The Fourth Industrial Revolution, or Industry 4.0, is here. It’s been pulling at our collective consciousness for years, following its older siblings in Industrial Revolution: steam and hydro-electric power (18th c.), electricity-fueled mass production (early 20th c.), and production automation (1970s). This Fourth installment, interaction and networking between humans and machines, has been adopted by many organizations on the early adopter end of digital transformation.
And then a global pandemic hit.
Suddenly, even technology-averse organizations were faced with making up for a decade’s worth of activity in the pursuit of “going digital” in a short matter of weeks. The hardware and IT asset component was the first solve: how does an organization equip a workforce with what they need to survive working from home?
Now, it’s time to consider how to make sure those cloud-based systems are being used properly by a workforce who may or may not ever return to a physical work building.
Based on academic research I’ve done in support of my PhD candidacy, I believe there are three major theories that should be considered when planning for user adoption of any technology:
- Adult Learners: who will adopt the tech?
- Diffusion of Innovations: how will they adopt the tech?
- Change Management: what steps will ensure the tech will be adopted?
Starting with a focus on those who will use the tech is a great place to begin. So, I created a guide for you, to lead you through the steps and stages of teaching adults technology. This guide explains how adults learn and how to leverage that particular learning style to effectively drive technology user adoption within your organization. Readers of this guide will learn how to apply Adult Learning Theory to new technology rollouts and implementations, new features or releases, or new users to their chosen platform. Executive Management, Sales Leaders, Sales Enablement and Operations Leaders, and Trainers will find immediate value in this guidebook, which has side-by-side pages that introduce the concept and then have space for you to plan your action. The guide delivers immediately and has five days of follow-up virtual coaching emails to keep your planning on track. Get your copy today, and truly, let me know how you’re coming along: https://cloudadoption.solutions/teach_adults_tech_guide/
This article originally appeared on Medium.