Imagine you’re a frontline worker. A new AI system has been rolled out on your line. You’ve heard that it boosts productivity, but you’re not sure how it works or what it means for your role.

Would you:
• Spend 20 extra minutes entering data into it if you feel jotting notes on paper was just as effective? 
• Go out of your way to help it learn if you thought it might replace you?
• Proactively maintain machinery that was running smoothly because an alert flagged a potential issue?

If you said no to any of the above, you’re not malicious, or even unusual. You’re a human responding to change, and humans naturally resist change. Whether we’re employees, managers, or executives, we can dig our heels in even further when change feels imposed upon us or threatening.

When that human resistance collides with your digital transformation effort, your new system never delivers the promised ROI. Sometimes it doesn’t even get past the pilot phase. Workers on the plant floor develop shadow processes or simply revert back to the old way of doing tasks.

It’s estimated that 70% of digital transformation efforts fail, and the problem is rarely the technology itself. After all, when leaders invest millions of dollars in a new solution, you can bet they’ve done their due diligence. The real reason most change efforts fail is a lack of buy-in from those who will implement the solution.

So, how do we, as leaders of these change efforts, go from resistance and workarounds to trust and adoption? Here are practical tools leaders can use to increase buy-in and better manage the people side of technology change.

Start with the change equation

Working through this formula reveals what leaders need to focus on to increase the likelihood of change success:

S = Q x B

The equation involves two variables to predict the chance of success (S).
• Quality of the solution (Q)
• Buy-in from those who will implement it (B)

Use a simple 1–10 rating for quality and buy-in to quickly evaluate the chance of success.

Let’s see how this equation works in practice. First, imagine you have the most amazing technology, so you rate quality a 10. But the solution has nearly nonexistent support from users, so buy-in is a 2.

10 x 2 = 20

Now, compare that to a good but less-than-perfect system you rate a 7.5, paired with enthusiastic buy-in you rate as a 10.

7.5 x 10 = 75

That less-than-perfect solution with strong buy-in is nearly four times more likely to succeed than the best technology money can buy.

Although the ratings are subjective, they aren’t pulled out of thin air. Determining buy-in sheds light on what leaders need to focus on to increase acceptance. Identify who is affected by the new solution. Host a listening session with them. Sit in on their staff meetings. Run pulse surveys. Ask how comfortable they feel with the change, whether they understand how it affects their daily work, and what concerns they have. These answers will tell you what to communicate to get more people on board.

Tell 5 stories at once

A common mistake leaders make is relying on a single message to motivate an entire plant. In reality, there are five types of stories that will influence the hearts and minds of workers: company, society, customer, team, and individual.

1. The company story focuses on how the new technology helps the company beat the competition and gain industry leadership.

2. The society story highlights how it improves the world and builds community.

3. The customer story points to the company producing better products or services that improve the customer experience.

4. The team story revolves around how it helps create a culture of belonging and working together efficiently and effectively.

5. The individual story explains what’s in it for me—how the technology helps the individual worker develop professionally or improves their workday.

If a leader focuses only on one, they’re missing the mark with 80% of their workforce. Leaders must communicate all five stories to motivate change throughout their organization.

Master the hallway conversation

Informal conversations that pervade the workday can be powerful tools in encouraging adoption. In these conversations, you want to share the news about the initiative, why it’s essential, and what success looks like—but talking about the following two points is the most important: 
1. Here’s what we need you to do.
2. Here’s what you can count on from me.

These two points establish expectations and reduce confusion to ensure your people feel supported and have confidence in the effort.

Take advantage of everyday encounters, such as running into someone in the hallway or during the few minutes of chitchat before a meeting, to make people feel heard. Deliver consistent messages that ease concerns and support change during existing methods of communication, including daily huddles and start-stop discussions. Hallway conversations can turn reluctance into acceptance.

When leaders combine proper training and adequate technology with strong buy-in, they’re setting the organization up for successful change. Implement all or any of these tools in your next change-management approach to increase your likelihood of transformational success.