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Reliability Tip:
Doubting Thomas
When implementing a new method or making a change to the way a CMMS system is used (or any other change), we will inevitably encounter a group of folks that say, “That’ll never work here.” Or, “We tried that before, and it was a disaster.”
While these folks may initially seem like an obstacle to the change, in reality they often make the best trainers and become the most ardent converts when they change their thinking.
When you encounter a doubting Thomas, it is often an opportunity to let a vocal opponent of a new process or procedure both vent his or her doubts and demonstrate to himself/herself (and others) that the new way of doing business may not be so bad. Doubt or opposition is often a natural tendency because change can be scary. Change makes us expend energy, it challenges the status quo, and it forces us learn something new. The cure is to get over the fear of change and focus on understanding and learning the new thing.
The first step is to make sure the skeptic understands both the process and the intended outcome. As soon as the details are understood, some portion of the fear will disappear. The hard work remains, however. The actual doing part will require some training for the folks that are utilizing the new methods. This is where the vocal opponent is most useful. Use the skeptic to perform the training. While this may appear to be letting the fox install henhouse security, it is actually a chance for the vocal opponent to explain the process as it is intended to work and to espouse the benefits and explain the process of change to his or her cohorts. This accomplishes two things:
- The skeptic is forced to internalize (learn and understand the new process) the reality of the change in order to deliver the training.
- The skeptic must defend this new methodology to his or her associates by answering questions and appearing on the training ground as the expert in the new method, which ultimately forces this person to become an advocate for the change.
Even if the training is delivered with less than total enthusiasm, the former opponent often walks away a supporter, and at least he or she will know the new system well enough to perform the intended work in the intended way.
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