In manufacturing, leaders invest heavily in new systems and assume the workforce will naturally adjust. But the reality is that humans resist or are skeptical of change, especially when it's imposed on us and we don't feel like we're part of the process.
Why Strong Buy-In Is Critical to Successful Technology Change in Manufacturing
Q&A with Daniel Stewart, President | Stewart Leadership
Tell us about yourself and your role at Stewart Leadership.
I’m the President of Stewart Leadership, a global leadership and organizational development firm specializing in coaching, training and consulting. We’re your partner to address people-related challenges wherever they appear in the organization. I lead our consulting practice where we deliver tailored solutions across talent development, executive leadership and strategic planning for companies in an array of industries, including manufacturing.
First off, why do technology change efforts fall short in manufacturing?
When technology change efforts fail, it’s rarely because of the technology itself. Most of the time, it comes down to a lack of buy-in and adoption from workers who use it on a daily basis.
It’s easy to see how this happens in practice. Imagine you have AI-driven sensors that monitor equipment and flag potential machinery issues before breakdowns occur. If workers ignore these alerts because they don’t trust or understand them, then a plant won’t actually reduce downtime, even though the new solution works perfectly fine.
In manufacturing, leaders invest heavily in new systems and assume the workforce will naturally adjust. But the reality is that humans resist or are skeptical of change, especially when it’s imposed on us and we don’t feel like we’re part of the process. This means that instead of adopting the new solution, frontline workers develop shadow processes or revert to the old way of performing tasks. They’re not bad employees; they’re simply humans responding to change. Without buy-in, workers don’t adopt new solutions and the effort stalls or never delivers meaningful ROI.
Strong buy-in is a key factor in the success of a technology rollout. How can leaders measure buy-in?
To evaluate buy-in, leaders should identify the workers most impacted by the change and engage them well before the technology reaches the plant floor. This can include hosting listening sessions to gather feedback, attending staff meetings, running pulse surveys or simply asking direct questions, such as: How comfortable are you with this change? Do you understand how it will affect your daily work? What concerns do you have? How can we design processes and procedures that make your life easier?
This input shows where confusion or resistance exists among end users. Leaders can then address those issues directly through clearer communication, additional training or more support to increase buy-in and improve the likelihood of success.
What’s one practical way leaders charged with technology initiatives can increase buy-in?
Building buy-in goes far beyond a kickoff meeting or a single training session. It requires leaders to deliver strategic, consistent two-way conversations that help people understand the initiative and feel supported through the change.
One effective way to do this is by mastering hallway conversations, those everyday moments like running into someone in the parking lot or chatting for a few minutes before a meeting.
In hallway conversations, leaders should share what the initiative is, why it matters and what success looks like. But most importantly, they should communicate two messages: here’s what we need you to do and here’s what you can count on from me. These two points establish expectations, reduce confusion and make people feel like they are part of the process.
Whether through actual hallway conversations or existing communication channels such as daily huddles, Teams call, or start-stop discussions, consistently delivering messages that ease concerns and support change can turn reluctance into acceptance.
How can leaders get ahead of common challenges during change efforts?
Leaders can anticipate common challenges to new technology by understanding how people respond to change. The SARA model describes the sequence of reactions people experience as they go through involuntary change.
The four common steps include: Surprise (Is this really necessary?), Anger or Anxiety (They’re going to replace us with AI or machines.), Rationalization (I get it, but I don’t like it, and I don’t think this will work.), and Acceptance (Now that I’m using this technology, I can see how much it will improve things.). Knowing where workers are on the SARA curve can help leaders provide the right kind of support and keep change efforts moving forward.
The content & opinions in this article are the author’s and do not necessarily represent the views of ManufacturingTomorrow
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