CIOs Find Lack of Employee "Buy-in" to Blame for Failed Technology Initiatives, According to POPin Survey

IRVINE, Calif., Jan. 20, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- POP today announced a new survey of global CIOs which finds that most company executives blame failed technology initiatives on a lack of employee "buy-in."

According to the survey, 52% said technology initiatives typically fail due to "slow" or "reluctant" adoption from end users. Only 23% cited budgetary issues and 17% cited lack of buy-in from senior management. Less than 8% said technology initiatives fail due to inadequate technology.

An alarming 78% of respondents said it takes employees some time to "come up the learning curve" on embracing new technologies and ideas. Only 18% said employees understand new initiatives completely and are "in lockstep" with senior management.

The survey also found that companies lack the resources for management to collect employee feedback and take action. Only 25% of companies surveyed say they have a process in place that enables executives to take immediate action to provide employees with the tools they need to do their jobs. Notably, 57% said they have only "some" processes in place but "could be more nimble in this area." 18% say they have "limited resources" to react to employee suggestions in a timely manner.

Similarly, 46% of respondents said it was a "top priority" to take the pulse of employees on ways to improve productivity and make their jobs more efficient.  However, an astonishing 50% of respondents said they listen to employee concerns only when they arise and then face challenges addressing their concerns.

"The failure rate of technology initiatives continues to intensify, often thwarted by a lack of user adoption rather than on the merits of the technology," said Brian Anderson, Chief Marketing Officer of POPin. "We are seeing significant market demand for smarter, more effective crowdsourcing techniques. C-level executives need to address the growing problem of employee engagement as a core component to ensure the success of technology initiatives. In the year ahead, we believe executive leaders will begin to materially benefit from a new market category called Initiative Success Management to troubleshoot their problems and motivate their teams while operationalizing enterprise engagement."

Survey Highlights: Companies Rely on Outdated Engagement Processes

• To solve a significant business problem, 42% of respondents would physically "get everyone together and brainstorm" to generate possible solutions. Only 21% would use social collaboration and 21% would use a traditional survey.  Only 10% would use an internal solution and 7% admit they don't know where to start.
• The majority of respondents, 42%, said they prefer to discuss new ideas in regular in-office meetings. 36% do so by email while 18% rely on town hall style meetings. Less than 3% of executives have the ability to solicit feedback from individual employees.
• 58% of respondents said that although they have an open line of communication among disparate departments, they have no solid process in place to regularly share ideas. 22% said they are "not effective" communicating with other departments. Only 21% said they have a solid process in place to develop new ideas from employees in different locations.
• 51% said that mobile technologies have created an important communication channel that they leverage for feedback and alignment. 26% of respondents said they have not figured out how to effectively use mobile technology for alignment and ideation. 22% said mobile technologies have significantly improved collaboration.
• Only 4% of companies surveyed said they always rely on crowdsourcing to collect information and make decisions. 49% said they have had some experience with crowdsourcing, but it's not a regular part of their culture. Nearly half, or 48%, never use crowdsourcing techniques.

Resources:

• Download survey infographic here.

About POPin
POPin is a mobile app used by business and IT professionals to generate buy-in for strategic initiatives by making all employees, partners and/or customers an accomplice in the master plan. The app leverages crowdsourcing and crowd-solv­ing to meet specific business challenges via a time-bound, question-based approach to lift leaders and provide a common voice for engagement. POPin also leverages SaaS, web interfaces and dedicated engagement managers to deliver timely and innovative impact to relevant corporate objectives. For more information visit www.popinnow.com.

Media contact:
Gutenberg Communications
Michael Gallo
212-239-8594
[email protected]

SOURCE POPin

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