Nearly a month I am engaged as a consultant for the implementation of software (technology change) in a very bureaucratic organizational system. The software is something that really is a huge step forward for that organization. This means big improvement of productivity and efficiency in the work. But, as always when it comes to implementing something new there is always resistance to that new.

It is clear to everyone that technology changes cause other organizational changes too, and this is proven by Joan Woodward’s analysis that presents the close connection of technology with the structure and people. This means that with the application of the new software that is technology change, there will be a need for changes in the structure and also in the people – the employees.

I’ve already write about my research of the factors that causes resistance to change, but here I want to emphasize some of them that I think can be dire for the implementation of the new system.

1. Threat of Comfort

Many things that were not monitored until now, will be monitored with the new system and this will decrease the level of the comfort of employees on all levels. On the other hand, new techniques and skills must be applied on all levels and pursuant to this, everyone who feels comfortable with their existent knowledge is against these changes. This is because their present knowledge will not be valid for the new system.

As a possible solution it is necessary to be determined all work places that would be influenced by this resistance factor and must be prepared a strategy for elimination or decreasing the existent resistance.

2. Power

There are certain power centers that exist on all levels and that will lose some part of their current power. Logically, for them, this will provoke resistance towards the new system.

As a possible solution it is necessary to define the potential power centers that will lose part of the current power and to establish a strategy how to eliminate or decrease the resistance.

3. Fear of Unknown

This was noticed as one of the largest resistance sources. Each employee is familiar with the operations of the old system, and therefore, appear big fear of how will he/she manage the new system.

As a possible solution for eliminating of this fear can be used proper education and communication as well as with appropriate participation.

4. Routine

With the new system, many of the today’s routines should be changed. It is in human nature to reject changes that ask change in its working habits.

As a possible solution for eliminating this kind of resistance is proper education and communication as well as with appropriate participation.

5. Mistrust to Initiator of Change Process

This factor arises because the employees don’t have a precise definition of who might be the initiator of these changes. Simply, they see that initiator is the supplier of the software.

This requires proper education of the employees that the organizational system in which they are part of is the initiator of the changes.

6. Short Implementation Time

Because of an unreal implementation time frame, it is very short time for these changes and employees from all levels are under a large amount of pressure.

There is a need for total reorganization of implementation schedules so that they can be more effective and more efficient. Furthermore, I can see the lack of knowledge about two different term: acceptance and official system start-up.

7. Limited Resources

There is an obvious limitation of recourses in the organizational system. Large part of employee works on their current work assignments and obligations as well, and with this their real contribution to the work on the implementation of the new system is decreased.

8. Bureaucratic Inertia

And of course, in this kind of organizational systems where the administrative role on all levels is highly emphasized, it causes bureaucratic inertia of the whole system.

These are only 8 factors, although there are many more. But, I think that these resistance factors have big influence for successful implementation of the system.

We will continue with case studies for our cosmetic store that have his own business blog from earlier posts. This case study is for the earlier post about creating lead’s database. Now the entrepreneur of that store wants to start with collecting leads for their business and to make lead’s database. He starts with one simple MS Excel document where add 9 columns:

1. Name and Surname,
2. Post address,
3. Phone number,
4. E-mail,
5. Marketing activities that were taken,
6. Date of that marketing activity,
7. Reaction of the person after some marketing activity,
8. Yes/No Purchase and
9. Future marketing activities.

He wants to collect some of the first 4 columns. Where it is possible to collect all that information. Now the table is empty, and he wants to start to fill the table with the data. Here are the steps that he made to start with collecting information for lead’s database:

• Open personal addressee and put information about friends and cousins into the table. If there is some data that is not available he makes the call to the person tell him that he needs more data to be able to send him informations about promotional products. In this way, he completed the table with all needed data. He collects 20 people into the table.
• Ask each person that will come to buy into the store and buy more than $100 to give him contact details that will be used to contact him about promotional products and special discount. This strategy gives him a very big amount of informations about current customers because everybody wants to know when something can buy with a special discount. In the first week, he collects data from 100 current customers. Now he has 120 leads into the table.
• Take local phone directory and find 50 people that leave in neighborhood of their store and put their contact details into the table. Now he has 170 leads into the table.
• He open account on Facebook and make business page where collect fans of their business. To collect more fans on that page he gives him discount card of 10% that they can use it when shopping in that cosmetics store. After one week, he collects 100 fans and in the store come to buy 50. All of that people that come to buy into the store he asks to give him additional contact details as a name, e-mail and phone number. In that way, he collects 220 leads for the lead’s database.
• On his blog, he made an opt-in form and collects e-mail and name of the readers of the blog. For each opt-in, he gives him free e-book about How to look perfect for 20 minutes.

