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Digital Transformation Bottlenecks: Crusties Who Are Reluctant to Change

The companies I work with at Tanzu by Broadcom are constantly looking for better, faster ways of developing and releasing quality software. But digital transformation means fundamentally changing the way you do business, a process that can be derailed by any number of obstacles. In his recent video series, my colleague Michael Coté identifies 14 reasons why it’s hard to change development practices in large organizations. In this companion series of blog articles, we’re exploring each of those topics in more depth, providing advice on how you can address them in your business. 

Today, let’s look at reason no. 11: Reluctant-to-change crusties.

Crossing the chasm

We know that people can have very different reactions when faced with change, and common sense would suggest that we might need to employ different levers if we are to convince those who are more wary. One of the most interesting pieces of research on categorizing and adapting to this varying appetite for trying new things is the Theory of Diffusion, which I wrote about in a previous article.

Diffusion of Innovation (DOI) Theory, developed by E.M. Rogers in 1962, explains how, over time, an idea gains momentum and diffuses (or spreads) through a group of people. Specifically, the research shows that people who adopt ideas early (Early Adopters) have different characteristics than those who may choose to wait to see how things settle before rushing into something new (Early Majority). In his book Crossing the Chasm, Moore explores the “chasm” between Early Adopters of a change and the Early Majority.

The Early Majority represents more than a third of the overall user base and are a crucial step in gaining mainstream adoption in an organization. Fundamentally, they are pragmatic. They’ve seen change initiatives both succeed and fail in the past, so they want to be sure that your proposal has both value and longevity before they expend effort in adoption/migration. To gain their support, we need to provide evidence of the value that we can bring and show that we’ve assessed and mitigated the key risks that any new technology or process comes with.

In this article, we look at the four ways my customers have “crossed the chasm,” enabling them to grow their platform from a cool department project to an organization-wide standard way of working.

Defining your rollout strategy

A well-defined rollout strategy is essential when approaching the Early Majority. Instead of trying to implement change across the entire segment, leaders should consider a phased approach that is tailored to specific geographies, departments, or individuals of influence.  

The Early Majority are most receptive to someone they can relate to, someone who was previously hesitant and can demonstrate value having gone through the adoption process. They will take great comfort in being able to ask questions that help them reduce perceived risk. By adopting a phased approach, the process of onboarding new customers will get progressively easier by building on previous success.

The key, then, is finding other people who can endorse your new way of working. In marketing terms, you want to build up “customer references” and establish word-of-mouth referrals.

When identifying where to start, it’s often best to begin with your org chart and map out where you have existing advocates or relationships that might help influence a potential new user. I advise my customers to focus on a business unit to begin with, because once you’ve achieved buy-in from enough leaders, the rest will generally follow. Once you achieve the majority, the head of that department will generally capitulate and make your platform a standard for their area.

It’s vital that you pay close attention to these initial onboarding exercises and take as many lessons as you can about how you can improve the user journey, the challenges or roadblocks you encountered, and what you’ll do differently next time. When talking with Early Majority users, they’ll often prefer to hear about what you’ve done to adapt a platform to meet challenges, rather than hear that everything is perfect and there haven’t been any problems. As a side note, you can hear Coté and me go over exactly those kinds of “lessons learned” in our recent talk series on driving platform adoption.

Product solution packaging

It’s important to recognize that the Early Majority are very different from the users you’ve likely encountered so far in the growth of your platform. Where Innovators and Early Adopters had a natural desire to try something new and expect teething issues, those in the Early Majority have much higher expectations.

Early Majority users are looking for a “product solution”—one that goes beyond just offering a new technology, that includes not only the core technology but also the necessary supporting elements such as documentation, training, and customer support. Organizations should provide an easy “on-ramp” for customers to get started with the new development practices. These people are interested in using a platform that works with the minimum amount of hassle and will want to see and then experience proof of that.

