There are numerous new programs, platforms, software, and technology that arts managers may currently use or plan to adopt. Arts managers upgrade, adapt, and adopt to make their organization’s processes more efficient, sometimes with an end result to save time and money. However, arts managers may have trouble introducing new technology to their staff. If done improperly, the new tech may cause frustration, turnover, lost time, lost money, or a step backward in company efficiency. To prevent this, arts managers must strategize technology adoption carefully.

What technology can change in your organization?

Technology is an asset that is used in day-to-day operating activities, performances, and everywhere in between. Technology is also updating and changing all the time, and arts organizations need to keep up with these changes. New technology changes can be defined as but are not limited to:

• Adopting a new CRM

• Moving from exchange systems to Google

• Adopting a new communications platform (ex. Slack, Microsoft Teams, or even VOIP telephone solutions)

• Adopting a new project management software (ex. Asana, Airtable, or Trello)

• Cloud migration

Adopting new technology can even include small changes such as:

• Upgrading to a newer version of Microsoft Office

• Upgrading to a new printer/scanner in the office

Why do arts managers change their technology?

Arts managers make these changes to make processes faster, more efficient, and more cost-effective. In addition, technology can be a significant part of a nonprofit’s plan as well. In May 2018, NTEN mentioned that 70.7% of surveyed nonprofit organizations identified technology as part of their organizational strategic plan, with a note that other respondents bundle technology into other strategic areas of their plan.  Therefore, with many organizations that utilize technology to gain a competitive edge, arts managers must learn to be adaptive, lest the organization risk falling behind.

Why do employees resist change?

Whenever it’s time to adopt new technology, there will undoubtedly be questions and even fear from the staff and stakeholders. Part of this fear is natural, as we instinctively find comfort in a predictable routine. However, as Peter Senge notes in Forbes, it is not change that people fear, especially if a change is needed. Rather, it is that people “resist being changed,” which is where some discomfort of change originates from.

Workers may resist or even fight a technology change for several specific reasons:

• It takes time to learn new technology, and arts management employees are sometimes pressed on time

• Employees fear that they may not be able to learn the new technology. Therefore, employees feel that they can’t keep up with their other colleagues, which makes them feel that they cannot be valuable in the workplace

• Employees fear the new technology may not help them in a way they need it to

• Employees fear the new technology will become a waste of time or money

• Employees feel that the current technology they have now works just fine and that there is no need for a change

• Employees feel as if they might be losing some control, which may affect their ability to get work done and achieve results

• Employees are afraid that more change is coming, including highly dramatic change such as a change of staff

While these fears may not occur in all staff members within a team, they are all legitimate fears that may hinder an employee’s work or convince an employee to quit. To address this apprehension, arts managers should be prepared to note these fears and craft a suitable strategy to prevent them.

Strategies for Change

Several organizational change models exist for arts managers to build strategies. For example, Kurt Lewis has a simple three-step model that outlines organizational change in a basic way. Kotter’s 8-Step Model is also a good resource for crafting a specific strategy. Finally, in Akingbola, Rogers, and Baluch’s book titled “Change Management in Nonprofit Organizations: Theory and Practice,” a seven-step model is outlined specifically for nonprofits that wish to implement a change.

A change model can take on any shape, whether a technology adoption is large, small, or in between. To create a seamless, effective strategy, professionals recommend taking these six steps:

1. Identify the Change Needed

The most vital step for preparing a technology adoption is to find out your organization’s needs and challenges and how technology can fix it. The release and/or novelty of new technology alone is not a suitable reason for an organization to adopt it. Rather, new technology should address a current issue that the organization is dealing with and/or promote its mission.

In this step, managers may need to poll their employees and involve them in the process. Find out what could be run more efficiently or what could be causing employees to fall behind at work. In addition, find out how urgently the team needs a change to take effect. These steps are important for determining the length of each issue and creating essential buy-in needed for the change’s success.

2. Identify the Technology to Address Your Needs

This next step will involve research to figure out if any technology available is suitable for your organization’s needs. Managers should ask questions such as how long it typically takes for employees to adapt to the new tech, if there is special and extensive training needed, and what resources might be available or created should an employee-run into an issue. Managers should also determine the length of time needed to create custom end-user support to go along with the purchase of new technology.

