TECHNOFILE
Technology itself is a daunting mam- moth. A giant industry concerned with innovation, efficiency and advancement. Technology is all about improvement, but in doing so, the common person can find themselves drowning in a sea of technobabble. TIM STACKPOOL
investigates
Avoiding TECHNOPHOBIA
Fear of new technologies or processes is a serious problem. Some reports have indicated that roughly 85 to 90 per cent of new employees may be uncomfortable with new technology, and are technophobic to some degree. That’s a huge percentage. One of the best ways to approach and beat techno- phobia is through education and training. Some of the phobia is rooted in a fear of appearing ignorant. And while it might seem reasonable to have colleagues offer training in a new piece of equipment or software, some- times it’s best to employ a professional trainer to teach a group of employees. Particularly with software, there are ‘ins and outs’ to so many programs, the chances of being overwhelmed are high. Professional trainers can be expensive, but generally the immediate efficiency gained well offsets the cost.
Getting started If a professional trainer proves not to be an option, check to see whether a ‘Quick Start’ guide is included with the gear. These summaries generally give you the essentials required to begin working with the technology. Some people prefer to sit down with the entire manual and trawl through it from cover to cover before they even touch the new item. This can work for some, but often the Technophobe finds this as abhorrent as the technology itself. Unless you really need to operate like a pro from the outset, consider a quick skim of the manual and perhaps follow a few tutorials to familiarise yourself in the first instance. An effective method might be to become rea- sonably familiar using the manual, and then operate the new gear to become a little more confident. After which, pick-up the manual again and read somewhat deeper. You will find that once you are a little more familiar with the software, the manual will make more sense. It seems illogical, but this method has been proven to lift the pro- ductivity of new users in the shortest possible time.
Key to success Another trick is to exploit the extensive video content available on websites such as You Tube, where both offi- cial and user-produced videos can be viewed. These are
a training goldmine, as often they include tips and tricks of the trade that might often be overlooked, but can supercharge efficiency in both an entertaining and effec- tive manner. Most manufacturers include tutorial videos on their website for high-end equipment, but a quick search on You Tube often returns ‘home-made’ tutorials that can shed light on an otherwise reclusive feature. All these ideas may help reduce technophobia in the
workplace, and can be imperative if your manager is pushing for technological advancements. Technophobia can slow you down and, in some cases, even prevent you from achieving your goals. Sometimes, Technophobes can be labelled as being ‘slow to change’, ‘unwilling to accept new responsibilities’ or ‘too traditional and con- servative’. With proper induction and training, such individuals might support the end result of the technol- ogy they are simply afraid to embrace. If you suffer from technophobia, life at work can be
stressful and anxiety-driven. While the rest of the world appears to be moving ahead, there can be a sense of rap- idly being left behind and the idea of playing catch-up leads to more frustration, anxiety and despair. So, regard- less of which end of the spectrum you may fall, any technophobia in the workplace needs to be identified and recognised, and the solutions properly implemented. E
www.executivepa.com » Aug/Sept 2010 » 15
technophobia, life at work can be stressful and anxiety-driven. While the rest of the world appears to be moving ahead, there can be a sense of rapidly being left behind
“If you suffer from ”
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