The Real Work Begins After Purchase
The most underestimated phase of any HR tech project is adoption. Research by Prosci shows that projects with excellent change management are 6x more likely to succeed than projects without. Yet, most organizations invest 90% of their budget in selection and implementation and only 10% in change management.
The ADKAR Model for HR Tech
Prosci's ADKAR model offers a proven framework that is perfectly applicable to HR tech implementations:
A — Awareness
"Why are we changing?"
Employees must understand why a new system is necessary. Without this foundation, resistance will arise.
Actions:
- Communicate the pain points of the current system with concrete examples
- Share the vision: what will improve for each user group?
- Use figures: "On average, each manager loses 3 hours per month on manual approvals"
- Involve enthusiastic early adopters
D — Desire
"What's in it for me?"
Awareness alone is not enough — people must also want the change.
Actions:
- Translate benefits to an individual level: "You'll soon be able to request your leave in 30 seconds"
- Proactively address concerns: "Your job will change, but it won't disappear"
- Create ambassadors per department to generate enthusiasm
- Have management explicitly express commitment
K — Knowledge
"How does the new system work?"
Without proper training, people feel incompetent, leading to frustration and regression.
Actions:
- Offer role-specific training (admin vs. manager vs. employee)
- Create short video tutorials (max 3 minutes per topic)
- Create an FAQ on the intranet with the 20 most frequently asked questions
- Plan hands-on sessions where people can practice in a sandbox
A — Ability
"Can I do it myself?"
The difference between knowing how something works and actually being able to do it yourself.
Actions:
- Offer floorwalking in the first 2 weeks after go-live
- Appoint superusers per department as the first point of contact
- Monitor usage statistics and approach departments with low adoption
- Plan a "refresher" training after 4–6 weeks
R — Reinforcement
"Why do we keep doing this?"
Without reinforcement, people fall back into old habits.
Actions:
- Celebrate successes: "Department X now has 0 paper forms"
- Share impact figures: "We now save 200 hours per month"
- Continue to disable the old system (no parallel processes)
- Include the use of the new system in KPIs
Communication Plan per Phase
| Phase | Timing | Target Audience | Channel | Message |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Announcement | T-8 weeks | All employees | Townhall + email | Why are we changing? |
| Details | T-6 weeks | Managers | Workshop | What changes for your team? |
| Training Invitation | T-4 weeks | All users | Email + intranet | Sign up for training |
| Countdown | T-2 weeks | All employees | Intranet + posters | Ready for launch? |
| Go-live | T-0 | All users | Email + pop-up | It's time! Here's how to start |
| Check-in | T+2 weeks | Managers | Short survey | How's it going? Where do you need help? |
| Share Success | T+4 weeks | All employees | Newsletter | First results and success stories |
| Evaluation | T+3 months | Project team | Retrospective | What went well, what could be better? |
The Role of Superusers
Superusers are your secret weapon for adoption. These are enthusiastic colleagues who:
- Are appointed per department (1 per 25–50 employees)
- Receive extra training before go-live
- Are the first point of contact for colleagues' questions
- Collect feedback and pass it on to the project team
- Are rewarded for their extra effort (time, recognition, bonus)
Selection Criteria for Superusers
- Enthusiastic about technology (doesn't have to be an expert)
- Good communication skills
- Respected by colleagues
- Willing to invest 2–4 extra hours per week (temporarily)
Recognizing and Addressing Resistance
| Type of Resistance | Signal | Approach |
|---|---|---|
| Fear of incompetence | "I don't get it" | Extra training + buddy system |
| Comfort with status quo | "The old system works fine" | Show the costs of not changing |
| Cynicism | "This is another project that will fail" | Share quick wins and honest updates |
| Overload | "I don't have time for this" | Temporarily reduce other tasks |
| Loss of expertise | "I was the Excel expert" | Assign a new role as superuser |
Measuring Success
Adoption KPIs (first 3 months)
| KPI | Target | Measurement |
|---|---|---|
| Daily active users | >80% of expected | System analytics |
| Training participation | >95% | Registration |
| Helpdesk tickets system | <10 per week after month 2 | Ticketing system |
| Employee satisfaction system | >3.5/5 | Survey |
| Paper processes | 0 | Audit |
| Manager self-service adoption | >90% | System analytics |
ROI Measurement (after 6–12 months)
- Time savings for HR department (hours per week)
- Reduction in manual errors
- Process speed (e.g., onboarding: from 5 days to 1 day)
- Employee experience score
- Compliance improvements
The Most Important Lesson
Change management is not a one-time event — it is a continuous process that begins before implementation and continues long after go-live. Invest in it as much as you do in the technology itself.