One thing to consider while researching is the type, scope, and scale of the change needed. Nadler and Tushman identify organizational change by categorizing it into two dimensions. In the first dimension, a change can be anticipatory or reactive, with its implementation strategy as incremental or strategic (such as a total pattern-break or reframe).  From there, the change strategy can be identified in its second dimension as a tuning, reorientation, adaptation, or recreation strategy. Identifying your technological change will help determine the level of strategy and involvement needed in your research and final product. The figures below clarify on the first and second dimensions of change, plus their levels of intensity.

3.       Prepare for the Change

The next step is to prepare for the incoming technology update for your organization. Similar to Kotter’s fourth and fifth steps, this is when you’ll want to get stakeholders involved. Examples include assigning an employee to be a technology ambassador. This worker will know the technology inside and out, and they would make themselves available to easily help a colleague who might be running into trouble with the technology. Additionally, this is an opportunity for other workers to get involved in learning and helping to head the project. According to Akingbola, Rogers, and Baluch, as noted by the Queensland Government, “many employees welcome change, as long as they have a chance to collaborate on it.”

This is also the time to build upon your communication strategy so that the change will be abundantly clear to everyone. This strategy should be shared with any leadership in the workplace, and leadership should be prepared to answer questions or address concerns. In addition, an evaluation strategy should be created to help determine the success of the technology adoption. More details on this evaluation will be given later in the model.

4.       Communicate the Change

This is the step for announcing the new technology adoption. The communication should address the following:

• What exactly the new technology is

• Why it is being adopted

  • Addressing the concern

  • How the new technology fixes the concern

• Who will be affected and any training that will be provided to staff

• Resources should employees run into trouble

• A communication channel to provide feedback on the new technology

  • How it helps

  • How it does not help

The goal of the strategy should be to show honesty and transparency. Trust and respect will need to be communicated to the employees, although honest confrontation may also be needed. Above all, showing leadership will be critical to establishing the change and creating positive relationships with the employees.

5.       Initiate the Change

This step includes the implementation of the new technology, evaluating performance, and adjusting the strategy depending on the results.

The evaluation should be built to measure the technology’s performance against its intended impact.  How much the technology has addressed the issue it is designed to solve, to what level are employees satisfied, and has it created work efficiency, to name a few. A feedback channel should consistently be available to employees to voice any concerns. If any changes should be made, communicate with your stakeholders and spokespersons to find the best way to implement an additional change. A contingency plan may be useful if the technology is not working for the organization and needs to be revoked.

As per Kotter’s eighth step, short-term and long-term goals may need to be established to help employees gradually adapt to the new technology. These goals can be built from evaluation metrics, and they may establish early successes or identify an employee who may be falling behind on learning. Any short-term goals that are met will help establish the final step in the model: sustaining the change.

6.       Sustain the Change

The final step in the process is getting employees acclimated and in the habit of using the new technology. For some total changes, sustaining new technology may happen automatically if returning to older technology. However, arts managers should be prepared for alternative options to sustaining that may be larger threats to the organization. This may include general resistance or even resignation.

Here, long-term goals should continue to be developed. Internal technology ambassadors and spokespersons help here to ensure that the change is being sustained. Rewards could potentially be offered to help sustain the change as well, but any strategy for rewards and compensation should be given careful thought. This includes the promotion of certain behavior and the worth of sustaining the change versus accomplishing other tasks in the office.

Conclusion

New technology is releasing all the time, and change is inevitable. As arts managers, we try to keep up, and even with a strategy in place to adopt new technology, the new technology may fail anyway. This could be due to a lack of resources, not enough communication, a lack of vision, cut corners in training, or a lack of organizational structure. This can be frustrating when a lot of time was placed into putting together the change strategy.

When it comes to changes and upgrades, there is always a chance to prove your support of employees and increase their morale. Adopting technology to support your mission and vision is critical, but as Akingbola, Rogers, and Baluch mention, change is also about the people. Therefore, for any fears you have about change and new technology, listen to your staff and evaluate often to make sure your technology is best serving your organization’s needs.

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