miss some of those rules and you overrule someone without talking, explaining, it will get very hard to have a successful project integration. product integration, whatever you like to call it. So follow those three points and the chance is very high to have a successful new tool and to avoid any any

Michael Seidl: anyone against those tools. So keep them on, do it together, and then it will be much, much easier to implement new tools and to have the interest of your colleagues. So that's it. Let me know what you think. But at the end, I wish you a nice Monday. Stay productive, and bye-bye.