Laying the Groundwork for Change:

How Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution can help with your transition to electronic document management (EDM)

Even if you haven’t had a chance to catch ABC’s reality show Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution, you probably already know the premise: a celebrity chef attempts to change longstanding dietary habits in the unhealthiest city in the USA. Consider the elements involved with this auspicious endeavor: a potentially hostile populace with ingrained habits; recommendations for change that could conceivably transform lifestyles; and a plan to train and educate people so that lasting changes will be assimilated.

As Jamie Oliver was quick to discover, sometimes the best ideas—even when they promise significant benefits—can be met with enough resistance to grind progress to a halt.

Does that sound anything like your document management implementation?

These days, when transitions to EDM fail, it’s not always the fault of the software. There are intricate psychological factors involved that can stand in the way of any technology implementation. And these factors are as complex as human behavior itself: people fear change. If you hope to implement a document management system successfully, you need to recognize and address this reality. Jamie Oliver’s approach to change management acknowledges this resistance. We can apply several of his strategies to EDM implementation:

• Identify stakeholders, and get them involved.

To change dietary habits in a town, Jamie Oliver had to involve not only government officials, but parents, teachers, school cooks and kitchen staff, coaches, and kids. He also sought approval from one of the most critical demographics: lunch ladies. Everyone who was going to be affected by change had to be involved and invested. He recognized the necessity of generating excitement about the transition.

Tearing people away from their junk food is certainly not a popular endeavor. (“They can have my Slim Jims when they pry them from my cold, dead fingers!”) Similarly, asking users to discard comfortable business processes and replace them with unfamiliar technology will most likely be met with resistance (and even sabotage) if the transition is not managed properly.

Too often, when companies implement new technology, they don’t include stakeholder representatives in the planning stages. It is imperative that you involve—and seek input from—managers, IT, end-users, and any other staff that might be affected by the new system. Communicate the benefits of the new system to each group. Address questions and concerns, and listen to recommendations from users as you plan for an integrated solution.

• Create a roadmap.

If your goal is to change the dietary habits of an entire town, you can’t just show up there one day without a long-term strategy. Changing the food in the schools was at the crux of Jamie Oliver’s plan for success. In order to execute his plan, he had an assortment of strategies that would help him reach his ultimate goal. As you develop milestones to enable a seamless transition, there are some components that are critical to your success.

As obvious as it seems, one of the most important contributors to a successful EDM implementation is your choice of software. It has to be easy to use. And intuitive. It has to be flexible, extensible, and offer the scalability to grow with your company into the future. If you hope to automate processes, look for a workflow product that integrates with all of your existing systems and at the same time offers drag-and-drop functionality. The most thorough planning in the world won’t ensure end-user adoption if the software you chose is difficult to use or is lacking in functionality.

• Recognize the need to overcome longstanding habits.

Often, we eat certain foods because that’s what we’re accustomed to. Our parents ate that way, as did our grandparents before them. People are usually content with their dietary status quo, and may even resent attempts from outsiders to try to encourage them to change. They may offer excuses to counter arguments of obvious benefits to the change, saying that healthy food costs too much or takes too long to prepare. If you attempt to replace conventional foods within the school cafeterias, administrators may cite adherence to government regulations as a good reason to keep things the way they are.

Deep down, they know that a change would improve their lives. But they can be too immersed in old habits to incorporate healthier foods into their routines.

A transition to EDM can elicit similar opposition. Your end result of the transition will be improved access to information and simplified business processes for everyone involved. Getting to that point, however, requires thought and participation from every department that hopes to use the system. It takes work. Continual communication and active involvement can help you address resistance to change.

• Incorporate training as well as education.

To change longstanding dietary habits, it can be helpful to explain to people how their health and that of their children can be improved by restricting processed foods from their diets. As part of his Food Revolution, Jamie Oliver extols the benefits of adding fresh fruits and vegetables to meals, as well as incorporating whole grains.

Teaching people is important; but if you want to succeed, you need to train them as well. Learning about the health benefits of unfamiliar foods does no good unless people know how to incorporate them into their meals. Jamie Oliver recognized this, and offered cooking classes in addition to education.

As part of your transition to EDM, make sure that your users know why you are making the change. Educate them as to how the new software will simplify their jobs and help them to provide better service. Make sure that the software you choose is backed with thorough reference manuals and documentation. Equally as important, train users, administrators, and IT personnel thoroughly on the new system. Training builds confidence and improves the likelihood of acceptance. It helps smooth the transition to the new system, and shows staff how to use EDM to streamline work efficiently.

• Know the current scenario and visualize an ideal future.

A vision of a better life can be a powerful motivator. On Jamie Oliver’s show, the town is motivated to make lasting changes by a vision of better health for their children. What are your EDM objectives? Often the ability to articulate them can motivate your company to set goals and implement change.

For many organizations, external factors such as regulatory compliance, customer feedback, or the need for improved governance can inspire change. Usually, internal factors can also serve as powerful motivators. When end users are able to see how EDM will help them transition to analytical work that involves critical thinking (as opposed to repetitive processes and data entry), they become excited about the change. Also, when users are able to see how ECM can transform a small area or department, often they will demand a wider implementation.

Conclusion

Jamie Oliver demonstrates clearly that whether or not change management involves technology, you still have to get people on board. Lifestyle changes don’t happen overnight. Nor does a transition from manual processing to electronic. Take some tips from the Food Revolution and see what you can apply to your business. With a well-designed change management plan, you can ensure the user adoption that plays such a large role in the success of your implementation. It’s not necessarily an easy process, but at least you won’t have to change the minds of cantankerous lunch ladies.

For more information or to schedule a demonstration, please Contact DocFinity now.