As some of you might know, I got myself a new percolator a couple of days ago. The thing that attracted me most (apart from the obvious aesthetics) was setting the timer at night, and waking up to the smell of freshly brewed coffee in my house. Today was the second morning waking up to zero smell of coffee in my house. And yes, the first thing I thought of was #Microsoft365 #Adoption, #M365LP and #MSFTViva. Because, PRODUCTS DON’T FIX PROBLEMS, PEOPLE FIX PROBLEMS WITH PRODUCTS.

So why would I be thinking of adoption and the use of incredible tools like Microsoft 365 Learning Pathways, and the newly announced Microsoft Viva? Because for 2 days in a row, I cleaned the jug, added water, but forgot to add the ground coffee to the basket. How’s that for purchasing the product, having the need and the right attitude to make this work, BUT NOT ACTUALLY MAKING IT WORK!!!

Similar to when I bought a new Polar watch, which tells me to get up and move, and also gives me insights on not taking enough steps or burning sufficient calories. It really has helped me lose a lot of weight, SAID NO ONE EVER!

Intent (motive / purpose):

At our monthly Microsoft 365 South Africa UG last night, I was chatting to Alistair Pugin (@alistairpugin) & Christian Buckley (@buckleyplanet) about Microsoft Viva and Alistair made a statement that stuck with me:  “This is a great tool for Human Resources & Management to gain insights so they can help their teams / employees be their best.” The important words here are “so they can help“.

Of course the end goal is to build new cultures of resilience, as “This new, integrated employee experience within Microsoft Teams helps people manage communications, knowledge, learning, resources, and insights as part of their natural workflow, and in the apps and services they use every day. ” BUT WILL IT DO THAT? A couple of days ago I published a blog What is DEX | EX(P) & why should it matter to you? in which I added a warning note to companies to keep in mind that there’s more to this than just “flipping switches”. Perhaps I should extrapolate.

Microsoft Adoption Resources:

Microsoft would not have invested gazillions of hours into creating and making available the resources currently on the Adoption Resources Hub if ‘apps’ alone, would check those boxes for you. Yes, by now we’re starting to realize that adoption is about more than just adoption of technology. It’s also about changing and adopting new company (and world) cultures. And any change requires the same steps. Your IT department is no longer solely responsible for making stuff work. It’s time that Human Resources AND Management gets on board.

The Adoption Framework stays the same – and the tools like Microsoft 365 Learning Pathways and eventually Microsoft Viva will help you drive the value through awareness, upskilling and measurement. If will NOT cover all of it.

I’ve helped many companies deploy Microsoft 365 Learning Pathways. Yes, they now have free training in the company tenant that users can access when they require, but without a company culture where learning and evolving is encouraged AND employees have time to learn, it will sadly have no value. The Microsoft 365 Training resources has been available for years, for free, but not many use it, because they’re simply too busy doing their “day jobs” and there’s no visual support from management regarding upskilling or values and strategic objectives that ‘enforce’ this. The same goes for insights and reporting, it doesn’t mean much when it’s not being used and actioned to bring forth change.

So yes, I do think it’s time we stop blaming Microsoft for not making it easier. They’re bending over backwards by supplying us with tools and resources to help, but you know the quote: ‘You can lead a horse to water but you can‘t make him drink’?

My crazy ideas on adoption / change management:

Microsoft Viva Resources:

Disclaimer: I create content about Office / Microsoft 365. Content is accurate at time of publication, however updates and new additions happen daily which could change the accuracy or relevance. Please keep this in mind when using my blogs as guidelines. And yes, I change my mind all the time as well, because “The only thing that is constant, is change”.
My life mission is to “Facilitate the evolution of human capabilities”: Reach out on: Website > LinkedIn > SlideShare > Twitter > Medium > YouTube > MVP Profile