You know what's ironic?
We'll spend months researching the perfect new cutting edge technology, but we'll hand it to Steve from maintenance and expect magic to happen.
Spoiler alert: Steve is great at his job but "figure out this mysterious technology" wasn't in his skillset.
The Steve Syndrome
Meet Steve. He's been running maintenance for 15 years, knows every machine on the floor, and can diagnose problems by sound alone. Last Tuesday, someone handed him a $5,000 piece of wearable technology and said, "Test this out."
Steve is not a technology evaluator.
Steve is not a data analyst.
Steve is definitely not a change management specialist.
Steve is a maintenance expert who suddenly became responsible for determining whether cutting-edge technology will transform your operations.
This is what we call the Steve Syndrome and it's killing technology initiatives before they even have a chance to fly.
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The Uncomfortable Truth About Pilot Failures
Research shows that most digital transformation initiatives fail, with employee resistance and lack of management support being the primary factors. But here's what the statistics don't tell you: it's not that employees hate technology. They hate being set up to fail.
When we dump technology on people without context, training, or support, we're essentially saying,
"Here's a problem we don't understand. Please solve it for us while continuing to do your real job."
The Hidden Curriculum of Pilot Programs
Most pilot programs come with an invisible curriculum that nobody talks about:
Lesson 1: Figure out complex technology on your own time
Lesson 2: Somehow become an expert in something completely outside your wheelhouse
Lesson 3: Define success criteria that leadership forgot to establish
Lesson 4: Convince skeptical colleagues that this isn't just another "management fad"
Lesson 5: Do all this while maintaining your regular performance standards
Steve didn't sign up for this curriculum. Neither did anyone else.
The Change Management Black Hole
We think if we can install it, people will use it.
We think if we can connect it, people will embrace it.
We think if we can demonstrate it, people will adopt it.
All wrong.
Technology adoption is a people problem disguised as a technology problem.
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The Resistance Reality Check
The Skeptic: "We tried something like this before. It didn't work."
The Overwhelmed: "I'm already working 50-hour weeks. When am I supposed to learn this?"
The Confused: "How does this actually help me do my job better?"
The Abandoned: "Nobody trained me properly, so I just stopped using it."
These aren't character flaws. These are predictable human responses to poorly managed change.
The Real Reason Pilots Crash
While everyone focuses on technical specifications and ROI calculations, the real determinant of pilot success is much simpler: Does the person using it feel supported?
Companies that involve employees in change planning from the start show 4x higher success rates in transitioning from pilot to production deployment. But most pilots begin with technology selection, not people preparation.
We're building planes and forgetting to train the pilots.
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The People-First Pilot Formula
Organizations that succeed at technology adoption share a secret: they treat pilots as change management exercises, not technology evaluations.
Pre-Flight Check: They assess organizational readiness, not just technology readiness
Flight Training: They provide context, training, and support before expecting results
Co-Pilot Support: They assign dedicated resources to guide the pilot journey
Navigation Tools: They establish clear success metrics and regular check-ins
Landing Strategy: They plan for scaling human adoption, not just technical deployment
The Digital Sherpa Advantage
This is precisely why pilots need pilots. Because technology adoption is fundamentally about helping people navigate change, not just evaluating technical capabilities.
A Digital Sherpa doesn't just hand Steve a sensor and hope for the best. We:
Prepare the Crew: Assess organizational readiness and identify potential resistance points
Provide Flight Training: Offer context, training, and support tailored to Steve's actual job
Navigate Together: Guide the evaluation process with clear objectives and regular support
Ensure Safe Landing: Create a pathway from individual success to organizational adoption
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Breaking the Steve Syndrome
Ready to stop setting your team up for failure? The difference between successful pilots and expensive lessons isn't the sophistication of the technology – it's the sophistication of the change management.
Research shows that companies are 3x more likely to succeed in digital transformation when they use piloting and prototyping approaches that include proper change management from the start.
Your next pilot doesn't need better technology. It needs better people support.
Stop treating technology adoption like an equipment evaluation and start treating it like the change management challenge it actually is. Our Digital Sherpas specialize in guiding both technology and people through successful transformations.
Contact one of our Digital Sherpas today and discover how proper change management transforms reluctant participants into enthusiastic advocates.