New technology solutions are coming at us left, right and centre, particularly with the explosion in generative AI. This can be exciting and transformational, but also daunting and terrifying. So, how do you move forward? These ten tips will give you a roadmap for navigating the tech path ahead.

Be honest with yourself about your own tech capability and level of comfort. What matters isn’t your level of proficiency, but how you share, use and grow your knowledge. If you’re a tech native, you can be an advocate in your workplace – but be wary of going too fast or ignoring sceptics. If you’re digitally cautious, don’t be afraid to ask questions and call on your experts. Don’t try to ‘fake it till you make it’.

When considering new tech, identify your organisation’s pain points. What’s stopping your team from succeeding? What’s hampering people’s interactions or engagement? Ask questions, gather data and consider the evidence. Once you understand the pain points, you can find the right technology to resolve them.

Finding the right tech solution can be daunting and frustrating. Turn your pain points into requirements and use these to narrow your options. When comparing products or services, a table scoring each one against your requirements can be incredibly useful – give some requirements a higher weighting if they’re more crucial. Be wary of over-engineering by choosing something that offers much more than you need.

This has been a tenet of tech change since the dawn of…well, tech. Start small, by trying out a few features and functions (testing); then gather feedback and data; then analyse those results and consider iterations (learning). Look for the positive and negative impacts, and be ready to flex according to the lessons you learn. Be prepared to fail. Every time you fail in tech you learn how to improve the experience.

It’s easy to get carried away with everything new software promises. Technology adoption takes time; if you want it to stick and your team to embrace it, go at a speed that works for everyone. Go too fast and you may also miss problems and opportunities.

Don’t disappear into the technological dark room, only to emerge when the solution is ready. Involve everyone who might be touched by the change — leaders, the staff who will use the system, IT support and comms teams. Share your progress and learning, and be honest when things aren’t going to plan.

As you research, test and deploy new tech, be aware that scepticism, fear and unease will be bubbling away somewhere in the team — and it might not be obvious. Look out for people who aren’t fully on board, try to understand their challenges and provide reassurance. Often, people just want to be heard.

As well as sceptics, there will be early adopters and tech enthusiasts who can’t wait to get started. Seek out their advice and support. Can they help other colleagues? Or help you build your own understanding and skills? A note of caution: if you nominate ‘digital champions’, make sure they’re good communicators who will encourage sharing and openness within the team.

So we come full circle, because curiously is your best friend in digital change. Don’t bury your head in the sand and hope it will be OK. Keep testing, trying and learning. Make mistakes, ask questions and collaborate. It’ll pay off in the end. //