Importantly, I recommend that technology leaders should “drink their own champagne,” meaning they should regularly go through the process of signing up and trying out the platform their team is building. This isn’t about assessing how technologically advanced the platform is, but simply how approachable and consumable the platform makes that technology. Alarm bells sound for me when leaders can’t point me to the platform login page or its documentation.

In my previous article about developing platforms with a product mindset, I talked at length about how teams should market their platforms, the importance of simple “getting started” guides, and practical steps to ensure your platform is backed by gold-standard customer support. The Early Majority values reliability and responsible support; it instills confidence and alleviates concerns of what happens if there are problems in the future. Minimizing frustration for new users is therefore particularly important.

In direct opposition to the Innovators and Early Adopters who use your platform today, you’ll find that Early Majority users are often looking for reasons not to use your platform … so don’t forget to wrap your platform in a “product solution” packaging.

Targeting marketing

Crafting effective marketing material tailored to the mindset of the Early Majority is crucial for successful adoption. When creating marketing material, it’s important to consider their specific needs and concerns. The messaging should show how your solution addresses their specific pain points and provide evidence of its efficacy.

You’ll want to build a library of real-world examples of where implementing your solutions had a demonstrable positive impact. By showcasing improvements in the day-to-day lives of those already onboard, organizations can generate interest and build trust.

I recommend that all technology teams build an attractive “landing page” to help “sell” their products, mimicking what they might expect from a third-party supplier. I’ve joked regularly that one of the best investments I’ve made in my career was a $50 Bootstrap website template. Such a website isn’t designed to replace your documentation; it’s a relatively static site designed for users who know nothing about your team or your offerings. It needs to clearly and succinctly articulate what problem you’ve set out to solve, how your product helps, and what improved business outcomes users can expect as a result.

By far the biggest asset you have in convincing the Early Majority to adopt your solution is your existing customer base. If you have an advocate who is willing to speak openly about their experiences and talk about the improvements they’ve seen, that is invaluable.

Building and nurturing advocates

Having advocates for your platform can be incredibly powerful, but how does a user become an advocate and what can you do to nurture that relationship? Becoming an advocate for a technology platform is often the result of a positive user experience and a genuine belief in the value it brings. If you have an early adopter who is enthusiastic about your technology, you have a potential advocate.

In his book The Lean Product Playbook, Dan Olsen emphasizes the importance of creating advocates and highlights what a powerful asset they can be in driving adoption. In particular, he encourages leaders to create a user experience that “delights” and to engage early and often with users. Building on these concepts and viewing from a technology perspective, I present the following actions that leaders can take to foster champions and provide them with the support and resources they need to become advocates for your solution.

To nurture this relationship and encourage users to become advocates, technology teams can take several steps:

  • Provide exceptional support throughout a user’s experience of the platform.

  • Actively listen to user feedback, addressing any concerns or issues promptly. Be curious about the role they play in the business, ideally identifying interesting case studies that showcase the positive impact your solution is having, building credibility and trust.

  • Communicate regular updates about the improvements you’ve made, thanking contributors for their input.

  • Build a community forum where users can connect, share their experiences, and provide support to one another—and in the process, create a platform that enables advocates to emerge.

  • Amplify the voice of advocates through newsletters, internal portals, company all-hands meetings, and organized speaking events. Talk openly about the great achievements of your advocates, and in turn they can help build trust by talking about their experiences working with your team.

  • Reward advocates through exclusive access to new features, early beta testing, or special events that foster a sense of belonging and incentivize advocacy. 

By continually investing in user satisfaction and engagement, technology teams can cultivate a thriving advocate community that not only attracts more users but also helps shape the platform's future.

Read about other common digital transformation bottlenecks we’ve encountered and how to overcome them:

Need help? Tanzu Labs has partnered with countless organizations across the globe to deliver applications and features to production faster. Tanzu Labs offers bespoke consulting services to help organizations build new or modernize existing applications, ensuring that best practices are transferred to customer teams along the way.  Learn more about Tanzu Labs’ application services.

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