For a global professional services firm, the ability to seamlessly integrate work and people, and enable the flow of knowledge across borders is the lifeblood of the business. As part of the Firm’s broader ‘Cloud-First’ strategy, we aimed to modernise workplace collaboration for 350,000 employees across 150 countries.
While the technical deployment of Azure, Intune, M365, as well as Windows and vNext Exchange migrations under our ‘Modern Workplace’ Program were an impressive feat, the true challenge lay in ensuring the adoption of Microsoft Teams as the central hub for productivity and communication.
The Firm's complexities - partnership structures, regional autonomy, and diverse cultures and attitudes toward technology - posed significant hurdles. The question was clear: how could we bridge the gap between the potential value of Microsoft Teams and the actual value extracted by the business?
Put People First: A Human-Centred Approach
A “build it and they will come” mindset rarely works in large-scale technology rollouts. We flipped the script by prioritising the user experience. This approach began with the program team itself. By mandating the use of Teams for all internal communication, file collaboration, and project management, we gained first-hand insights into the employee experience. Every hiccup, success, and frustration informed our change management strategies.
The lesson? Empathy drives results. It sounds simple, but walking in users’ shoes is critical, you can design interventions that address real-world challenges.
Harness the Power of Data
When operating at scale, data is your most powerful ally. We leveraged telemetry, sentiment analysis, and usage analytics. Here’s how we used it:
• Stakeholder Buy-In: Data provided credibility during discussions with global and regional leaders, replacing assumptions with actionable insights, and diminishing the effects of emotion and ego in decision-making.
• Smarter deployment planning: by analysing current state Skype for Business usage data, we determined which countries collaborated, and to what degree. This informed our deployment sequencing, enabling us to minimise business impact.
• Adapt in real time: Telemetry identified underused features and pain points, allowing us to adjust campaigns dynamically.
• Measure success: Well-defined KPIs (e.g. % adoption relative to addressable user population), a clear baseline and ongoing measurement kept us on track and enabled us to demonstrate progress to leadership.
One Size Does Not Fit All
Employees operate in diverse contexts, with unique needs and preferences. By segmenting users based on their behaviours and needs, we designed tailored interventions that accelerated adoption and maximised impact. For example, having multiple monitors and a lot of screen real estate, vs. being mobile.
Equally important was our recognising the adoption curve within each segment - from Innovators and Early Adopters to Laggards. Mapping these groups against communication strategies allowed us to define what each should know, feel, and do at every stage of engagement. This structured approach ensured that interventions resonated with users, driving meaningful change.
Whilst on the subject of the Adoption Curve, a noteworthy point is that when there is the option to use the ‘carrot’ or the ‘stick’, choose wisely. The ‘stick’ is a valuable tool in later stages for those who resist change, but it is not wise to use it early on. Positive reinforcement (the ‘carrot’) for the majority will cultivate goodwill and encourage participation.
While segmentation and personalisation may seem time-intensive, investing in these upfront efforts paid significant dividends. It fast-tracked adoption timelines and ensured benefits were realised sooner. Conversely, skipping these steps often results in delayed adoption and reduced returns on investment.
Reach People in a Place and Time Relevant to Them
We engaged employees with information when they were most likely to benefit from it – typically when they were in Teams. Contextual and timely information and support enhanced user experience by making Teams a natural part of their workflow, rather than an interruption. When employees receive guidance or notifications tailored to their specific needs, role, or current task, they are more likely to adopt and use the platform effectively. This approach increases engagement, reduces friction, and fosters a sense of immediacy. This is why Digital Adoption Platforms have become so popular.
Leverage Gamification and Collaboration
Competition proved an effective motivator. Country adoption leaderboards, Proficiency badges and team challenges encouraged regional leaders to push for greater adoption within their spheres of influence. These initiatives fostered a sense of achievement while driving tangible results.
Build Persistent Adoption Capabilities
We used to say that “change is the only constant”. Now, it’s more appropriate to say “The acceleration of change is the only constant”. It will never be as slow as yesterday. The need for delivering change at scale and at velocity is growing.
Rather than treating adoption as a one-time effort, we established an enduring Digital Adoption capability off the back of our Teams adoption effort. Stakeholder intelligence, cultural intelligence, insights into what change management interventions worked well and less well, knowledge of local and global policies, governance and ways of working, and the relationships we’d fostered across the globe, all retained and formed the foundations for industrialising digital adoption at scale and velocity.
Lessons for IT Leaders
Our journey with Microsoft Teams offers actionable insights for IT leaders driving large-scale technology adoption:
1. Prioritise the User Experience: Put people at the centre of your strategy. Tailor interventions to their needs and provide support where it matters most.
2. Leverage Data Intelligently: Use analytics not just to measure success but to refine strategies and interventions in real time.
3. Invest in Persistent Capabilities: Build adoption frameworks that can scale across projects and geographies.
4. Foster Collaboration: Engage stakeholders at all levels and empower champions to drive localised success.
Technology adoption isn’t just an IT challenge - it’s a business necessity. By treating it as a strategic priority, IT leaders can unlock the full potential of their technology investments, driving measurable impact across the organisation.
If all of this seems daunting, there are people who have been there and done this, who can help.