With this simple strategy, he collects 300 people in their lead’s database. The process will continue. Now is time to plan marketing activity. He wants every week to be contacted each person from the list with e-mail with informations about blog posts and informations about promotional products and special discounts. Each time when he sent e-mail he receives increasing of the sale. Every time when the person from the list comes to buy something, he updates the Yes/No Purchase column in the table with Yes. In this way, the entrepreneur knows that somebody becomes customer to their business and can change marketing strategies for that persons. Another column that entrepreneur continuously updates is reaction of the persons. This will show him what is reaction and who become a prospect and who stay at the level of leads.

After one month, he has the list with 2000 leads and increases selling for 50%. He continues to raise their list and use different marketing strategy to convert leads into the buyers. This entrepreneur plans to buy some professional database when the list will become too big.

In the earlier post, I write about 10 possible topics that you can blog in your business blog when you use it as a marketing weapon. Here I want to give you some case study about blogging for business blog. The business as a case is cosmetic retail company that sells cosmetic products in traditional retail store and through online store. The idea of entrepreneur is to use blog as a marketing weapon to increase sale in both retail store and online store. The owner starts their own blog and makes the list of possible topics that will be blogging in the next one month. He uses this list:

1. Products. He chooses three different products: mascara, shadow and gloss and start writing about different characteristic of them. These are three different blog posts. In one he writes about characteristics of the mascara and how that mascara solves the problems with short lashes. In another post, he writes about characteristics of a shadow and impact that users can have with that shadow. In third post, he writes about gloss characteristics and how much glossy will look at their lips.
2. Industry. He chose to write three different posts about cosmetic industry. The first post will be Cosmetics Industry Trends. The second post will be: General about Cosmetics and Toiletries and third post will be: Something about Beauty.
3. Expertise. He chose to write two topics about their own expertise. The first topic will be about How to apply mascara for long lash effect. In the topic will give some step by steps tutorial how readers can apply mascara that will make their lashes longer. With this post entrepreneur exposes their expertise about cosmetics and makeup techniques. The second topic will be: How to Apply Powder Foundation where he will explain 5 steps for perfectly applying that type of foundation. The entrepreneur of this cosmetic store  to make 2 different posts about How to posts every month.
4. Experience of satisfied customers. This entrepreneur asks every satisfied customer to write him one testimonial about experience with different products that they use and are satisfied. If don’t have testimonial they will ask their friends or somebody from family to tell him about experiences. He chose one testimonial and post to a blog.
5. Customer problems. The entrepreneur knows that there are too many customers that have problems with acne and want to write one blog post about that problems. He chose to write post about How to Avoid Acne.
6. Video presentation. The entrepreneur wants to publish one video below 10 minutes every month. The videos will show some how to techniques. He decides to make one video that will show 5 steps how to apply powder foundation that he writes in the experience post.
7. Survey results. Previous month he made a survey about what is the most wanted cosmetic product and receive interesting results. He wrote the post about results and gives some own opinions and future steps that he will get.
8. Current events. The entrepreneur this month goes to seminar about makeup secrets. There, presenters show to the audiences how to use proper cosmetics for healthy skin. He wrote a post about some of the aspects that he learned from seminar.
9. Answering Questions. In one of the previous posts, entrepreneur question from reader about what type of mascara is better from two different types. He makes the blog post as Comparison between two types of mascaras.
10. General blogging. The entrepreneur chose to publish one blog post every month about everyday life. He wrote post about Music that decreases stress.

Now the entrepreneur of the cosmetic store have 15 blog posts for the month. That means on every 2 days to publish one post. That is a very good amount of posts for business blogs.